Ernie Ogalesco didn’t celebrate Hallowe’en as a child.

He was raised in the Philippines where they honour the dead with visits to the cemetery, not pumpkins.

It’s ironic that the 38-year-old is making a name for himself because of the spooky tradition.

He’s behind the fantastic pumpkin display now attracting attention at the Fairmont Southampton. Mr Ogalesco and Fairmont chef Delan Fernando spent three weeks carving 80 pumpkins in time for the annual observance on October 31. On average, each took just over an hour to complete.

“Before I started doing the pumpkins I was mostly just working with watermelons,” the father-of-three said. “One day I was trying to do research and typed into YouTube how to do more complicated carvings and then I came across these pumpkins.

“There were lots of food carving demonstrations, but I stumbled on Ray Villafane and started watching his tutorials. He’s known around the world for his work.

“I’d watch those and every few seconds pause it so that I could try it for myself. I also sent Ray an e-mail to find out how I could make carving tools and I’m very fortunate he answered me back. From there I made my own tools and that’s how I started it.”

In the beginning his creations were pretty simple; hotel guests had a pumpkin rabbit for Easter in 2011.

More detailed ghouls and ghosts came later.

“I find the more I do, the more I improve,” the kitchen artist said. “It’s really fun and challenging because you try to imitate the expressions and movements of what those characters are doing. Before my carvings didn’t have much detail, but now they’re a lot better.”

Filipinos celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1.

“What we do doesn’t involve any pumpkins,” Mr Ogalesco said.

“Ours is more similar to what they do in Mexico where they make masks and have parades to honour their dead. At home, we go to visit our deceased loved ones in the cemetery.

“A few days before, we start fixing up the burial site by laying down flowers or lighting candles and then we have a party — eating, drinking and playing cards.

“It’s like a family event and you gather to show appreciation for what that person did for you during their life.”

Mr Ogalesco’s dad is always in his thoughts during the celebration.

“My father passed away when I was three years old and my mother couldn’t afford to send me to college, so I went to Manila at 16 years old to find a job for myself,” he said. “I found work at a Chinese restaurant kitchen washing dishes. But I had to live in the slum area and stay in a very tiny room. It was hard financially, but I feel strong for having survived it.

“I feel so proud of myself right now — from having nothing to where now I can afford to send my kids to a good school. I have three children. They live in Leyte [a province in the eastern Visayas region] with my wife.”

Mr Ogalesco worked his way up to kitchen steward and then kitchen assistant, preparing meals.

The work earned him enough money to go to college, where he planned to become a civil engineer.

“I was thinking at the time it was a good source of income and most of my classmates were thinking the same. But when they asked me to help in the kitchen as an assistant I fell in love with it. I continued to work at the same time as going to school. I was there in the same Chinese restaurant for eight years until I got a promotion and reached head cook there.”

In 2002 he married and had a child.

The money he earned at the restaurant wasn’t enough to feed his growing family; Mr Ogalesco found work working on cruise ships with Holland America Line.

He moved to the Cayman Islands as a trainee with the Ritz Carlton in 2005. There, he was promoted to a food decorator working with everything from ice to fruit. Jobs in Qatar and Tunisia followed.

“For me it’s really fun because you’re doing the job that you like to do and you get paid for it,” he said.

“The travel opportunities are another great thing about being a chef. You get the chance to work in different parts of the world and you can choose where you want to go — that’s the best part.”