Have you ever wondered who does all the carvings on buffets?

The people who create these wonderful and often temporary treasures are known as 'kitchen artists'.

They create sculptures in butter, fruits, vegetables, ice, Styrofoam and a host of other materials to set the mood for whatever occasion.

Fairmont Southampton's Fred Marquina and Fairmont Hamilton Princess' Joseph Pillas, spoke about how they became kitchen artists, the intricacies of their work, and their long friendship.

They hail from Paete Laguna, a town in the Philippines renowned for its wood carvers and carvings.

And like Mr. Marquina and Mr. Pillas many from the town work in some of the world's best hotels as ice sculptors and kitchen artists.

"It is much easier to work in the ice and vegetables as in wood. There are a lot of tools and it is going to take you a while to make a masterpiece," Mr. Marquina said.

The pair met when they were 12. Both enjoyed carving as a pastime, but after they finished high school Mr. Marquina continued honing his craft, while Mr. Pillas went to university to study restaurant management.

Mr. Marquina was later able to encourage his friend to join him at a hotel in the Philippines and learn more about becoming a kitchen artist.

He joined the Fairmont Southampton six years ago. A year later Mr. Pillas started working at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

Mr. Marquina said he has enjoyed learning how to carve with different materials.

"We trained in ice, so it is much easier for us to do ice sculpture, because we have the knowledge already," he said.

The most challenging part of an ice sculpture, is that no matter what you do it will melt.

"I [once] did a moongate ice sculpture as a structure that people can pass through," he said,

"It is challenging, but the main thing that you have to think about is the safety; if the ice breaks and falls on the people, it is going to be a problem.

"You cannot prevent it from melting, no matter how much preparation."

He loves working with vegetables. "It is not like the ice sculpture as you can finish that in one-and-a-half hours or one hour, but vegetable carving is going to take a while, because you can make flowers and other intricate designs."

The two work on their own to create the sculptures. Work can be demanding, especially around Christmas, as there are sometimes five different parties going on in unison.

"People don't realise all the work that goes into it," Mr. Marquina said. "We are carving all day, non-stop."

To maintain freshness, the sculptures are put out 20 minutes before guests arrive.

In celebration of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess' 125th anniversary celebrations in January, Mr. Pillas created a replica of the hotel, which looked like a gigantic cake.

"It was made in Styrofoam and in three portions," he said. "It was the most difficult that I have ever done here.

"I drew it first. I had to get the pictures from different angles. It took a week just to get the drawings done and it took one month to make it – about 240 hours on one project.

"The windows were difficult, you need a lot of patience to do that."