Times Advocate, 1997-01-22, Page 11..TAT. .rr.
anuary 22, 1997
Fruit and vegetables: a new art form
• Above, Peta
Bayley
draws an
outline of a
penguin
piece. At
right is the
finished ver-
sion, corn-
plete With
various
fruits and
Vegetables
for detail.
By Brenda Burke
T -A Reporter
HENSALL - Eat your veggies. Or, use them to create
original works of art.
That's what Grand Bend sisters Peta and Heidi Bayley
decided to do in an attempt to create a new product for ,the
hospitality industry
Peta, who develops most of the animal, flower and
mythical beast designs, claims they are simple yet time-
consuming to make. The first step involves drawing an,
outline sketch on "meat wrap paper" as a dimension
guideline. Special "bubble wrap" is placed on,top, then
assorted fruits and vegetables are glued on, acting as
colorful detail. Depending on -the design, this step takes
three to four hours.
The art work is then cut out and placed on a block of
clear ice formed to a few inches thick. The design is held
down by weights and water is added. The weights are
removed before the block is left for a few days to freeze
from the bottom up'to a depth of 10 inches.
The food doesn't shrink in the process and doesn't' have
to be perfectly fresh when used. Peta prefers working with
peppers.
"They're very moist but the colors are intense," she
explained, adding produce with moisture lacks the sticking
qualities of drier items such as orange and grapefruit
peelings. kkt
The lifespan of each '40x20 inch block is estimated'at a
minimum of two months while frozen and is valued
between $275 to $300, depending on its, detail. On display
it will last at least 24 hours.
The designs are used as exhibits at trade shows, as. ,
unique displays at malls and shopping centres, and as
promotional material for advertising agencies.
The idea of the frozen art form originated with the girls'
father, Julian, who used flowers in his ice designs•a few
years ago �n a smaller scale for Iceculture Inc„ in Hensall.
When Heidi created the first design - a parrot - for an
International Centre show in October, the response was so
encouraging she recruited Peta to help her develop a hill
product line for the company, which creates the only clear
ice block in Eastern Canada, thanks to their special system
'from the United States. ,
"That's why we can do the effect we.do, because (the
blocks are) crystal clear," explained Heidi.
Where Are They Now?
The . Wuerths
EXETER - "We made a career decision
_ based on a lifestyle decision," explained John Wuerth
of the move to purchase the family shoe sto
While working in Burlington - his wifc, Linda, as a registered nurse in the coronary care unit
-- at Hamilton General Hospital and he at John Deere and Co., in the industrial division's finance
department - they were expecting their first
Exeter.area.
The Wuerihs dated while at South Huron District High School and after graduating in the
mid -70's, furthered their education in London. After obtaining her registered nurse diploma at
Fanshawe College, Linda worked in the coronary department at Victoria Hospital while John
completed his Honors Degree in Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Two years after marrying in 1977, they moved to Exeter where John worked in his parents'
store until 1984. They�then purchased Wuerth Shoes, which was established in 1938 by John's
grandfather and later taken over by John's parents. John and Linda soon opened a second shoe
store in Clinton followed by one in Goderich and in Seaforth.
Although John admits working as a husband -wife team can be challenging, since they spend
much of their time together, he admits splitting job responsibilities is one of their greatest assets
as business partners.
"We really -divide up the job skills and the job demands as my parents did before...I think we
complement each other...And separate offices is important too," said John, who looks after the
stores, promotions and staff while Linda takes charge of finances and accounting.
"We both do direct selling," he said, adding being self -
Where Are They -Now? is an extended series on South Huron
District High School graduates and their career choices
working together in the shoe business
re business 12 years ago.
"
child and chose to live near their families in the
A
employed gives them the opportunity to
manage their time around their
_
childrens'
childrens'
•
sports
activities as well as their own community involvement. "We can basically set our own
hours."
John, who says he has "an entrepreneurial spirit," enjoys having "freedom to make
decisions but the responsibility to make sure those decisions a
re right .
According to John, an entrepreneur in the 90's needs to be self -motivated.
"You have to enjoy coming to work every
day," he said, adding today's retail work
demands a focus on customer service and the
willingness to adapt to change.
"If you're making decisions today to react
to today's market, you're too late," he
explained. "You have to be very pro -active in
business rather than reactive...A business will
not be successful just because you're a good
marketer and you sell products," he said,
advising a strong background in finances and
computers is helpful.
For Linda, organization skills and time
management are important skills.
"I enjoy the customers," she added,
admitting althoughltg sometimes misses the
e citement of nutmeg, 'she prefers the 6 .
fl ibility she's since gained for family and
c emends.
John and Linda, who have three daughters,
Becky, Sarah and Amanda Fite reading and
s• arts as their hobbies.
---t
It)I)n .1 id 1 inkl,i l\MAI h int r 1l(i111
1