Childhood Friends Carve Out A Business From A Halloween Tradition
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A pair of friends have spent hundreds of hours in a Brooklyn warehouse perfecting their skills and showed CBS 2's Alex Denis how they hope to carve out a place for their work in a simple Halloween tradition.
Chris Soria and Marc Evan have spent decades perfecting their craft.
"It can typically take anywhere from three to 16 hours depending on how crazy and how intricate," Evan said.
The childhood friends found a way to combine their two loves, art and Halloween, into a business called Maniac Pumpkin Carvers.
"I always knew I wanted to make a living doing something fun and creative. I never thought it would be pumpkins," Evan said.
As professional sculptors, Marc and Chris etch hundreds of pumpkins a season with logos, illusions and portraits—each one more elaborate than the last.
But they weren't always experts.
"You have to ruin a few pumpkins sometimes to really get the hang of it," Soria said.
They've learned many tricks during the years and now they're giving the inside scoop on how to perfect your pumpkin.
They say when picking a pumpkin, test for a strong stalk.
"The stem is still a source of nutrients for the pumpkin and it's also an indicator for freshness," Evan said.
Don't ever cut into the top—they say it weakens the pumpkin.
Instead, use an electric bulb for a brighter blow and grab a few kitchen tools.
"You can use a paring knife, you can use a lemon zester; scrubber sponges are really helpful for polishing your pumpkins," Evan said.
All that's next is to get creative and start carving.
If you want to see the duo work in-person, head to Luna Park on Coney Island this Saturday, where they'll be out all day carving a giant pumpkin.
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