Tucson multimedia sculpture artist Matt Harper will appear on Food Network’s Halloween Wars.
The show features host Jonathan Bennett and contestants competing to show off their edible Halloween-themed displays. The episode Road to Halloween Wars shows off the new batch of pumpkin carvers, cake artists, and sugar artists competing in the new Halloween Wars season.
A panel of celebrity guest judges chooses the winner, who takes home a prize of $50,000.
A vice president of business development for an AI software company by day, Harper carves pumpkins intricately at night when it’s pumpkin season.
“I carved every year since I was a kid doing typical jack o’ lanterns,” Harper said. “In the past five years, I started a more concerted effort to have them recognizable.”
While Harper has a background working with clay, metal, stone, and wood, he recently began gravitating towards produce.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hEljmhZWi/
“What I always strive to do is to have them have a personality and be expressive,” Harper said. “It always lends itself to being a human head. The size and shape helps me determine what I’m going to carve.”
Harper didn’t actually apply to be a contest on the show, however.
“My family and I started watching Halloween Wars years ago,” Harper said. “I’m humble, but my kids would say, ‘Dad, you can carve better than that.’ They sent my name [to apply for the show] without me knowing.”
To Harper’s surprise, he received an email and call from a casting person.
Watch Harper and his team compete on Halloween Wars at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, September 29.
Keep up with Matt Harper on Instagram.
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
