San Jose pumpkin sculptor carves out a place on Food Network

"San Jose resident Paulina Goff Stovall began her career as a professional pumpkin carver at age 18, just out of high school, when she carved a 600-pound pumpkin in the shape of a funnel web spider for a gathering at the home of a local corporate CEO. I was so intrigued by the opportunity to carve live for entertainment, says Stovall. I love entertaining and have always been artistic."

"She began carving with an X-Acto knife, a tool she pays homage to in her logo for her events company, Carved FX. For the last 15 years, though, she has mainly used ceramic sculpting tools, as well as clay and woodworking tools. She sources most of them at Clay Planet in Santa Clara, saying, You could order these online, but I would rather support local businesses. I love the owners."

"A big supporter of Spina Farms in south San Jose, from which she sources all her giant pumpkins, she estimates she uses about 20,000 pounds of pumpkin each year. They find exactly what I need, she says of Spina Farms. For a Filoli garden party last year, she created a series of garden bugs over seven nights, carving the sculptures at nightfall. I did a 5-foot garden snail out of two really big pumpkins that weighed 500 pounds, she says."

Paulina Goff Stovall began carving professionally at 18 after sculpting a 600-pound pumpkin shaped like a funnel web spider. She appears on season 15 of Food Network's Halloween Wars. Early work used an X-Acto knife; recent work relies on ceramic sculpting, clay and woodworking tools sourced locally at Clay Planet. Stovall runs an events company called Carved FX and carves live at workshops, festivals, high-end parties and corporate events. She sources giant pumpkins from Spina Farms and uses roughly 20,000 pounds of pumpkin annually. She creates large pieces such as a 5-foot garden snail and draws inspiration from mythical creatures.

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