Dietary aide serves up smiles

By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — Scott Elson has found a fun and creative way to use vegetables.
But it doesn’t include eating them.
Elson, 38, of Milford, who is Milford Hospital’s dietary aide, spends a few minutes each morning whipping up an artistic vegetable delight for hospital employees and doctors. It helps turn those grumpy early- morning frowns into smiles when they see his creations sitting on the counter, he said.
"It’s so serious in here. It makes people smile, and it makes me smile," Elson said. "People can be grumpy in the morning. The first time I put it out, I thought it was stuffy with all the doctors and that they’d be too serious. The doctors are laughing and feel it’s great."
Each morning, Elson comes in early to create creatures such as "broccoli man" out of lettuce that serves as the face, olives that represent eyes and broccoli that serves as a Don King-type of hairstyle.
He’s also carved a Pac Man out of an orange, with olives again serving as eyes. He created a drag-racing car from carrots, with pieces of cucumber for the wheels. Leaving no detail behind, he drew an engine with a marker.
A bunny rabbit comes alive through a lemon, and there is the lovable Humpty Dumpty character made from an egg. Other classic characters created by Elson include Tiki Guy and Mr. Potato Head.
"The bottom line is, health care a lot of times can be very serious," said Ken Warren, hospital spokesman. "Sometimes, we forget to smile in business. It’s a bright spot."
Elson, who joined the hospital in October after 20 years as a professional cook, said his creations originally grew out of his dressing up dishes by using garnishes. One example included making roses out of tomatoes by using a knife to carve the tomato like a pumpkin.
By November, he was creating his unique characters. Elson said he thinks he may have created a monster, because on the occasional day he is too busy some members of the staff come down and get on his case.
Hospital Human Resources Director Jeff Komornik said Elson’s creations are great and "picks up everyone’s spirits."
"It’s good for morale," Komornik said.
Hospital electrician David Lesage said Elson is very creative and that he looks forward to coming into work every morning just "to see what (Elson is) going to do."
Elson said employees make requests and one person asked for the Boston Red Sox logo. But Elson, a die-hard New York Yankee’s fan, responded by creating the Yankees interlocking NY logo out of carrots.
"I wouldn’t do Boston," he quipped.
Elson said he creates the veggie art simply because it’s "relaxing."
"The ideas are just in my head," Elson said.
He said his secret is a bunch of toothpicks and "gravity, which holds it all together."
Elson, who has two children, Jack, 7, and Connor, 4, said his children also love his veggie characters. He said some people have asked him to work parties, but Elson said he is too busy with his children to make his hobby a side business.
Elson also is humble about his creations, saying his talent is nothing special, and his only goal is to put a smile on people’s faces.
"I’m not an artist. I do what I can. I’m just an average guy," said Elson, who is a graduate of Platt Technical High School.
Brian McCready can be reached at 401-3501 or bmccready@nhregister.com. Visit the All About Milford blog at http://www.allaboutmilford.blogspot.com/.