Brooklyn’s pumpkin man McMahon sculpts goodbye gift for BP Markowitz

November 25, 2013 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Halloween is over, but “pumpkin carver to the stars” Hugh McMahon is still as busy as ever carving the giant gourds (and other fruit and vegetables) for Thanksgiving and other events.

Recently, McMahon carved the image of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz onto a pumpkin for the BP’s fabulous going away party held at Noodle Pudding in Brooklyn Heights.

“The pumpkin went over very well,” McMahon told the Brooklyn Eagle on Monday. “Marty’s wife loved it – they brought it home with them after the party.”

When asked what he thought about his pumpkin portrait, BP Markowitz joked, “I’ve never looked so good in produce!”

McMahon’s talent for carving pumpkins and watermelons has him busy year-round carving for restaurants, events, television, magazines and even the White House. He has carved the faces of Brad and Angelina, Letterman and Leno, Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, Pee-wee Herman and Albert Einstein, Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Last month he sculpted the likeness of singer Lady Gaga at Madame Tussauds in New York City.

Closer to home, his sculptures included an accurate representation of the Pilgrim ship, the Mayflower, on display at a recent City Meals on Wheels fundraiser at the Rainbow Room, and a number of elaborate designs along a Native American theme for a private event thrown by an unnamed billionaire.

In Brooklyn Heights, where McMahon got his start, Noodle Pudding owner Antonio Migliaccio keeps him busy carving for holidays throughout the year. “I recently carved a totem pole out of an Italian gourd called a luna di napoli,” McMahon told the Eagle. “I have a turkey pumpkin there now for Thanksgiving.”