David Waltuck

Upon graduating college in 1975, David Waltuck landed his first cooking gig in the kitchen of the legendary Empire Diner in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. His time at the Empire Diner solidified his passion for the culinary arts, prompting him to enroll in a culinary training program to further develop his technique and style.

After spending some time as sous chef at La Petite Ferme, David and his wife Karen opened the doors of Chanterelle, the restaurant that would introduce a new kind of fine dining – nouvelle cuisine – to downtown Manhattan. Chanterelle quickly became a critically acclaimed restaurant, earning two James Beard Awards, plus another ten nominations and two four-star reviews from the New York Times in 1987 and 1993. David went on to explore a variety of culinary ventures including the opening of another restaurant, élan, which was awarded two stars by the New York Times.

With both formal training and real world success stories to share, David brings his passion for leading in the kitchen to the students at ICE, guiding a new generation of aspiring culinary professionals with his intuitive teaching style.