dICEd Blog Listing

Imagine going for a job interview that lasts 8-12 hours, where your potential employer poses questions while you casually peel carrots and de-stem thyme. You get a firsthand view of what life on the...

Eight of us were seated at a round table not far from the restrooms. An occasional whiff of pine-scented cleaning fluid swirled by our seats. My new table acquaintances droned on with their unabridged...

Starting your culinary career is a thrilling time. You’ve made the big decision to begin culinary school and become a culinary professional. Chances are, you’re filled with a combination of excitement...

So far, I’ve had the chance to attend lectures by Sylvia and Steve Pryzant of Four Story Hill Farm, Rob Kaufelt of Murray’s Cheese, Eamon Rockey of Betony and Ruairi Curtin of the Bua Hospitality...

At a restaurant, buying more food than needed means inventory and money going to waste. However, if you buy too little of an ingredient and it sells out, you’re faced with unhappy customers and a...

Participants will learn trends in food styling, observe and analyze food styling by Junita and a photography shoot by Steve, then have the chance to try their hand at styling food themselves. In...

Young cooks are instantly identified by the rows of scars running up their forearms: the reminders of brief skin-singeing encounters with blazing hot oven racks and pan handles. A cook’s relative...

Personally, I try not to get too excited about new opportunities. My optimistic daydreams have resulted in disappointment on many occasions, some worse than others. So in the days leading up to...

A former health care analyst, Mary’s story began like that of many ICE students. She felt unfulfilled in her career and spent her free time dreaming about opportunities in the restaurant business, but...

Most recently, my class had the pleasure of meeting Eveline Chen, the executive housekeeper at the Hotel Wolcott in Koreatown, close to the Empire State Building. While my classmates and I may never...

For years, I dreamed of attending culinary school and yet I ended up at Smith College, studying completely different interests: architecture and art history. As much as I enjoyed these studies, after...

The parallels to the military continue from there. Chefs’ uniforms are an indicator of rank. Strategies for success are mapped out in advance; though, in the heat of service, tactics may become more...