10 ICE Alumni Share Core Culinary School Memories

That's because the decision to attend culinary school is a big deal — both an acknowledgment (of the inner voice that encouraged you to follow your heart) and the start of a journey (on the path to professional purpose). 

We asked 10 alumni — whose careers span food media, hospitality management, business ownership and work in renowned restaurant kitchens — to share their favorite culinary school memories. (Several were recognized at ICE’s 50th Anniversary Party; get a glimpse in the video below.)

Here's what they had to say.

Chef-Instructors Dream with Students — and Encourage Discovery

Many leading chefs and entrepreneurs can trace their success back to the teachers and mentors who challenged and encouraged them.

At ICE, Chefs and Instructors do more than lecture and demonstrate technique — they often guide students through the realities of a hospitality career while nurturing their talent and curiosity.

For many of the school’s alumni, the relationships formed with their management and culinary instructors remain among their most meaningful memories. 

Simone Tong, Chef/Owner, Sí Baby-Q

Restaurant & Culinary Management, 2011

For Chef Simone Tong, her ICE externship is foremost among her favorite culinary school memories. The StarChefs 2019 Rising Star Award winner and former chef/owner of critically acclaimed NYC restaurants Little Tong Noodle Shop and Silver Apricot externed at Wylie Dufresne's Wd~50, and her rapt retelling of her experience there highlights how culinary school memories are made both inside and outside the classroom.

“I worked every station, from stagiaire to prep cook, garde manger to entremet and hot apps. I was a fish cook, and I did a little bit of pastry. It was a great family and a great institution. I learned so much — not just cooking, but also how to be a person with integrity and honesty and how to work under pressure. It was a lot of mental and physical challenge”

Zac Young, TV Personality & Creator, PieCaken

Pastry & Baking Arts, 2006

“I was always the fastest one in class, so I’d finish early and ask Chef Jeff Yoskowitz if I could make something else. I’d go back to matcha again and again until he finally said, ‘Somebody needs to stop you.’ He was the one who really encouraged my creative side from the start.”

Andrew Rigie, Executive Director, New York City Hospitality Alliance & CEO, Impact Foundation

Restaurant & Culinary Management, 2004

“My instructor, Steve Zagor, always found creative ways to engage us — jokes, magic tricks, whatever it took. We’d read industry news regularly, which stuck with me. To this day, staying informed is critical to my work. Back then, I was reading the stories; now I help shape them.”

Diana Allan, ICE Director of Special Events

Culinary Arts, 2021

“Chef Joshua used to quiz us on Steely Dan (his favorite band) and give out culinary tools as prizes. One day, I studied up on the band and was ready for anything. Lo and behold, when Chef started firing questions, I answered all correctly and won one of his plating Kunz spoons!”

Cooking Together Bonds Classmates (Who Become Colleagues and Friends) 

Culinary school brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds — recent high school or college graduates, career changers, veterans and food enthusiasts — what unites them is a shared passion for hospitality.

(If you’ve ever performed in a theater troupe, served in the army, worked as a waiter or come together with a group of dedicated people to achieve a focused objective under pressure and in a short timeframe, you know what this is like.)

Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals often leads to strong friendships and professional networks that last long after graduation. The intense pace of culinary and hospitality training — working side-by-side, solving problems together and celebrating small wins — creates bonds that these graduates remember just as vividly as the lessons themselves.

Kerry Brodie, Founder/Executive Director, Emma’s Torch

Culinary Arts, 2016 

“There were a lot of moments of pure panic, usually involving knives. But my favorite memories are of just laughing with my classmates as we all tried to figure things out together.”

Sameer Bhatt, Managing Partner, Bungalow NYC

Restaurant & Culinary Management, 2019

“Honestly, it wasn’t just one big moment. It was meeting so many people who were obsessed with food, just like me. They came from different countries and backgrounds, but we were all talking about restaurants and cooking 24/7. I knew, ‘Yeah, I’m in the right place.’”

Adeena Sussman, Cookbook Author & Food Writer

Culinary Arts, 2006

“I grew up in a house where we only drank instant coffee, and we were in the breakfast module and someone told me to make the coffee. And, you know, I was breaking down fish from scratch, but I had to whisper to my friend, “How do I make coffee? Like, a filter? Where does it go?” So that was pretty funny.”

Accelerated Programs Support Leveling-Up Skills

Practicing new skills, whether in the kitchen or classroom, can be both exciting and humbling. Students quickly discover that mastering technique requires patience, repetition and a willingness to make mistakes along the way.

Those early challenges — from perfecting knife skills to recovering from minor kitchen mishaps — often become the memories that stick the longest. They’re also the moments when students realize just how much they’re growing.

Keita Suzuki, Sous Chef, Meteora

Culinary Arts, 2018

“The first time I properly cut a brunoise will forever be a core memory to me because I failed so many times. I remember Chef Pergole would tell me the reason I was struggling to cut straight was because I was holding my knife at an awkward angle.”

Cory Sale, Food Writer & ICE Senior Content Manager

Culinary Arts, 2022

“Chef Daniel Boulud was on campus the day of my practical exam and came by our kitchen. He was still there when it was my turn to present my finished dish to our Chef-Instructor… and he tasted it. Chef Daniel Boulud ate my food! I think he said the roasted garlic and cauliflower puree was too garlicky — but honestly, I was so in shock I might have blacked out.”

Stephen Durfee, Director of Curriculum, Dandelion Chocolate

Pastry & Baking Arts, 1991 (Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School)

“One day stands out vividly. We were working with caramel and I accidentally burned my finger. My instinct was to put [my finger] in my mouth, which only resulted in burning my tongue, too! It was a small moment, but it taught me the importance of focus and precision in the kitchen.”

From mentorship and collaboration to hard-earned kitchen skills, culinary school is filled with moments that stay with graduates long after they leave the classroom. For these ICE alumni, these memories mark the beginning of careers that continue to evolve.

A Memory Is Worth a Thousand... Professional Connections

Culinary school can be transformative — a place where students acquire confidence and ignite the creative passion that shapes their careers. 

As such, the time said students spend together is often etched in memories that, for some, become as personally and professionally valuable as the techniques and recipes they were taught.  

🍽️ Want to create your own culinary memories? Learn more about ICE’s career-training programs offered on campus in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as online.