ICC Alumni Participating in NYC Restaurant Week

So why does ICC love NYC Restaurant Week? With many of our 15,000+ alumni still working in NYC, many of the restaurants on this year’s list feature ICC graduates leading the kitchens of our favorite restaurants!

If you want to get a taste of just some of our graduates, check out some of the NYC Restaurant Week establishments where our alumni work and book your table here.

Aisha Momaney, Executive Pastry Chef: Vaucluse is a stylish brasserie with a distinctive New York vibe. Experience French cuisine through impeccable food, provocative drinks, and an alluring, vibrant setting.

David Battin, Executive Chef: The Red Cat feels like a real neighborhood joint—the decor has a funky, homemade feel to it, with its hanging vintage lamps and barn walls—but the food is world-class. Grilled double pork chops are served with a black olive-and-roast cauliflower puree, while crispy sautéed skate wing is accompanied by sweet-and-sour eggplant.

David Chang, Executive Chef/Owner: Momofuku Nishi, located in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, creates Italian-inspired dishes using unexpected techniques and ingredients. In addition to a la carte pasta, meat and fish offerings, the menu also features a house-made pasta tasting with an optional wine pairing.

Gerald San Jose, General Manager: Noreetuh is a modern Hawaiian restaurant in the East Village. The menu is complemented by a carefully curated wine list of approximately 200 selections with a strong representation from France.

Hooni Kim, Executive Chef/Owner: Danji showcases authentic Korean flavors prepared with classic techniques to enhance the taste, texture and aesthetic of each dish. They offer small but shareable portions served in multiple courses, allowing diners to enjoy each dish hot out of the kitchen.

Hanjan is Chef Hooni Kim’s second restaurant after Danji, located in the Flatiron District. Many of the dishes at Hanjan are meant to evoke Korean street markets that offer comfort food enjoyed by people in Korea in their everyday life.

Ian Coogan, Executive Chef: ABC Kitchen by Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has a passionate commitment to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible.

ABC Cocina, the more casual of the two ABC eateries, Chef Ian Coogan combines influences from Spain, Mexico and Argentina for a user-friendly tapas style menu as seen through a New American prism.

James Friedberg, Executive Chef: Nickel & Diner serves globally driven, re-imagined diner fare inspired by Chef James Friedberg’s experience in some of NYC’s top kitchens, including Le Cirque and Aureole. The menu changes often, reflecting the current season with local and seasonal ingredients from the surrounding neighborhood of Chinatown.

Jeremie Tomczak, Head Chef: Tommy Bahama Restaurant-Bar-Store, on Midtown’s renowned Fifth Avenue, is the flagship location for the island-inspired luxury lifestyle brand, delivering classic American cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood, all with a hint of the tropics.

Julian Medina, Executive Chef/Owner: Toloache has made-to-order guacamole, brick-oven-roasted seafood and an eager and knowledgeable waitstaff. The cozy Toloache is a charming little slice of Mexico off Times Square.

Toloache Thompson (pronounced toh-lo-AH-tchay) is named after a flowering plant famed in Mexico for its use in love potions. Chef Medina’s creative cooking incorporates seasonal and natural ingredients and more than a dozen types of chilies.

Julieta Ballesteros, Executive Chef/Owner: La Loteria is a new take on authentic Mexican cuisine from celebrity chef Julieta Ballesteros. The West Village eatery features an exciting and surprising mix of Mexican recipes ranging from the deliciously elemental “street” taco to the luscious lobster quesadilla.

Karen Shu, Chef de Cuisine: Loring Place offers seasonal, local, American cuisine by chef Dan Kluger in the heart of Greenwich Village. The menu, comprised of small and large shareable plates, spotlights farms and farmers whom Kluger has gotten to know intimately over 20 years of frequenting the Union Square Greenmarket.

This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.