Resolution Inspiration: ICE Alumni Changed Their Lives to Pursue Their Passion

These six alumni changed their careers to pursue their dream jobs
Hillery Hargadine
Personal Chef Stephen Lampshire in his kitchen.

For some people, the path to a professional culinary career isn't a straight line.

Being a career changer in culinary school is more common than many people may think. Here are some stories about ICE alumni who changed careers to become the successful culinarians they are today.

Leslie Lipton
After decades as an immigration lawyer, Leslie decided to follow her gut and eventually landed her dream job, catering cocktail parties for New York harbor sailboats.

Kathleen Lewandowski & Stephen Lampshire (pictured in the image at the top of the article)
These two alumni pivoted from their print media backgrounds in their 30s and 40s to commit to their passion for food and eventually start their own private chef businesses.

Everton Tulloch
After 15 years of working his way up to Director of Sales for a major international brand, a round of layoffs and an encounter with Steve Harvey set Everton on course to open his own food truck. 

Charles Taylor
A youthful passion for martial arts and a stint in the military led Charles to open his own MMA training gyms, but his mid-40s saw another shift — this time into the pastry kitchen at ICE New York, and eventually to France to revisit his love of baking.

Amy Baer Robinson
In addition to her career as a musician and film composer on both coasts, Amy found solace from work stress in hosting dinners and culinary events for friends — one visit to ICE’s LA campus made her realize her future was in food. Chef Amy now hits the right notes in her private event and culinary education club Epicurean Santa Barbara.

Ready to do what you love? Get more information about ICE’s on-campus and online professional training programs here.
 

Hillery Hargadine

Hillery Wheeler Hargadine has been with ICE since 2009. A graduate of ICE’s Restaurant and Culinary Management program, she was a member of the school's Admissions team — helping students to fulfill their dreams of receiving a culinary education — for ten years. Today, she works on messaging and content, authoring student profiles and supporting marketing communications. Hillery currently lives in Toyko, Japan with her husband and son, and eats as much sushi and ramen as possible.