After a final class toast and goodbyes in late February, Gabriella Russo (Culinary, ’20) headed for Healdsburg, California in Sonoma County to extern at the three-Michelin-starred SingleThread Farms, Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton’s ryokan (Japanese bed and breakfast) comprising a farm, restaurant and inn. Like many students, Gabriella’s externship was to be the crescendo to her in-class studies. However, just a few weeks into her new role, the pandemic put the opportunity on an unexpected pause.

Chef Aarón Sánchez, judge on Fox’s hit show "MasterChef" and ICC’s 2019 commencement keynote speaker, returned to the ICC community earlier this October to debut his brand new memoir, " Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef" (Abrams Press).

It’s a hazy, humid day in June, and I walk into The Freehand Hotel in New York City, located just east of Madison Square Park for my second Outstanding Alumni interview. I glance at my typical work attire and feel as if I should be wearing a trendier outfit from the runways of Paris. From the art adorned walls that would make most avid collectors jealous, to the wooden elevator accent that’s reminiscent of an older New York, the space from Gabriel Stulman’s Happy Cooking Hospitality family is as fun to eat in as it is to look at.

In 2009, Sylvia Yoo enrolled at The International Culinary Center in New York and eventually worked in some of the city’s most formidable kitchens, including Jean-Georges and WD-50. When she returned to Los Angeles she found work at an interior design firm, and tried balancing four days there and two days on the line. The pressure of maintaining both jobs was fierce and exhausting, and Yoo eventually left the culinary industry, but still needed an outlet for her love of the kitchen.