Though her entry into the food industry involved slinging hot dogs on a stick at the local mall, Antonia Lofaso has since taken the Los Angeles culinary scene by storm.

Paras Shah (Culinary, ‘07) grew up as a food nerd, but he didn’t think a cooking career could be his reality until enrolling at ICE, gaining invaluable mentors and winning a scholarship to cook in Spain.

Food is life. We use food to survive and to celebrate. It's an important part of our day. It has the power to change your mood even if you’re having a bad day.

It was Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, inventor of the binomial nomenclature system of naming plants and animals, who christened the tropical tree Theobroma cacao in 1753. By that time, rich beverages made from its seeds, or beans, had gained a foothold throughout Europe and North America; its alluring flavors inspired the tag Theobroma, which adapted from Greek meant “food of the gods.”

Jeff Katz visited our New York campus for the August iteration of Meet the Culinary Entrepreneurs, speaking to Restaurant & Culinary Management students about managing a team, morale, investors and service. Jeff has been with Del Posto for 13 years and opened highly acclaimed Crown Shy in the Financial District this year.

Matthew Leung (Culinary, ’19) was the first student at our Los Angeles campus to secure an externship at The French Laundry, where he’s taking us behind the scenes of Thomas Keller’s world of fine dining. Here’s what it is like to work at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant the first year after culinary school.

A trip down the grocery store aisle today is dizzying with alternative flours popping up left and right. As allergies to wheat become more prevalent, many people find themselves looking for healthy wheat-flour alternatives. It can be daunting to pick which flour makes the most sense when it comes to baking and cooking.

For several months, obscure tents, humidifiers, dehydrators and colorful jars have been alive with activity in the advanced culinary kitchen. I have been experimenting with fermented foods and intrigued by their powerful role in producing amazing levels of flavor.

Barbecue is a culture that goes deeper than what I’m able to do. I understand the theory and fundamentals, but what I get out of barbecue is from memory. I make what I like or remember from growing up in the South.

Emma Alden was that kid who always loved to bake. As a preteen, she saved up all her babysitting money to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer: “I knew that was the only way to get things done quickly and correctly,” she laughs. The born and raised New Yorker was happiest hanging out in her parents’ kitchen, which evidently led her to a career in kitchens.