Chef Curtis Stone spoke to students at the Institute of Culinary Education’s Los Angeles campus in September as part of the Meet the Culinary Entrepreneurs lecture series. The TV host and judge, author of six cookbooks, and owner of two LA restaurants — Gwen, a meat-centric, fine-dining restaurant with an in-house butcher shop, and the 24-seat Maude — started cooking professionally (for less than minimum wage) at age 18.

Gourds, squash and pumpkins — or scientifically speaking, members of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants — have long been multipurpose produce. Dried and used as vessels for drinking and storage, filled with beans as musical instruments and, high in antioxidants, the autumnal plants have even been used in wellness and beauty applications.

There is no single “best” chocolate chip cookie — only differences of opinion. For me, the ideal cookie is big, loaded with chocolate, crisp on the outside, chewy in the center and finished with plenty of salt. If you want to take it a step further, try adding smoke.

Olivia Moglino (Management, ’17) can die within 10 minutes of coming into contact with nuts — and she attended culinary school. Now she’s using her ICE education to make custom cakes and baking mixes for others with severe allergies.

Many of us can recall time spent in our mother or grandmother’s kitchens during childhood. However, few of us might have actually cried when we weren’t included in the cooking process — Chef-Instructor Mette Williams shed tears.

Culinary Arts graduate Elizabeth Meltz worked for B&B Hospitality Group for more than a decade, from stints as a banquet chef and kitchen manager at Del Posto to her role as director of environmental health at Eataly, before she took the same position at Dig Inn this summer. Here, she shares a recap from her group’s inaugural Solution Sprint.

Adam Perry Lang is one of America’s leading authorities on dry aging, but he’s certainly not one to brag. His reason for creating an “environmental chamber” — a subterranean dry-aging room beneath his eponymous eatery, APL Restaurant — goes to the heart of what he strives for as a chef: to care.

The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges honored Kerry Brodie (Culinary, ’17) at its annual Professional Development Conference on Sept. 27.

It has become fairly common to find a sturdy rectangle box in the kitchens of your favorite restaurants, with chefs occasionally fanning the odd-looking contraption and peering cautiously into the void. Inside this little gem is a true treasure and a chef’s pleasure.

Chinese food has taken on a life of its own in New York City, where regional specialties and new concepts are constantly redefining the cuisine. Here’s where critics and locals are slurping to celebrate the latest resurgence of the long-celebrated comfort food.