The 2018 James Beard Awards Semifinalists have been announced and we’re thrilled to share that a number of ICE alumni were included on the list. Donned as the “Oscars” of the food world, the James Beard Awards are one of the highest honors for food and beverage professionals in the United States. They’re also an opportunity for the industry to take a moment to recognize the hard work and achievements of those who push the mold and continue to make America’s culinary environment the dynamic, inspiring place it is today.

At ICE, we make it our mission to help students find their culinary voice — that creative drive within each of us that determines how we express ourselves through food. Whether with a career training program, a recreational course in macarons or a special event featuring famous chefs, we’ll give you the tools to hone your culinary creativity. Join us as we ask some of today’s leading food industry pros to share their culinary voices.

“Once you’ve tasted this Irish soda bread, you’ll never buy a loaf from the bakery again,” says Chef Sarah Chaminade. Members of the ICE team, who had the chance to sample the goods, would happily concur — that this is truly the best Irish soda bread recipe.

It’s hard enough to create a menu using different kinds of “non-waste” food at your disposal – but creating a four-course menu from leftovers is even more of a challenge. One goal of ICE’s Sustainability Club is to plan and prepare dinners using food that would otherwise be wasted. Aside from the economic benefit, we want to give students the chance to practice the creative process that goes into planning a meal using scraps.

If you bake it, spring will come – that’s how the saying goes, right? With a mix of spices and candied citron, and the classic unsweetened fondant frosting, these traditional hot cross buns are the perfect way to welcome spring.

What happens when a former Chanterelle sous chef takes up donut-making? For one thing, New Yorkers get a fresh supply of amazing-quality, artful (read: Insta-friendly) donuts. Add a healthy shake of scrappiness — an essential ingredient for anyone crazy enough to open a 116-square-foot artisanal donut shop inside a busy carwash on the West Side Highway — and you’ve got yourself a quintessential New York story. There’s even a line of yellow cabs in the background.

Last month, the ICE Chocolate Lab launched Roots of Cacao, its first day-long symposium dedicated to all things chocolate. Through a series of talks, demonstrations, tastings and panel discussions, the program gathered more than a dozen chocolate makers, pastry chefs, industry insiders and historians to share their expertise with a packed room of nearly 100 attendees. Weeks later, I feel I am still soaking in all of the knowledge and insight shared in each intensive session, but a few thoughts still remain top of mind — ideas that I hope to address further at our next symposium.

At ICE, we make it our mission to help students find their culinary voice — that creative drive within each of us that determines how we express ourselves through food. Whether with a career training program, a recreational course in molecular mixology or a special event featuring restaurateurs, we’ll give you the tools to hone your culinary creativity. Join us as we ask some of today’s leading food industry pros to share their culinary voices.

Here’s a question: What inspires students to enroll in ICE’s hospitality management program? Several of our students, past and present, answered that question and turns out there are myriad reasons why students choose to study hospitality management at ICE.