At ICE, we make it our mission to help students to 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 chocolate or a special event featuring marketing strategies, 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.

Your Thanksgiving turkey has a secret; and I’m here to tell it: that bird HATES being roasted in the oven. I know it, your turkey knows it and deep down, you know it, too: roasting a whole turkey in the oven just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It consumes a massive amount of time, space and energy, none of which I would be against if the results were impeccable. However, the sad truth is that roasting turkey in the oven is inefficient and the end product is imperfect.

There are many lessons you might expect a pastry chef to teach students: have patience; read a recipe in its entirety; opt for the highest quality ingredients. For Chef Carmine, ICE’s newest Pastry & Baking Arts instructor, his most important lesson is simple: stop saying no to yourself. Because, according to Chef Carmine, a former military sergeant who trained as both a ranger and paratrooper, confidence is the most crucial ingredient for success.

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 it’s a career training program, a recreational course in pie crusts or a special event featuring handmade pasta, 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 voice.

In this interview, ICE’s Director of Sustainability Bill Telepan speaks with Chef April Bloomfield, the British-born, NYC-based chef behind The Spotted Pig, The Breslin and The John Dory Oyster Bar. Bill and April talk about Coombeshead Farm, the farm in the heart of Cornwall, England that April owns and runs with Chef Tom Adams, chef-owner of the London restaurant, Pitt Cue.

These days, we’re seeing more news on the abolition of tips. You might wonder: what’s the consensus on tipping? I have a little tip for you. We won’t be ending tipping in the U.S. anytime soon. We have a better chance of seeing Mickey Mouse star in a new movie. Here’s why.

For me, the best moment of cooking the food we cook is catching a customer trying to figure out what’s happening in their mouth. They take a bite and chew thoughtfully, but they either don’t find the flavors they expected or they can’t identify what they’re tasting. They take another bite and in a storm of discovery, they chat with their fellow diners about what’s happening. By this point, they’re already hooked — there are smiles and nods and reaches for another bite.

When ICE moved into its current facility at Brookfield Place, staff and students were treated to new features like the Chocolate Lab – my home base – as well as our indoor hydroponic farm. This innovative space focuses on unique varieties of culinary plants grown for flavor, and their efforts benefit our students in the teaching kitchens as well as chefs and restaurants throughout the city.

It’s official: "ELF the Musical" is returning to the Theater at Madison Square Garden. What better way to commemorate this huge announcement than a huge Elf-themed confection?