It’s hard to truly determine who ought to be credited for the first brownie. One version of history credits Bertha Palmer, a Chicago businesswoman and socialite, for inspiring the sweet that is about as American as apple pie. On a recent visit to Chicago, I took a walk down one of the brownie’s memory lanes.

ICE chefs Kathryn Gordon and Jeff Yoskowitz recently visited South Korea with ICE alumnus Heejin Lho, who wanted to share with the chefs the traditional foods and culture of her country. While Chef Jeff found his favorite meal (surprisingly) in a food court and learned how to navigate intensely hot kimchis, Chef Kathryn was impressed by the elegant, edible flowers like gardenia and magnolia. Below is a conversation between Chef Kathryn and Chef Jeff that took place during the latter half of their visit.

The heat of August ushers in peak tomato harvest, which makes it the perfect time to get creative with summer’s favorite fruit. However, now that August is behind us, it's time to get resourceful as well. (Because letting not just good, but gorgeous food spoil isn't just a waste of taste, it's a waste of resources.)

ICE alum Miguel Trinidad (Culinary, '07) didn’t plan to create a mini-empire of Filipino cuisine in New York City. “I thought when I graduated ICE I would cook Italian food,” says Miguel, who grew up idolizing PBS chefs like Lidia Bastianich. After graduating from culinary school, he landed a gig as executive chef at a popular restaurant in Soho.

If you’re a Culinary Arts or Pastry & Baking Arts student at the Institute, you’ll hear the word “trail” early and often. Like “mise en place” or “hot behind,” it’s part of the language of professional kitchens.

As a young cook honing my skills in the mid-1990s, I fell into a position at Emily’s, a small restaurant in suburban Detroit led by Chef Rick Halberg. With twenty years’ hindsight, I now look back at my time there as an important educational phase of my career — a cook’s equivalent to graduate school. The food culture we see today was only in its infancy then, and our resources were limited to print — this was well before we could scan social media feeds for instant inspiration and ideas from around the world.

Chef Bill Telepan’s bio reads like a culinary best-seller. He’s the executive chef of the bustling midtown restaurant, Oceana; executive chef of Wellness in the Schools, a national nonprofit devoted to healthy eating in public schools; he enjoyed a 10-year run as chef-owner of a Michelin-starred farm-to-table restaurant; he was even invited by Michelle Obama to join the Chefs Move to Schools task force. Chef Telepan cares as much about what’s on the plate as where it comes from, whether he’s cooking for his own children or an über-exclusive dinner hosted by Questlove.

If you are not familiar with clafoutis, please make yourself acquainted. It is one of the easiest desserts to make, not to mention an absolute showstopper. Like a soufflé, this dessert puffs to great heights and begins to deflate moments after being removed from the oven. However, unlike a soufflé, clafoutis batter is super simple to make — just whisk the ingredients together and voila!

Soft serve ice cream is one of the true joys of summer. (On second thought, let’s be honest: we eat it year-round.) To satisfy our endless craving for soft serve, ICE Chef James Briscione shows us how to make three recipes for soft serve — each in under five minutes!

In today’s highly visual world, pastry chefs can stand out with unique sugar sculptures. “I notice that people remember me more for my airbrush than my cake,” says Master Pastry Chef Stéphane Tréand, M.O.F. with a laugh. The recipient of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France, (M.O.F.), which means “best craftsman in France,” can’t wait to share his techniques with students who attend his Sugar Showpieces workshop this September 23-25 at ICE.