Gabby is a student in ICE’s Culinary Arts program and our newest student blogger. She’s been cooking since before she was allowed to use the stove — making “soup” by using hot water from the sink to “boil” pasta and then throwing in some spices. Before culinary school, she received a bachelor’s degree in communications and human resources management from Rutgers University. She worked in marketing for a stint before launching her blog, “ The Semi-Healthy Foodie,” and in October 2016, she finally decided to pursue her dream of going to culinary school and enrolled at ICE.

"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.

Chef James Briscione recently traveled to Bahia, a state on the northeast coast of Brazil. Through daily trips to the market, tasting indigenous ingredients and getting into the kitchen with local chefs, Chef James discovered Bahian cuisine.

The weekend of March 4th, I had the pleasure of attending the annual IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) conference in Louisville, KY. ICE has been a part of IACP for over 20 years. The group’s membership is particularly focused in the food media and culinary communications arena.

Alternative flours — like chickpea flour, banana flour and grapeseed flour — can add a nutritional kick and a tasty nuance to many everyday recipes. Though substituting your tried-and-true AP flour may seem a little intimidating at first, once you have a few recipes under your belt you can add these alternative flours to your regular cooking and baking repertoire.

This St. Patrick’s Day, try your hand at an Irish-inspired sweet — no baking involved! Chef Sarah Chaminade shares her boozy take on cheesecake, with a buttery, chocolate cookie crust and a creamy filling accented by Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Students enroll in our pastry arts program for many reasons — for some, it’s to mix flour, eggs and sugar for the first time and launch a budding pastry career. For others, it’s to hone their skills and enhance their existing experience. Diploma (and whisk) in hand, our pastry grads set out on a range of career paths — from recipe writers to startup chefs to educators and more.

Here at ICE, our mixology experts craft delicious cocktail menus for cocktail-themed special events — a creative, hands-on option for a group event with friends or colleagues. In anticipation of our new lineup of cocktail themes, we’re sharing recipes for a couple of classic, American cocktails from our American Pastime theme. Mix, sip and repeat!

If you haven’t added cardamom, za’atar and berbere spice to your pantry, you’re doing it wrong. These unique, flavor-packed spices can turn an ordinary dish into something extraordinary (and delicious). In a new video from ICE and Direct Eats, Chef James Briscione shares a few recipe ideas that will be sure to excite your palate and inspire your own spice exploration: Berbere Roasted Chicken Pizza with Berbere BBQ Sauce; Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Za’atar and Sumac-Yogurt Dressing; and Cardamom Roasted Pork Tenderloin. Watch the video to learn how you can prepare these dishes at home.

I began what I refer to as my first "real" cooking job 22 years ago this spring. Looking back, stumbling into a modest restaurant called Emily's was perhaps the smartest move in my career, setting a tone that still guides me. Situated in a hundred-year-old Victorian house in the sleepy Detroit suburb of Northville, that kitchen was my school, my hobby, my life. In those early days, I could have ended up in any run-of-the-mill, turn-and-burn establishment, but at Emily's I found out what real cooking was all about, the refinement and the passion, and a little about the business as well.