Most of us spend our childhoods answering the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The fact is, we all become adults some day and have to do something…but what we want to do and what we end up doing isn’t always the same thing. All of your life experiences push you in a certain direction: they influence the choices you make, define who you are and what you choose as a career. But why choose just a career when you can choose your passion?

Like all fine arts, the presentation of food is based on theory and best practices. From texture to shape, composition to balance, join ICE Creative Director Michael Laiskonis on an exploration of the philosophy of plating.

Just days into official summer, we’ve already had some sweltering temperatures in NYC, and all I can think about are frozen desserts. Ice cream, gelato, sherbet, soft serve, sorbet … there is an explosion of frozen options available in my neighborhood — from a Häagen-Dazs pint at the corner store and pretzel waffle cones piled with Blue Marble fresh mint ice cream to homemade gelato from old-school Italian sweet shops.

Learning about the history of food is an excellent way to understand why we cook the way we do today. Some flavors and ingredients from years ago have long been forgotten, yet many have been modernized with the changing times. Just like music, art or theater, food reflects the culture of different regions around the world and provides insight into our values and traditions.

To most, the general difference between cooking and baking is that cooking involves tasting, adjusting to your preferences and the ability to follow a recipe loosely; while baking is precise, measured, detailed and must strictly follow that recipe. With this knowledge in hand, I embarked on the seemingly rebellious Rule Breaking Baking: Baking without Measuring class with Chef Melanie Underwood at ICE.

When approached by young cooks and students seeking advice on what to read, which chefs to follow on social media or which techniques they should study, I always underscore the importance of traveling and going out to eat. When you’re forming your style and sense of what is “good,” it’s essential to taste as much as possible—be it at your local bakery or a gastronomic temple overseas. I didn't make much money as a young chef, but by scrimping and saving what little I did earn, I invested in my edible education as often as I could afford.

It’s not every day that a student gets to return to his or her alma mater, to walk the halls as not only an alumnus, but also a teacher. ICE Culinary Arts graduate Charles Granquist has more than earned his place among our faculty, with a resume that includes such diverse experience as the fine-dining kitchens of Blue Hill and the fast-paced food media world of the Food Network.

As any restaurant chef who has had their dishes featured in food magazines can attest, there is more than one way to write a recipe. No experience has made this statement more obvious to me than seeing my second cookbook, Modern Eclairs, published during the same period that I have been developing new cookie recipes for the professional pastry and baking program at ICE.

Among the many emerging opportunities for food entrepreneurs, few sectors have seen as much growth as the cook-at-home meal delivery market. Beyond such omnipresent brands as Blue Apron, a wide range of creative chefs and business owners are launching specialized products that serve the needs and tastes of a niche market. Case in point: ICE Culinary Arts alum Madhuri Sharma, co-founder of Indian-inspired meal kit service Saffron Fix.

Cooking, like all art forms, is a subjective medium. Just as fine artists or musicians have different styles, ask any group of professional cooks, and you’re sure to find varying perspectives on what makes food “good.” It would be nearly impossible to find a restaurant kitchen where all the chefs hail from the same place, hold the same beliefs or boast the same level of culinary experience—and the same holds true in a culinary school.