Chef Mike Handal remembers the first time a restaurant chef ever appeared on the cover of Bon Appetit. “It was 1980 and Chicago’s Jean Banchet [was the first]. Then came a protégé of Bocuse. And then my chef, Jean-Jacques Rachou.” The 1980s in New York City was the wild west of fine dining. Chefs from abroad — many of them French — were shaping the city’s iconic restaurant style with elegant, old world techniques and innovative ideas.

When Kim O’Donnel traded in her journalism career for a future in food, she never expected that her true calling would mix her two passions.

It’s been two months since I started class at ICE, and from butchering nearly every type of protein, to learning how to properly sauté, grill, roast, poach and steam, to exploring the financial side of culinary business, I can confidently say I’ve learned a lot. But I’m not just learning how to do all these things. I’m learning the why behind everything as well.

This year, StarChefs.com was proud to announce the 9th class of New York City “Rising Stars”—a selection of 26 upstart chefs, beverage professionals, artisans, and innovators. This year, two ICE alumni—Ann Redding, Chef/Owner of Uncle Boons, and Mina Pizarro, Pastry Chef at Juni—were named among the city’s young leaders. We were also thrilled to host an exclusive panel discussion with a handful of these promising new talents. Read below their thoughts on everything from landing that first job and finding the right mentor to becoming the kind of leader that will shape the industry’s future.

With experience in the kitchens of Jean-Georges, Heston Blumenthal and Floyd Cardoz, ICE alum Jody Eddy has rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s top chefs. So it’s no surprise that her first book, Come In, We’re Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants, secured Jody’s reputation as a respected storyteller among chefs. Since then, Jody’s career has taken off and she’s busier than ever. Read on for an inside look at the dynamic life of one of the industry’s most ambitious writers.

After only four months, I can’t believe I'm already halfway through the Culinary Management program at ICE. Yet, when I think about the ground we've covered—choosing a location, menu design, concept development, marketing, purchasing, management and finance—it seems much longer. With each passing class, my understanding of how a restaurant business operates on both a micro and macro level increases, and I know it will only continue to do so in our remaining three months.

ICE graduates Eric McIntyre and Scott Fagan are among a number of alumni couples who enrolled together with the hopes of owning their own business. Today, they’ve transformed a successful catering company—Tip of the Tongue—into a café storef ront in their Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. We recently caught up with Eric to gain some perspective on their first year of business.

With more than 11,000 graduates in the industry, ICE’s alumni network is a hotbed of food and hospitality talent. In turn, it’s no surprise that many of our graduates have found success working together in the field. In the case of Cristian Quiroz and Ilse Herrera, sous chefs at Txikito, La Vara, and El Quinto Pino—restaurateurs Alex Raij and Eder Montero’s trifecta of celebrated NYC restaurants—they may have met on the job, but they get along just like classmates.

Most chefs are content to have just one prestigious job on their resume. But from Jenny McCoy’s first days in the industry, she’s racked up nothing but all-star experiences, from the celebrated Blackbird and Charlie Trotter’s in her hometown Chicago, to Emeril’s New Orleans dynasty and Tom Colicchio’s NYC Craft empire—all before the age of 32.