In the restaurant business, December is one of the busiest times of the year, especially at such iconic restaurants as the legendary Gramercy Tavern.

These days, an emphasis on local goods is hardly out of the ordinary. Yet, our passion for beautifully designed, handmade products didn’t just happen.

For most of my time in culinary school, I’ve been learning time-tested techniques or following a recipe “to a T.” So with the exception of a few lessons in modern plating, the ICE “market basket challenge” was the first time I was asked to truly cook creatively for my Chef Instructor and classmates.

If asked to imagine the type of chef who excels in the fast-paced world of television cooking competitions, you might think of a stoic restaurant veteran, someone who thrives on the heat and stress of the kitchen.

My trajectory from culinary school graduate to ICE Chef-Instructor, author and entrepreneur didn’t follow the most conventional route. But luckily in the food industry, that’s okay. The more one gets to know other chefs and food professionals, the more you realize that there are many different paths to success in our field.