You will often hear our Career Services Advisors speaking with students about the importance of the externship portion of our Culinary, Pastry & Baking Arts and Hospitality Management diploma programs. The externship experience is one of the key elements that sets our school apart, as we are able to guide students into the kitchens and offices of some of New York City’s and America’s top restaurants, hotels, pastry shops and media outlets.

ICE alum Elisa Strauss is the owner of Confetti Cakes, a boutique cake design company. Strauss, named one of "America's Top Ten Pastry Chefs" in 2008 by Dessert Professional Magazine, specializes in hand-sculpted and unique cakes that are best described as edible works of art.

In culinary school, there exists a great divide that all comes down to one crucial distinction: are you savory or sweet? Here at ICE, students fall into one of these categories, dependent upon whether they choose the culinary or pastry career track.

When you think of the quintessential New York City chef, a few famous names come to mind, but Andrew Carmellini is definitely at the top of the list.

Jim Nawn is the owner of Agricola, a self-described "community eatery" located in Princeton, NJ. The restaurant celebrates the creation of fresh, wholesome food, using locally sourced ingredients as often as possible. Nawn–who has already received acclaim from the New York Times—graciously agreed to share his story with us this past month, offering some key insights into his successful new business.

This winter, I gave my brother John—a dedicated home chef—a gift certificate to the Institute of Culinary Education for his birthday. After scouring the numerous offerings in The Main Course catalog, he decided upon a course entitled, “ Essentials of the Mediterranean.” (Note: Bonding over cooking together at ICE will win you major points with siblings and family members. I highly recommend it!).

I was sitting in my Culinary Management class when I received the email telling me about an exciting upcoming CAPS class at ICE – "Ice Cream Innovations with Sam Mason". Mason is the chef-founder OddFellows Ice Cream Co., a hip and funky ice cream shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The moment I read the email, I knew I wanted to attend the class.

When people think about culinary school, they often think of a juicy skirt steak or a delicious bowl of fresh pasta. However, at ICE, the true magic happens in the Pastry and Baking Arts classrooms. Tucked away on the 5th floor, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread, cookies and cake fills your nose the moment you step off the elevator. No—it isn’t a savory soup or a meaty pot roast; it’s the sweet stuff.

Raised in an old-school Italian, “male-dominated” family on Long Island, the odds that Chef Chad Pagano would dedicate his days to sugar and flour were slim. His childhood had more to do with sports than sfogliatelle, so when it came to choosing a college, it’s no surprise that Chad followed a soccer scholarship to Dowling College.

Living in New York City and partaking in its incredible culinary scene often leads to an inflated food ego. How can we learn anything from chefs or owners outside of NYC, the cradle of modern culinary civilization? As it turns out, John Gorham, the well-known and successful chef/owner of Toro Bravo and two other Portland, Oregon restaurants, has quite a few things to teach us.