Culinary school has been calling to me since I was 17, but I just wasn’t listening. Raised in Brooklyn, I have been surrounded by good food for as long as I can remember. Holidays with my Irish-Italian family meant days of preparation and cooking, finally gathering around our oversized table for the main event.

Renown chefs Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart know a thing or two about southern cuisine. In Dupree's 40-year career, she has authored twelve cookbooks (for which she won two James Beard Awards) and hosted over 300 culinary television shows. Graubart was the television producer for Dupree's New Southern Cooking and went on to pen two of her own cookbooks before the pair joined forces as writers.

This month, ICE had the pleasure of co-hosting a very special event with the New York Women's Culinary Alliance: a conversation with renown home cook, food writer, francophile - and new bakery owner - Dorie Greenspan.

Actress, model, mom, and former ICE student Catherine McCord is the founder of Weelicious.com, the online destination for family-friendly recipes. In an age when sneaking nutrition into "kids' meals" has become the norm, Weelicious shares how to get little ones involved in the kitchen, develop children's palates and kick-start their long-term health and wellness. Sounds like a great start for future chefs!

Food Start Up Help is a consulting group started by colleagues at ICE, which assists entrepreneurs in bakery-related startup concept definition and business planning, financing, menu profitability, production and operational efficiency. Today, we celebrate the success story of one of our clients, ICE Professional Pastry Program Alum and Chef/Owner of Cocoamains, Kathleen Escamilla-Hernandez.

What's it like to be the co-owner and executive chef at one of New York's most buzzed about restaurants? Just ask Daniel Holzman of The Meatball Shop.

It's almost Super Bowl Sunday, and we're gearing up with recipes for our favorite game day snacks. What's more, in the spirit of friendly (fishy) competition, we're testing two iconic dishes from the Ravens' and 49ers' hometowns: Baltimore Crab Cakes and San Francisco Cioppino.

There once was a time when bacon meant breakfast, but these days, both chefs and eaters can't get enough of this porky indulgence. As with all ingredients, Chef Virginia Monaco knows that quality matters, so she opts for these alternatives to basic, pre-cut bacon.