And thus it ends! October 31 marked the last day of my Culinary Management program here at ICE.

In November, I buy every food magazine I can get my hands on, forever seeking the current year’s trend in turkey preparation. Rarely, though, do I come across a recipe for turducken, the ever-daunting turkey that has been stuffed with a duck that has been stuffed with a chicken.

These elegant, crunchy cookies made with puff pastry are a classic for a reason.

Gateau battu, literally "beaten cake" a specialty from the northern region of France is my new favorite thing.

When ICE President Rick Smilow and Anne E. McBride wrote " Culinary Careers: How to Get Your Dream Job in Food," they discovered a plethora of food jobs they had never heard of before. Since the book's release, they have been discovering even more interesting culinary career paths. DICED shares some of them with you in a reoccurring feature: “Unique Culinary Careers.”

I CE’s Culinary Management Instructors are seasoned industry professionals who are still active in the industry and working on their own projects while teaching classes at ICE. Julia Heyer and Vin McCann recently looked at social media’s effect on the restaurant and food world, and today they continue to dive into the complex world of online networks and social media. When we last left off, Vin questioned the long-term effect and at what point the messages turned from fascination to “self-promoting chatter.”

Award-winning chef and partner of the critically acclaimed Fatty Crab, Fatty ‘Cue and Fatty Snack, Zak Pelaccio was on hand this week to give a demo for ICE students and alumni.

Mexican food gets me excited. Whether it’s fish taco night at my apartment or I’m meeting a friend for margaritas and nachos, there’s something about tortillas, carnitas and tequila that puts me on cloud nine.

If you stick your head into any classroom here at ICE you'll see instant-read thermometers crammed into the sleeve pockets of nearly every culinary arts student in the room. But peek into the kitchen of any of the nation's top restaurants and you'll see far fewer, in fact you might only find them tucked away in a knife roll somewhere, to be removed on the rarest circumstance. Why the difference?

Last week, ICE Director of Wine and Beverage Studies Richard Vayda dug into the ICE wine cellar and uncovered a few gems for tasting in the one-of-a-kind Reserves from the ICE Cellar tasting class.