One of the year's biggest feasting days is almost upon us and what better way to launch into the holiday (eating) season than with a unique twist on a classic potato side.

Seven ICE pastry instructors spent last week learning all of the latest chocolate techniques as guests of the Felchlin chocolate company at their headquarters in Schwyz, Switzerland, which is near Lucerne, the most popular city in central Switzerland.

I breathed a sigh of relief this week as our class made the transition from Module 1 rookies to Module 2 (lesser) rookies.

Last night Action Against Hunger held its 2009 benefit gala.

“Your job as a baker is to evoke the full potential of flavor trapped in the flour.” - Chef Peter Reinhart

One week, 26 sauces and my first burn later and I find myself picking up a sense of speed and urgency, hustling each morning to prep and make the day's multiple recipes. We kicked up the heat this week as Chef Ted guided us through the background and preparation for the French Mother Sauces as well as countless derivatives of classic and contemporary sauces. But before we could launch into emulsions, chutneys and relishes, we had to learn the basics of preparing a roux, a cooked paste of flour and fat that's used as a thickening agent in sauces, soups and stews.

Eight students from ICE’s Pastry & Baking Career Program took their culinary skills to the small screen today when they put their homemade pies on display for Martha Stewart’s Pie Show.

If you found yourself at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC, over the past few days, you’d find that the usual power suits on display were not pinstripes and wingtips, but chef whites and kitchen clogs. The reason? Women Chefs & Restaurateurs members were in town for the group’s annual national conference.

Kitchen 601 transformed into a butcher shop this week as we completed the last of our lessons on meat fabrication.

He’s the leading authority on all things sliced, diced and brunoised, and he's also the instructor of Knife Skills, one of ICE’s most popular recreational culinary classes. I had the chance to chat with resident knife guru Chef Norman Weinstein as he dished on the facts, the fears and the misconceptions about knife skills 101.