culinary student sharpening knives

Student Stories: From Guantanamo Bay to Brooklyn's Best Kitchens

From 17-year-old high school grads to former doctors, artists and executives, ICE students come from all walks of life. In the case of Brooklyn native Christian Souvenir, it took many years in the military before the desire to attend culinary school took hold.

The switch from government intelligence work to cooking may seem like a drastic change, but Christian's disciplined background is serving him well in the kitchen. Since graduating from ICE's Culinary Arts program in 2011, he has worked in some of Brooklyn's most innovative new restaurants, including Nightingale 9 and French Louie, growing his love for a new kind of service.

Thanks to ICE's flexible scheduling options, Christian is able to continue kitchen work while pursuing a second ICE diploma in Culinary Management. "I love cooking in restaurants," Christian explains. "But I saw myself on this path where I could potentially be in charge of people and not have the tools to help them get better. What I've learned in management is helping me form what I want in my eventual restaurant, and what I want for myself as a leader. That is so important."

To learn how ICE's Culinary Management program prepares grads to own or operate culinary businesses, click here. For more information about the range of active duty, reserve and veteran's benefits available to ICE students, click here.

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