On Tuesday, May 9, 2017 — for the very first time — ICE held a momentous commencement ceremony at NYU's Skirball Center to celebrate the graduation of ICE career students who completed their programs in the first half of 2017.
ICE President Rick Smilow welcomed 600 proud family and friends to share in the ICE graduates' accomplishments. Rick noted the diversity of the students, who represented all of ICE’s career programs — Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts and Restaurant & Culinary Management — as well as diverse ages, nationalities, educational backgrounds, career aspirations and more. After months of dedicated work and challenging themselves on a daily basis, the mood of the graduates was nothing less than ecstatic — the excitement in Skirball Center was palpable.
Still, the room quieted to a hush as guests listened to a keynote address from acclaimed Chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern and words of inspiration from Chef Mario Batali. The crowd also had the chance to soak in reflections from alumnus Jonathan Defren (Culinary/Management, ‘08, Hospitality, ’11), who holds the royal trifecta of diplomas — Culinary Arts, Restaurant & Culinary Management and Hospitality & Hotel Management, and has paved a dynamic career path in the hospitality industry. Huge congratulations to ICE’s graduates! Check out our video recap of this truly special day:
Ready to jumpstart your culinary education? Click here for more information on ICE's career programs.
