Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) Welcomes New Inductees Into Alumni Hall of Achievement
New York, NY, May 10, 2010 — The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) has inducted 27 additional alumni to their Alumni Hall of Achievement, a concept that was started to acknowledge the accomplishments of ICE graduates. These 27 join 50 other alumni who were the initial inductees in 2006. The new inductees include Gail Simmons (Special Projects Manager, Food & Wine, Judge, Bravo’s Top Chefseries, NYC), Meadow Ramsey (Pastry Chef, Campanile, Los Angeles) and Edward Behr (Founder, The Art of Eating, Peacham, VT).
The Alumni Hall of Achievement includes notable figures such as Missy Robbins, a 2010 Food & Wine Best New Chef (A Voce, NYC) and Allison Vines-Rushing, a James Beard Rising Star (MiLa, New Orleans), as well as renowned New York City Chefs Mark Murphy and Frank DeCarlo. The inductees reflect the diversity of career paths in the culinary world, beyond that of a restaurant chef. Examples include Susan Stockton (Vice President, Culinary Productions, Food Network, NYC), Colin Alevras (Beverage Director, Momofuku, NYC) and Claire Insalata Poulos (President, Table to Table, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
The basis for selection is a combination of the following criteria:
National or local recognition as an expert in his or her practice as deemed by an award committee, trade association, ratings guide, or the media
A level of expertise and experience that resulted in the attainment of a top position in a nationally recognized restaurant or culinary business
Demonstration of the boldness and spirit required to launch and maintain a successful entrepreneurial culinary venture.
The additions also reflect the diversity of ICE alumni. Thirteen of the new inductees are women, bringing the total number of women in the Hall of Achievement to over 30. For the first time, the Hall includes an international section, with six ICE alumni who have found success beyond the U.S. This includes Turkey’s first female Executive Chef, Nilufer Goodson (Kirinti Restaurant, Istanbul) and Fadi Adnan Adeeb Jaber (Sugar Daddy’s Bakery), a modern bakery entrepreneur in Jordan and Dubai.
ICE Alumni and staff celebrated the Hall of Achievement at ICE’s annual Alumni Party on April 26, 2010 at the school’s 50 W. 23rd Street high-rise campus. Nine of this year’s inductees came to the party to be recognized by ICE President Rick Smilow. Smilow commented, “It’s gratifying to see alumni that I knew as students go on to great growth and success in so many areas.”
For more information about ICE’s new Hospitality Management program, please contact Stephanie Bourgeois at (212) 847-0775.
About ICE
The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE®) is New York City's award-winning center for culinary education. Founded in 1975 by Peter Kump, the school offers highly regarded 6- to 11-month career training programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking and Culinary Management. With an intensive curriculum, dedicated chef instructors, a strong record in externship placements and a clear entrepreneurial focus, ICE is widely regarded as a great pathway to begin or continue a culinary career.
In recent years, ICE and its alumni have won numerous awards and gained national recognition. To recognize notable alumni, the school established the ICE Hall of Achievement in 2005, that includes: Allison Vines-Rushing, winner of the 2004 James Beard Rising Star in America Award; Gina DePalma, winner of the 2009 James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef Award; Randy Zweiban, executive chef of Nacional 27 in Chicago; Susan Stockton, V.P. of Culinary Productions for Food Network, and NYC star chef Marc Murphy.
ICE also runs the largest program of hands-on recreational cooking and baking classes and wine education courses in the country, with more than 26,000 enthusiasts taking any of the 1,500 classes offered each year.
In 2008, ICE was named the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ (IACP) Vocational Culinary School of the Year and a School of Distinction by the ACCSCT in 2006. The school is very active in culinary community outreach, supporting major organizations such as Share our Strength, City Harvest, Action Against Hunger, NYC School Food and C-CAP (Careers Through Culinary Arts Program). In 2003, ICE president Rick Smilow was the honoree of the New York Association of Culinary Professionals.
The school includes 12 teaching kitchens, four lecture rooms and a wine studies center in more than 42,000 square feet of space. The center is open seven days and nights a week, 350 days a year, and welcomes 26,000 recreational students, 650 career students, and 7,500 special-event attendees annually. ICE is located at 50 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. More information can be found at www.iceculinary.com, or call (212) 847-0700 for registration or to request a course catalogue.