NYC: One of America's Culinary Capitals

You read about it in magazines or have seen its energy light up your television screen. Bright lights and soaring billboards showcase its impact on society and its ravenous appetite for innovation and growth. The energy of New York City is like no other —  palpable, evolving and wholly unstoppable. It’s no surprise that New York is among the world’s most dynamic culinary capitals — and it's a prime place to launch your hospitality or food career.

The Culinary World Today

The field of culinary arts is not just teeming with opportunity — it also needs people with an eclectic mix of skills. The food industry is incredibly diverse, requiring highly trained staff from a vast array of disciplines, including culinary, pastry, hospitality, beverage management, events and so much more.

What does that mean for the employment prospects of ambitious culinary professionals? Exponential growth. You may wonder: what's fueling this growth and energy? To begin, travelers are sampling the world's cuisines and returning home with an insatiable curiosity. The demand for both locally produced and exotic ingredients continues to grow. Not to mention that the mass exposure of food media now places food personalities on the same level as rock stars.

With the public’s nearly insatiable appetite for restaurant meals, food products and culinary content, there are not enough well-trained culinary professionals to meet the demand. We see how this plays out every day at ICE, as ICE students choose between job offers after graduation. Our comprehensive, rigorous programs are designed to prepare our students for the real world with the theory, techniques and hands-on experience they need to meet their culinary career goals.

Beyond the obvious career path of restaurant cooking, there is an ever-increasing number of avenues for creative employment in catering, food writing, recipe development, publishing, private chef services, food styling, wholesale and retail baking, consulting and beverage program management.

The City Is Your Classroom

Welcome to one of the world's culinary capitals. ICE's destination facility offers morning, afternoon and evening classes seven days a week to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to pursue their culinary passions. Learn to develop your skills and refine your palate with flexible schedules designed to fit your busy lifestyle.

In the City That Never Sleeps, Neither Do We.

In addition to offering students a wealth of extracurricular activities, the city is our extended classroom. ICE students have access to year-round markets — purveyors of everything from aged beef and vintage wines to foie gras and French cookware — as well as more world-renowned restaurants than any other city. Just steps from ICE’s Brookfield Place location are an expansive gourmet French market, the acclaimed Hudson Eats food court and restaurants from such celebrated chefs as Joël Robuchon, the Torrisi Brothers and Jose Garces.

New York City is also home to the James Beard Foundation, an organization that was established in part by Peter Kump, the founder of ICE. Several times a week, our students have the chance to work side by side with the best chefs in the country, helping to prepare outstanding meals for some of New York's most sophisticated palates. This volunteer opportunity is just one of the many ways ICE helps students network in the sector of the food industry that fits their personal career goals.

ICE maintains strong connections with New York City’s many restaurants. Our externship program, has established a vast list of placement sites, including Gramercy Tavern, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Per Se and Del Posto, as well as some of New York’s incredible bakeries, pastry shops and hotels. Our students commonly secure full-time positions at their externship sites even before finishing their externship.