Fall 2009

Jeff Harris (Culinary ‘05), top chef of Craft Restaurant in Dallas, received a four-star review in July from the Dallas Morning News.

 Jaime Tan (Management/Pastry ’05) returned to Singapore where she opened Tin Hill Bistro last June, an 80-seater serving modern Australian cuisine.

 Mike Farrell (Culinary ’03) recently opened Old Vines, a traditional European-style wine bar with small plates in a renovated old barn in Kennebunk, ME.

 Allison Fishman (Culinary ’01) is co-host of a new TV show, Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime.

 Peter Daversa (Culinary ‘04), pitmaster at New York’s Hill Country, was profiled by ABC News about his feelings on “life, love, and barbecue.”

 Cal Elliott (Culinary ’01) is chef/owner of the New York Times-reviewed Rye in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 Denisse Oller (Culinary ‘05/Management ‘07) was featured on the Today Show to culminate a weeklong special series on prominent Latinos in the US.

 Emily Peterson (Culinary/Management ’09) won the Culinary Trust's Sustainable Agriculture Conference Grant for Emerging Professionals 2009-2010.

Justin Philips (Management ’07), owner of Beer Table in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Missy Robbins (Culinary ’95), Executive Chef of A Voce, took home Time Out New York Awards for Best Place to Cultivate a Beer Belly and Best New Out-of-Town Import, respectively.  

Bob Conway’s (Pastry ’03) bakery, Brownie Points, was honored for having the Best Cupcakes in Northern New Jersey in the Best of NJ issue of NJ Monthly. He also opened a second location in the Short Hills Mall.

 Emre Evren (Culinary ’04) is now a project manager at BRC Commercial Kitchens.

 Connie Zarate (Culinary ’02) has been hired by the CENYC to be a farmers’ market manager through its Greenmarket program, overseeing markets in Long Island City, Jackson Heights, and Mt. Sinai.

 Beena Awan (Culinary ’07) opened an upscale Indian restaurant and music lounge in Plymouth, MA, called Guru Grille.

 Sara Nahas-Hormi (Culinary ’08) has been working as a culinary consultant on the Food Network’s Chopped and Iron Chef America.

 Joseph Comizio (Management ‘08) has landed at Keste Pizza Vino as kitchen manager.

 Ron Pellizzi (Culinary ‘08/Management ’07) took a job with the Wildlife Conservation Society as sous chef at the Central Park Zoo.

 Victoria Burghi (Management ’07) is now pastry chef of Delmonico’s, with Rick Laakonen as executive chef.

 Valerie Broussard (Culinary ’99) is working as the organic food coordinator at Barr Mansion & Artisan Ballroom in Austin, TX.

 Denise Mickelsen (Culinary ’03) has been promoted to associate editor at Fine Cooking magazine.

 Michael Dulle (Culinary/Management ’08) recently moved from the kitchen to the FOH at Union Square Café. First an extern, then a line cook, he is now dining room manager.

 Alice Wang (Pastry ’04) is a pastry chef at the Ardsley Country Club in Westchester and contributes the “Ask Alice” section to the Cuisine InSight blog.

 Tony Albanese (Pastry ’08), together with his boss Buddy Valastro, appears on the new TLC show Cake Boss, which takes places at Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ.

 Liza Tremblay (Culinary ’04) is celebrating the two-year anniversary of her Bay Burger, a popular burger spot in Sag Harbor, Long Island, with her husband Joe.

 Jennifer Houle (Management ’08) has joined the management training program at Le Pain Quotidien in New York City, the Belgian company known for its sustainable boulangerie/café operations.

 Michael Mahle (Management ’06) recently began a position as press officer for the Knowles Family Restaurants in West Orange, NJ. The restaurant group’s properties include The Manor, The Pleasantdale Chateau, Highlawn Pavilion and Ram's Head Inn.

 Laura Wilson (Pastry ’02) is now an account executive with Coach Farm, the maker of fine goat cheeses based in the Hudson Valley.

Summer 2009

Pippa Calland (Culinary ’94) and Abe Lopez (Culinary ’97) were victors on Chopped on Food Network, where each took home the $10,000 prize! Raymond Jackson (Culinary ’95) was also a contestant, and Marc Murphy Culinary ’90), chef/owner of Landmarc Restaurants and Ditch Plains, was one of the judges.

Kathleen Lucier (Culinary/Management ’08) took home the silver medal at the LG Electronics International Cooking Competition, held in Dubai last week.

Anthony Ricco (Culinary ’01) has been promoted to chef de cuisine at Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market in the Meatpacking District.

Besides managing the bars at both Savoy and Back Forty and teaching at ICE, Michael Cecconi (Culinary ’05) recently appeared on The Today Show for Valentine’s Day Cocktails . He also writes a weekly blog for The New Yorker online on libations and literary characters.

Dina Cheney’s (Culinary ’03) second book, Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Salads, has just been published. She continues to write articles for magazines, such as Everyday with Rachael Ray and Coastal Living; and offers guided tastings—usually of chocolate—to groups.

Tara Berman (Culinary/Management ’02), managing partner of Tara Paige Consulting and CMD instructor at ICE, is the one of the recipients of the 2009 Committee Contributors of the Year from Women's Food Service Forum and will be honored at the 2009 annual leadership development conference in Dallas, TX.

Leigh Koh (Pastry/Management ‘08) checks in from London, where she is a pastry commis chef with Sketch UK, the acclaimed Michelin-starred restaurant of Chef Pierre Gagnaire.

Brandon Johns (Culinary ’95) is now chef/owner of Vinology in Ann Arbor, MI.

Jose Quinones (Culinary ’08) has joined the opening kitchen team at Boqueria in Soho.

Mark Metzger (Pastry ’00) is now the executive pastry chef of the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa in Vail, CO.

Fadi Jaber (Pastry/Management ’06) has opened a new location of his concept Sugar Daddy’s Bakery in Beirut, Lebanon. The original bakery is in Amman, Jordan, and it will be joined by yet another location shortly in Dubai, UAE.

Heidi Kohnhorst (Pastry ’02) is pastry chef of Fishtail, David Burke’s new restaurant. Maria Taylor (Pastry ’07) joins her there as a pastry assistant.

Priscila Brunsfeld (Pastry ‘07) checks in from Brazil where she’s opened a busy custom cake business, called Make the Cake Atelier .

James Holmes (Culinary ’01) is chef/owner of a successful new restaurant, Olivia, in Austin, TX.

Mark De George (Culinary ’07) has landed a position as product developer at the Center for Culinary Development in San Francisco, where he develops new and trendy products and refines existing ones.

Los Angeles-based Eva Simons (Pastry ’07) has launched a cake business called Urban Sweets Bakery .

Anita Tomczyk (Pastry ’08) accepted the position of production assistant for Jacques Torres Chocolate.

Jennifer Bunce (Pastry '08) is the co-pastry chef at Sweetiepie in the West Village.

Carmen Lopez (Pastry '08) is pastry assistant at A Voce.

Perri Newman (Culinary ’08) has opened a catering/private cheffing company in the NYC/Tri-state area called Perri’s Plates .

Catherine Olate (Pastry '07) participated in the Food Network's, "Blind Date Challenge" with her place of employment, The Pink Cake box in Denville, NJ.

Giuseppe Cosenza (Culinary ‘08), is now general manager of Grace's Marketplace LI, the retailer’s newest location in Greenvale, Long Island.

Diane Weintraub Pohl (Culinary ’02) has two monthly columns, “What's in Season” and “Food Trends,” and additional features in www.westchestermagazine.com .

Gerry Biordi (Management ’01) just opened a meal delivery service called Sarabella Cooks .

Linda Dekonski (Pastry ’07) is the new baker at Flour & Sun Bakery in Pleasantville, NY.

Hesham Darwish (Culinary ’08), Harry Marsales (Culinary ’08), and Patty Lopez (Pastry ’08) have all been recruited to be part of the opening team of Da Caino in Miami. They will first spend the summer training at the flagship Da Caino restaurant in Tuscany, then relocate to Florida for the Fall launch

Clara Park (Culinary ’05) is the new anchor/host of “Food News” on Devour, a web-based food channel.

Robert Murphy (Culinary and Management 03) has launched Robrox, his personal cheffing website.

Rich Balogh (Culinary ’03) has relocated to Buffalo, NY, where he has recently taken on the position of executive chef of The Chocolate Bar.

Lebby Campbell (Management ’08) landed a cafe associate position with Kenneth Cole.

Denisse Oller (Culinary/Management ’05), and guest instructor at ICE, has launched Boca Dulce, her new line of gourmet delights with a Latin twist.

Melissa Ricketts (Culinary ’07) and her team were one of 12 finalists in the 2008 Brooklyn Business Plan Competition. Her team was selected from 75 entries for their concept for Tahini, LLC, a fast food establishment that will provide healthy, gourmet snacks and meals.

Chris Fragetti (Culinary/Management ’07) is now a working partner in Mara’s Desserts, a 25-year-old bakery in Morristown, NJ. The business also operates another bakery/café location in Denville.

Ryan Shepherd (Pastry ’07) checks in from the Tap & Mallet, where he is a line cook. The Rochester, NY, restaurant was just named Best New Restaurant for 2008 by City Newspaper.

Daniel Kyse (Management ’04) has been hired by M. Tucker as an account executive.

Abbie Hagopian (Culinary ’08) has accepted a prep cook position in Bumble and Bumble's corporate catering department.

Harrison Blundell (Culinary ’08) is the chef de cuisine at Table Mesa Bistro in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Martha Artaega (Pastry ‘06) is doing pastry production and service at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain .

Amanda Elliott (Culinary ’05) is working for The Dish’s Dish as a personal chef and has also started her own personal chef business, The Rustic Supper .

Dorean Fazio (Culinary ’07) has been hired as a line cook at Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers.

Anthony Albanese (Pastry ’08), while an extern at Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ, helped to design, execute and present Britney Spears her birthday cake on “Good Morning America” for her "Circus" CD launch/birthday party.

Gina DePalma (Culinary ’94) is the recipient of Bon Appetit’s 2008 Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Elisa Strauss (Pastry ’01) published her second book, Confetti Cakes for Kids, this past fall.

Missy Robbins (Culinary ’95) has taken on the executive chef position at A Voce, and will also oversee the Time Warner branch of the restaurant when it opens shortly.

Tim Healea (Culinary ’98), a member of the 2002 Silver Award-Winning Team USA for the World Baking Cup, has opened his own artisanal bakery in Portland, OR, called Little T American Baker.

Colin Alevras (Culinary ’94) is in the process of opening two new restaurants, Permanent Brunch and La Otra, both in the East Village

Matthew Weingarten (Culinary ’96) is executive chef of the recently opened restaurant, Inside Park at St. Bart’s.

Cricket Azima (Culinary ’00), food editor of Kiwi Magazine and founder of The Creative Kitchen, recently published Everybody Eats Lunch, an interactive, lunchbox-shaped kids’ cookbook with international recipes.

Matt Dix (Culinary/Management ’02) has been named food and beverage director for ACE Hotel, the new Manhattan outpost of the Seattle-based boutique hotel group.

Rick Mast (Management ‘06), along with his brother Michael, has opened Mast Brothers Chocolates, a “bean to bar” chocolate business in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Cathy Berg (Culinary ’03) is now national manager of curriculum and training for Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline programs.

Seth Caro (Pastry ’04) has assumed the role of executive pastry chef for Grayz.

David Lee (Culinary ’02), previously of sous chef of The Bar Room at The Modern, was recently named the new executive chef of Mai House in Tribeca.

Margot Olshan (Culinary ’97), chef/owner of Margot Café & Wine Bar in Stamford, CT, appeared on the “Martha” Show in the Fall. She will also appear as a host of the new season of “Everyday Food.”

Mary Beth Henson (Culinary ’07) has been named vice-president of finance for the non-profit group City Harvest.

Juli Roberts (Culinary ’08) landed an editorial assistant position at Fine Cooking magazine.

Pastry ’03 alum Bob Conway opened Brownie Points in Summit, NJ.

Boris Zarate (Culinary ’08) has been promoted within Flik to become the new executive chef for the Movado Group account.

Kevin Nurse (Culinary ’08) is working at the Four Seasons-New York Hotel as a cook. He also appeared on Bobby Flay’s new Food Network show, Grill It.

Jake Cerrone (Management ’06) opened The BluGrill in Kent, CT, with fellow ICE alumnus Jason Pierre (Culinary ’00) as executive chef.

Matthew Hayes (Culinary ’01) has appeared on the CW 11’s morning program, demonstrating healthy recipes.

Benjamin Root (Culinary ’06) has been named chef de cuisine of Macondo restaurant on Houston Street.

Amy Monheit Gerson (Culinary ’03) has accepted the position of catering director for NBC Universal in Rockefeller Center.

Angela Lau (Culinary ’08) landed a position with Google as culinary food services coordinator, liaising with their various corporate dining operations across the East Coast.

Billy Humble (Culinary '07) is currently working for KlickKitchen (fellow ICE alum Jordan Glaser’s company) as consultant advisor.

Clifford Saladin (Culinary ’00) landed the executive chef post at the Tarrytown Sheraton Hotel in Tarrytown, NY.