People of The Institute       Instructor Focus         Einav Gefen Culinary Arts Instructor   Chef-Instructor Einav Geffen’s career began with baking in a bistro in her native Israel. She had attended university to study sociology and communications and completed two years of service in the air force, but it was cooking that most appealed to her Einav soon set her eyes on working at Mul Yam, a cutting-edge seafood restaurant considered the best restaurant in the country and one of the best in the world. She finagled an introduction to the Mul Yam’s owner and, despite limited experience and no formal training, she was accepted in garde-manger. Persistence paid off, and she moved on to become the first woman ever to work the line there, and was promoted to sous-chef in just over two years “ It was a great experience,” says Gefen of working at Mul Yam. “They imported the best seafood from around the world, so I got exposure to things I might never have seen in Israel otherwise.” When Geffen and her husband moved to New York in 1999, she made the decision to attend the culinary arts program at ICE®---both to get formal training and further broaden her outlook. Degree in hand, and with an already impressive resume, it’s not surprising that her career took off quickly. After an internship at Daniel Boulud’s vaunted Daniel she became executive chef of the French-Mediterranean bistro Danal on East 10th Street But pregnancy forced Gefen to reevaluate her restaurant career. She took some time off, worked as a consultant, and planned and oversaw the opening of a teaching kitchen at the Jewish Community Center on Amsterdam Avenue. In 2003 she decided to move to teaching full-time and accepted a job as a culinary instructor at ICE®. This fall Gefen will also be teaching classes in ICE®’s recreational program, including several for kids and teens Einav lives in Forest Hills with her husband, who works for an import company, and their two young children. 2005