People of The Institute       Instructor Focus         Kathryn Gordon Pastry Arts Instructor   Chef Kathryn Gordon started teaching at ICE® in fall 2003, after having been the Academic Department Director for Pastry at the New York Art Institute for three years. Her previous career found her on Wall Street, after a MBA in finance from New York University’s prestigious Stern School of Business. She then lived in Washington DC while working as a financial consultant, but her work forced her to be on the road all the time so she looked at part-time programs to do what she really wanted to do, which was pastry, and decided to attend L’Académie de Cuisine in Maryland. After obtaining her pastry degree and leaving her finance career, Gordon worked for Robert Kinkead in Washington. “We made everything from scratch, even our own breads,” she said. “It was very unusual. A good group of people to learn with.” She then worked for a chocolate company, where she made large sculptures for the Senate and molded chocolates for catalogs like Williams-Sonoma or Cher’s specialty foods venture. Gordon returned to New York and worked at the Rainbow Room, Tavern on the Green, and Osteria del Circo, aided by Jacques Torres with whom she had staged at Le Cirque. She also staged at Le Bernardin with Hervé Pousseau, who brought her with him at Windows on the World. She became the pastry chef of Cellar in the Sky, then started teaching because she “knew it was time.” “ I always felt that I was in catch-up mode because of my career changes,” Gordon said, “so I took a lot of classes.” She also pushed herself by taking part in pastry competitions, where people from around the world drive changes that trickle down to restaurants, she explained. She now seldom competes, but provides commentary for bread and pastry championships for the Food Network. 2005