The Institute of Culinary Education: What's Hot at ICE®

Alum Tim Healea was named a StarChefs Rising Star for his bakery Little T American Baker in Portland, OR.
Alum Michal Shelkowitz, pastry chef of Dovetail, was nominated for Food & Wine's reader award, The People's Best New Pastry Chef (East region).
Modern Filipino restaurant Maharlika was up for Best International Eats as part of Time Out New York's 2012 Food & Drink Awards. Alum Miguel Trinidad is the restaurant's executive chef.
Alum Ceci Carmichael, one of the food experts on Home Made Simple on the Oprah Winfrey Network, has launched a cooking and food website, Swell Food.
Alum Jonathon Stranger of Ludivine in Oklahoma City was nominated by Food & Wine for their People's Best New Chef award.

In November 2011, ICE launched a student awards program. In each graduating career training class at ICE, three students will be recognized for their accomplishments with an award given out at their class' senior reception.
On Valentine's Day, the reigning Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella, hosted a baking class at ICE. All proceeds from the event went to Cookies for Kids' Cancer.
In February 2012, the ICE Program Advisory Committee met to discuss the evolution of the school's curriculum and use of technology in classrooms.
ICE hosted the sixth annual Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF) Latin Legacy Culinary Competition. Three high school students from the Bronx donned their aprons for a chance to win a partial ICE scholarship worth $15,000.
ICE welcomed award-winning chef Michael Laiskonis as its first-ever Creative Director in March 2012. Laiskonis will bring his talent, insight and experience to ICE students in this new and innovative role. He will direct new projects in curriculum development and research, teach classes, mentor ICE students and faculty and serve as an industry ambassador for ICE.
ICE had a special role in StarChefs.com's sixth annual International Chefs Congress this October. Over 3,000 savory chefs, pastry chefs, restaurant managers, sommeliers and other industry professionals gathered at The Park Avenue Armory for the three-day conference packed with demonstrations, workshops, panels and seminars on current industry topics. ICE was the official culinary school partner this year and the breadth and depth of our involvement was an incredible experience for everyone involved.
ICE participated in Dine Out Irene, a one-time event benefiting New York-area farms that were been hard hit by Hurricane Irene. ICE donated $1,000 of the proceeds from Dine Out Irene: A Tomato Lovers' Workshop to help benefit local farmers, with funds going to GrowNYC and Just Food, which will distribute the funds to devastated farms.

ICE Chef Instructors Michelle Tampakis and Vicki Wells created a chocolate costume for the Annual Chocolate Show. The costume was inspired by Gypsy Rose Lee.
ICE Director of Student Affairs Andy Gold, cooked a course for Action Against Hunger Gala — a annual benefit to help fight worldwide hunger. The students showed off their skills helping with the menu, serving over 300 people who gathered for the benefit.
In September, ICE Director of Student Affairs Andy Gold returned from a trip to Indonesia where he worked at the United States Embassy teaching to the Council of Chefs, a group of Indonesian chefs with different culinary backgrounds, established by the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) Jakarta.
ICE Pastry & Baking Arts Chef Instructor Kathryn Gordon and Director of Center for Food Media Anne E. McBride launched their new book, Les Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home.

ICE student Richard Chan competed in the tenth annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. ICE won a special award for having participated in the competition for the past ten years.
In January 2012, ICE students appeared in an episode of Rachael vs. Guy's Celebrity Cook-Off. The Pastry & Baking Arts students judged desserts created by celebrities such as Coolio, Joey Fatone and Cheech Marin.
ICE is pleased to announce Elissa Beerman as the first-ever recipient of the Kevin Nurse Memorial Scholarship.
In fall 2011, ICE students had the opportunity to volunteer in a wide range of events in the city, including The Great Gathering of Chefs, Albert Kumin's 90th Birthday Celebration, City Harvest's Bid Against Hunger, Annual C-CAP Benefit and Action Against Hunger.

Regina Anderson, an ICE alum, was declared the winner on a 2012 episode of Food Network's Chopped.
Three ICE alumni were among the James Beard Awards semifinalists: Rachel Yang of Joule in Seattle, Tiffany MacIsaac of Birch & Barley in Washington and Anup Joshi of Tertulia in New York City. Among the final list of James Beard Media and Chef & Restaurant Awards nominees were Jamie Tiampo of EatTV for Video Webcast and Maxime Bilet of Modernist Cuisine for Cooking from Professional Point of View Book; as well as a Best New Restaurant nomination for Tertulia, where alum Anup Joshi is Chef de Cuisine.
Three ICE alumni were among the IACP finalists: Jamie Tiamo of EatTV, Maxime Bilet of Modernist Cuisine and Ryan Farr for Whole Beast Butchery.
Michal Shelkowitz of Dovetail was nominated by Food & Wine for their People's Best New Pastry Chef award.
ICE alum Dori Fern won the Edible Brooklyn Latke Recipe Contest, and then competed against 15 chefs at BAM on December 19, 2011 in the 2nd Annual Latke Festival.
ICE alum Gaetano Corteo delivered over a dozen pizzas to Indianapolis for the Giants before the Super Bowl. His family's pizzeria, Umberto's Pizzeria in New Hyde Park, Long Island, has a Friday tradition of delivering pizzas to the Giants.
ICE alum Maxime Bilet was named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the food and wine industries. The influential chef was the co-author of the celebrated book Modernist Cuisine.
AnnMarie and Joe Glaser, proprietors of La Bella Torte Dessert Truck, were finalists in the 2011 Vendy Awards for Best Dessert.

Chef Instructor Michelle Tampakis was a judge at the inaugural Pastry Live event in Atlanta.
ICE Chef Instructors worked with School Food to provide training to 60 cooks from their staff, helping feed hungry school kids in New York City.
ICE Senior Associate Director of Admissions Tom Haynes discusses how he overcame the odds and his issues with weight and diabetes were diminished after having bariatric surgery.
ICE's recreational program announced BlueStar as the exclusive provider of stoves and ovens for ICE's 12th floor recreational kitchen classrooms. BlueStar is a pioneer and manufacturer of high quality, reliable, custom-made cooking equipment. The new BlueStar equipment at ICE includes seven 30-inch four-burner ranges and three 36-inch six-burner cooktops, all at 22,000 BTUs, as well as two double wall ovens.
World famous cake decorator Sylvia Weinstock selected ICE as the location for her WE TV special. During the program she worked with two beginning bakers to help them build their business.
ICE President and CEO Rick Smilow took home the award for IACP Entrepreneur or Business Person of the Year Award of Excellence to recognize how he has contributed to the growth of ICE since acquiring the school in 1995.
ICE launched the official ICE Culinary Android App. The app is a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest news and culinary events at ICE. With the app, you can find out more about our career training programs and classes, as well as see a calendar of events and demos, a photo tour of the school, a map of locations where ICE alumni and externs are working, and handy reference guides put together by our Program Directors.
ICE hosted the annual Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Cooking Competition, which awards culinary school scholarships to high school students studying the culinary arts. The competition could be seen in The Associated Press, CBS Radio and NY 1.
An episode of the Celebrity Apprentice featured ICE chefs cooking alongside stars such as Meat Loaf, La Toya Jackson, Marlee Matlin and Lil' John. During the challenge, the teams prepared a live cooking demonstration that was performed at ICE.
ICE hosted the industry and media launch of the highly anticipated book Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold. ICE alum and Modernist Cuisine co-author Maxime Bilet returned to ICE to cook dishes from the six-volume, 2,400-page tome for an audience of food industry luminaries.
For video of the event, visit DICED.
Food writer Amanda Hesser interviewed James Beard Award–winning chef Grant Achatz and his business partner Nick Kokonas at ICE. The trio discussed Achatz’s life, career and new book, Life, on the Line.
ICE hosted the annual Committee for Hispanic Children and Families Latin Legacy Culinary Competition. Three high school students from the Bronx competed for a chance to win a partial ICE scholarship. In March, ICE Director of Student Affairs Andy Gold presented the winner, Shankary Peña with a partial ICE scholarship.
During the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) New York Regional Conference, ICE hosted a series of seminars on culinary history and the foods of New York.
ICE participated in Careers through Culinary Arts Program’s (C-CAP) annual benefit at Pier Sixty on the Chelsea Piers. Over 36 chefs from around NYC came out to support this unique charitable program. ICE President Rick Smilow is on the program’s board of directors.
ICE Chef Instructors Melanie Underwood and Marge Perry hosted a special fundraiser for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer at ICE in February. The pair of instructors taught a group of students about their favorite decorating techniques in support of the charity.
ICE students, alumni and staff travelled to Vietnam to experience Southeast Asian cuisine.

Chef Instructor James Briscione and Chris Gesualdi traveled to Italy to learn about sous-vide techniques and technology with one of the world's premier sous-vide equipment manufacturers — ORVED. Chef Chris and Chef James will continue to share the methods with their students.
ICE Master Cake Decorator and Chef Instructor Toba Garrett took home an IACP Cookbook Award for her book, Wedding Cake Art and Design in the Professional Kitchen category.
In May, ICE Chef Instructor Michelle Tampakis was in Washington, D.C. to help build an amazing pastry confection — the world's largest gluten-free cake! Chef Michelle was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006 and participated in the event for the first Gluten-Free Labeling Summit as pasty of the first ever National Celiac Awareness Month.
Former ICE Instructor Neal Bermas hosted the Fourth Annual NYC Benefit for STREETS International, his program to train Vietnamese street youth for careers in the hospitality industry. ICE Chef Instructor Erica Wides prepared a dish for the event.
ICE Director of Center for Advanced Pastry Studies Michelle Tampakis was a judge for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation’s 19th Annual Chocolate Fantasy in Albuquerque.

The Culinary Trust awarded ICE student Junita Bognanni a $5,000 scholarship. Les Dames d'Escoffier awarded scholarships to three ICE students — Malinda Haslett, Pamela Vachon and Christina Ha. Christina Ha was also awarded a $5,000 scholarship from Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.
ICE students volunteered at the James Beard Awards, NY Loves Japan, Citymeals-on Wheels Annual Chefs Tribute, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party and Meatopia.
Six ICE students competed for a chance to compete in the Chefs of Grey Poupon Student Competition Finals being held at ICE on May 11. ICE students Marc Giroux, Brandon James, Maridania Collado and Richard Chan competed as finalists for the next round of the competition in May 2011. International student Marc Giroux took home the top prize of a $5,000 culinary scholarship.
ICE students Jennifer Ferguson and Jonathan Pommerenk competed in the ninth annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition.

Alicia Sanchez recently appeared on the seventh season of Food Network Star.
Hell's Kitchen Season 9 premiered in July and featured two ICE alumni as contestants: Elizabeth Bianchi and Krupa Patel.
Melissa Camacho, pastry chef of Ilili restaurant, was named one of the contestants appearing on the second season of Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts.
ICE alum Jamie Tiampo of SeeFood Media at EatTV has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). He is also nominated for a 2011 IACP Cookbook Award in the Children, Youth and Family category for his photography in Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners.
ICE alum Joncarl Lachman's restaurant, Vincent, was included in Chicago magazine's Best New Restaurants list for the year.
Alumni Hall of Achievement inductee Dan Segall will be featured in a new Food Network Asia series, A Culinary Coup: The Launching of Ku De Ta, which follows the daunting task of developing this high-profile Singaporean restaurant's menu and kitchen team, completely from scratch, within eight weeks.
ICE alumni Michelle Bommarito and Alumni Hall of Achievement inductee Elisa Strauss were named as two of Dessert Professional's Top Ten Cake Artists for 2011.
The James Beard Foundation named two alumni as semifinalists for their prestigious Restaurant and Chef Awards: Missy Robbins of A Voce in New York City for Best Chef: New York City and Rachel Yang of Joule in Seattle for Best Chef: Northwest. ICE alum Gail Simmons was part of the team that helped Bravo's Top Chef win the James Beard Award for Best Television Show, In Studio or Fixed Location. ICE alums Dominique Andrews and Marie Ostrosky were also nominated for the second year in a row in the Television Special category.
Alumni Alex Pope of R Bar in Kansas City and James Holmes of Olivia in Austin were nominated for Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Chef.
Prevention magazine named alum Lori Powell their new Food Director.

ICE announced the formation of the annual ICE Kevin Nurse Memorial Scholarship to commemorate and honor the life of Kevin Nurse, a triumphant individual whose boundless passion for food helped him prevail over remarkable odds and become a successful chef. Kevin Nurse received a heart transplant shortly before enrolling in ICE's Culinary Arts Program. In an amazing coincidence the donor of his heart was in fact, a chef. Given annually to one student entering ICE's career training programs, this scholarship, valued at $10,000, will carry on his passion for life, family and food.
ICE launched the official Institute of Culinary Education iPhone App. The app is a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest news and culinary events at ICE. With the app, you can find out more about our career training programs and classes, as well as see a calendar of events and demos, a photo tour of the school, a map of locations where ICE alumni and externs are working, and handy reference guides put together by our Program Directors.
ICE alumni and staff travelled to France to experience French cuisine and culture firsthand.

ICE Director of Student Affairs Andy Gold, cooked a course for Action Against Hunger Gala. With the help of ICE student volunteers, he made Roulade of Duck, White Yam and Smoked Pine Nuts with Golden Beet Salad, Black Truffle, Red Beet-Pickled Apple and Caramelized Quince Purée. The students showed off their skills helping with the menu, serving over 300 people who gathered for the benefit.
Award-winning Chef Instructor Michelle Tampakis participated in the 2010 Annual Chocolate Show, making a Pumpkin Ripple Cheesecake with Gluten-Free Chocolate Crust.
In October, ICE Chef Instructor James Briscione participated in Harvest Feast, a benefit dinner hosted by Garden & Gun magazine in Alabama. All proceeds from the event went to help fisherman effected by the Gulf oil spill.

Students Teresa Thornton, Jackie Rothong and Alana Skyring competed in the Ninth Annual Allagash Brewery Contest at ICE. The students made dishes using Allagash Victoria Ale. Culinary Arts student Jackie Rothong was awarded $1,000 for her Allagash Pork & Slawiches recipe.
Four ICE students competed to win a two-week all expenses paid scholarship of study to the Italian Food Style Education Culinary Institute (IFSE) in Piemonte, Italy. Andre Robinson and Shawn Russell both won the two-week scholarship to Italy. Luiz Jacob won first prize, as well as a specially awarded extension of the scholarship for the rising star.
In late 2010, ICE students had the opportunity to volunteer in a wide range of events in the city, including City Harvest's Bid Against Hunger, Food Network's New York City Wine & Food Festival, The Great Gathering of Chefs, the Columbus Day Parade, Action Against Hunger Gala and the Annual Chocolate Show.

Alum Tiffany MacIsaac, pastry chef of Birch & Barley in Washington, DC, was named a 2010 DC Area Rising Star Chef by StarChefs.
Alum Annemarie Ahearn, proprietor of Salt Water Farm, a farm-to-table cooking school on the coast of Maine, was included in the November issue of Food & Wine in the "40 Big Food Thinkers Under 40" story.
Wine Director at Del Posto, alum Henry Davar was part of the team that helped the restaurant earn their four-star review in The New York Times.
Alum Andrew Dizon, general manager of Mojito Grill, and his father won Food Network's 24 Hour Restaurant Battle.

ICE President Rick Smilow released his first book Culinary Careers: How to Get Your Dream Job in Food With Advice from Top Culinary Professionals (Random House, 2010), which he co-wrote with Center for Food Media at ICE Director Anne McBride. The book covers the ins and outs of the culinary field, as told through the profiles of an extensive group of chefs and culinary entrepreneurs. Smilow discussed the book and the path to a culinary career on Martha Stewart Radio and Fordham Public Radio, as well as in amNY and theBoston Globe.
In May, ICE inducted 27 additional alumni into our Alumni Hall of Achievement. The new inductees include Gail Simmons (Special Projects Manager, Food & Wine, Judge, Bravo's Top Chef series, NYC), Meadow Ramsey (Pastry Chef, Campanile, Los Angeles) and Edward Behr (Founder, The Art of Eating, Peacham, VT).
In April, ICE announced the launch of its Hospitality Management Program. From hotel operations and food purchasing to front office training and event planning, students will learn the theory and practice of hospitality management as they gain the skills, knowledge and network to begin an exciting and successful career.
In April, ICE hosted the New York City Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Cooking Competition. Twenty-two high school seniors competed for the chance to win culinary school scholarships.
The culinary and rock worlds collided in February as Top Chef host Tom Colicchio jammed with restaurateur Drew Nieporent and ICE President Rick Smilow at the D'Artagnan 25th Anniversary party.
ICE hosted the 2010 S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition Northeast Regional as well as 4th Annual CHCF Chef Contest (where a high school student won a $15,000 ICE scholarship).

ICE Chef Instructor Erica Wides appeared in an episode of Chopped, during which she made an appetizer, main course and dessert from surprise ingredients.
ICE Chef Instructors Chad Pagano and Rebecca Millican appeared on Food Network Challenge, in an episode called, "Sugar Impossible," making gigantic sugar showpieces.
ICE Chef Instructor and Director of Advanced Pastry Studies Michelle Tampakis was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs of 2010 by Dessert Professional magazine.
ICE Chef Instructor Toba Garrett was voted as one of the Top Ten Cake Designers in North America by Dessert Professional magazine.

Les Dames d'Escoffier New York (LDNY) awarded their annual culinary scholarships, giving out 22 scholarships worth a total of $92,000 awarded to women who are pursuing careers in the food industry. Four ICE students were included among the recipients. Pastry & Baking Arts student Christina Ha was awarded the Sylvia Schur Memorial Scholarship while Culinary Arts student Anne Petito, Pastry & Baking Arts student Nicole Rodriguez and Culinary Management student Jessica Butler (who also completed the Culinary Arts program) also took home scholarships.
ICE Culinary Arts student Sonali Ruder was the winner of the 2010 Chefs of Grey Poupon student culinary competition. She took home the grand prize of a $20,000 culinary scholarship. Sonali also won the Umami Food & Art Festival: Cooking Art Challenge with her teammate and fellow ICE student Lamont Rawlins.
ICE students volunteered at the James Beard Awards, Bravo Top Chef: The Tour, Queens a Taste of the World, Gourmet Latino Festival, Dessert Professional's Top Ten Pastry Chefs Event, City Harvest's Summer in the City, 4th Annual NYC Film Festival, Summer Fancy Food Show, Meatopia: BBQ NYC, Citymeals-on-Wheels' Silver Spoons and the James Beard Foundation's Chefs & Champagne. Earlier in the year, ICE students also volunteered at the Amas Musical Theatre Benefit Gala, Slice of Latin America, Food & Wine'sBest New Chefs event, and STREETS International's 3rd Annual Benefit.

Contestants on Bravo's first season of Top Chef: Just Desserts included three ICE alumni: Zac Young, Malika Ameen and Seth Caro. Alum Gail Simmons acted as host on the show.
Alum Gail Simmons was part of the team behind Top Chef that took home an Emmy for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.
Alum Zoe Nathan of the Huckleberry Bakery and Café in Los Angeles was named a 2010 Rising Star Chef by StarChefs.
Alumni Zoe Nathan of the Huckleberry Bakery and Café in LA and Jennifer Shelbo of Maialino in NYC were included in a July 2010 Food & Wine article titled "The Year of the Pastry Chef."
Alum Arnold Myint competed against 17 other contestants in Season 7 of Top Chef.
Alum and A Voce Executive Chef Missy Robbins was name one of Food & Wine magazine's 2010 Best New Chefs.
Alumni Kate McCue (ICE's current Art Director) and Kelly Senyei (ICE's former PR Associate) won the International Association of Culinary Professionals' People's Choice Award for Photography and Food Styling for their photo, "Back to Basics: A Modern Take on Classic Breads," at the national conference in April.
Five ICE alumni competed on season four of Food Network's Chopped. Alums Michael Jenkins and Paul Yeaple won their respective match-ups.