ALUMNI PROFILES
Jeremy Hanlon
Landing a job as poissonier (fish-station chef) at top-rated restaurant Daniel may seem like extraordinary luck, but in Jeremy Hanlon's case it's as much a part of his pursuit of excellence as it is about being in the right place at the right time.
Hanlon, a Connecticut native, came to ICE with degrees in finance and information systems and a year of marketing experience. He had been bitten by the restaurant bug while working part-time during college in a family Italian restaurant in Fairfield. "It was exciting in the kitchen, more like fun than work," says Hanlon of his early experience, "and later on I found myself missing the energy of busy shifts."
While attending ICE, Hanlon worked at the highly regarded New American restaurant Zoë and continued there after graduation. Late in 2000, Hanlon was chosen as a finalist in the Accellis Culinary Arts Challenge sponsored by Maytag, and he and 20 other talented young chefs were flown to Napa for tours, meetings with chefs, and a cooking competition. Hanlon met renowned chef Charlie Trotter on the trip and was invited to do a stage at Trotter's Chicago restaurant. Hanlon was fascinated by the structure, discipline and teamwork of the world-famous restaurant.
Hanlon returned to New York with the mindset of finding a similar atmosphere to work in, and ICE's career service's department set him up with the interview at Daniel that led to his current job. Hanlon is eloquent about the rewards of his job, despite the hard work it takes to live up to owner Boulud's expectations of "nothing less than perfection," and a work load that can be as much as 350 covers on a Saturday night. Hanlon's plans for the near future include a three-month leave from the restaurant to work and travel in Italy and France.
May, 2003
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