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| OUR STUDENTS |
 There is one reason to attend The Institute of Culinary Education that may not have occurred to you—the student body.
Take a peek into any of the classrooms at The Institute of Culinary Education, and diversity is what youll see. Diversity of age, experience, background and goals. Our students come from all over the United States as well as from other countries, such as Brazil, the Philippines, Israel, Mexico, Japan, England and Korea. Some of our students are at the start of their careers, hoping to become executive chefs and managers in the nations top restaurants. Others have already worked in the food industry and want to increase their knowledge and sharpen their skills in order to open doors to better opportunities. Still others, career changers, have long sought out I.C.E.® to train them for the next chapter in their lives. Among our graduates are former carpenters, lawyers, medical technicians, firefighters, bankers, advertising executives, journalists and actors. Although they have different aspirations, the one thing our students have in common is that they attended I.C.E.® to turn their lifelong passion for food into a rewarding career. This commonality forms friendships and networks that often last for years. The following is a snapshot of our alumni and why they came to I.C.E.®
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CRISTIANE CAMPESE
Culinary Arts
Cristiane Campese came to New York from her native Brazil to attend law school, but dropped out after eight months when she realized that this was no longer her desired career choICE®. She started working as a real estate broker, which she still does part-time while attending ICE®. Campese did not grow up in a food family and had no real interest in cooking until she started living by herself and discovered the pleasure of cooking for others. Cooking professionally attracts her because of the mobility it affords. Unlike law, cooking can be practICE®d with the same training in any country, she feels, even with limited language skills. With a background that is part Italian, part German, and part Brazilian Indian, Campese sees herself cooking perhaps in Italy or elsewhere in the world, after completing her externship at Per Se or Jean Georges.
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SANTIAGO ARANGO
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management
Santiago Arango left Bogota, Colombia at the end of April, to attend ICE®. After studying industrial engineering in his hometown, Arango worked at an advertising agency for three years, but left when his cousin, who is also his roommate, came up with the idea of opening a restaurant. Nearly two years ago, they opened a 50-seat restaurant that features Latin cuisine with some Asian twists. The dishes are based on local recipes and use local ingredients, which is reflected in the restaurant’s name, Darpapaya, a very traditional saying. The partners are currently developing a second restaurant concept, to open in the early fall, and plan on expanding both around Colombia. Arango has been working on the business side of the restaurant, but wanted to gain a greater understanding of the kitchen, which prompted him to enroll in both programs
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LAURA DePALMA
Culinary Arts
Laura DePalma knows how to keep busy; in order to attend ICE®, she took a semester off from her master's program in food studies at New York University, which she will complete in December. She also works as a freelance researcher at both Food & Wine and Everyday with Rachael Ray. She will start her externship in September, in either a restaurant or a test kitchen, with the goal to work in a test kitchen. After receiving a bachelor's degree in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, the native of Vermilion, in the Cleveland area, took a year off to work in a wine store and at a French restaurant. She moved to New York for graduate school in 2006. DePalma grew up around cooking, since her mother ran a recreational culinary school and her father is a wine collector. She started teaching kids' classes about seven years ago. |
LUKE DEARDUFF
Pastry Arts
Luke Deardurff will graduate with extensive experience. The Ohio native, who came to New York to join his partner and attend culinary school, went through ICE®'s work-study program, and will study culinary management once he receives his pastry degree. He has been working at Shiraz, a catering firm, for the last couple of years, and is now in charge of staffing. He also worked full-time at Aix, first as garde-manger and then at the grill and hot appetizer stations until the restaurant closed in January. Deardurff studied jewelry and metalsmithing in Kentucky, but after taking time off to take care of family issues, realized that he wanted to keep art as a hobby rather than a career. His interest in pastry comes from a quest to understand how things work, as well as from his art background. Among other entrepreneurial ideas, he wants to run a non-profit after-school program that would allow children to cook with top chefs from around the world.
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MATTHEW HEGQUIST
Pastry Arts and Culinary Management
 Matthew Hegquist's interest in culinary education came about in high school. He was not eating lunch, because he did not like the food. A friend suggested that he join the school's culinary arts program, since he'd be able to make and eat good food there. He liked it so much that he also enrolled in a 13-week-long weekend program at a nearby school. He then decided to complete his education and enroll in ICE®'s pastry arts program, because he had enjoyed cake decorating and thought it was easy. He now realizes that it's a complex specialization, and has found a passion for chocolate and bread. After his externship at Butter, he plans on working in restaurants until he is ready to open his own place. |
CASEY DUFFY
Culinary Arts
Aspirations of a career in theater brought Casey Duffy to New York, after growing up in Pittsburg and attending college in Virginia. Six months after her arrival, however, she realized that cooking, which had been a hobby until then, was what she wanted to turn into a career. She hopes to work with four-star chefs, like Jean-Georges Vongerichten or Daniel Boulud, before eventually returning to Pittsburgh. Duffy hasn't left theater completely behind. She works as the executive assistant for a theater lICE®nsing company, where she has the full support of her boss while attending ICE® three days a week. Her interests are both in restaurants and in personal cheffing, with a cooking style that calls for preparing traditional dishes in an unexpected fashion, with the ultimate goal to open her own gourmet food store. |
MANUEL ABADIN
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management
 Manuel Abadin's interest in chemistry, which he studied in a brief college stint, is what drove him to cooking. He saw that as another opportunity to see how things work, but this time in the kitchen. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and met April Teichler (profiled below) on an online gaming site. Abadin lived in Spain for a while as a child, and spent every summer there until a few years ago. Both his grandmothers cooked Spanish food, but his parents didn't have time for the slow cooking methods it requires. He plans on working in fast-paced, high-caliber restaurants to learn all aspects of the business before opening a place with Teichler. |
APRIL TEICHLER
Pastry Arts and Culinary Management
 April Teichler grew up in Texas, about 120 miles east of Dallas. She moved to Newark after meeting Manuel Abadin (profiled above) on a gaming website. They were nothing more than friends at the time, but she decided that college life, where she majored in art, did not suit her and that she needed a drastic change. She had not considered a culinary career until she toured ICE® with Abadin. Just a couple of days later, she decided to enroll as well. She chose pastry arts because she is particularly interested in plating and presentation, and also because obtaining as varied an education as possible will help the long-term goal she has to open a place with Abadin. |
MADDY CRIDEN
Culinary Arts Program
 Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me With Apples is partly responsible for Maddy Cradden's calling to the culinary world. While she had read every cookbook in her mother's extensive collection as a child, she didn't think about making food her career and went on to Hamilton College to study economics and anthropology. But when she read Comfort me with Apples in her sophomore year, she changed her mind. She enrolled at ICE® a month after graduating early from college, in December 2006, with the complete support of her parents. She spent two months working every Saturday at Eleven Madison Park, but then realized that food media is really where she wants to take her career, either in print or online. She is conducting her externship at Devour TV, an online food channel that is about to launch, where she is able to do research, write, and learn about video and online production. |
RON PELLIZZI
Culinary Arts Program
 Ron Pellizzi has been cooking since he was a child, growing up in an Italian family in Queens and spending the summers in Brooklyn at his grandmother's. He worked in telecommunication sales for 14 years, and thought that'd be his lifelong career. But cooking was always in the back of his mind, and he did private catering for seven years, before applying at ICE®. While attending school, he now works at both Sterling Caterers and Abigail Kirsch as a prep chef. Pellizzi's goal is to one day have his own catering company. Although he had extensive experience when starting ICE®, taking classes made him realize that some of the things he thought were good were not, and he has been refining his technique and flavor combinations. In the little spare time he has, Pellizzi enjoys spending time outdoors. He is trying to set up a motorcycle club of chefs, to hold fundraisers, because giving back is essential to him. |
MELISSA GORRIS
Pastry Arts Program
 Winning recipe contests and scholarships is becoming a trademark of Melissa Gorriss'. She won the CW11 Waitress Contest with her Toasted Coconut Cream with Ginger Rum Reduction, and the Dumante-KOTO USA Recipe Contest's sweet category with her Caramel Pistachio Tiramisu with Dumante Verdenoce Liqueur. She did not need to submit a recipe to become one of the 16 recipients of a 2007 Les Dames d'Escoffier scholarship, however. Because Gorris left a very successful career in advertising to start the pastry program at ICE®, she finds validation in winning those contests: they reinforce in her the idea that she made the right decision. This California native, whose parents own an independent specialty grocery store in the Los Angeles Area, describes her cooking style has wholesome and fresh. After her externship at Del Posto with Nicole Kaplan, she plans on working in other restaurants under great pastry chefs to learn as much as possible before opening her own pastry shop. |
ISAAC SANTOS
Pastry Arts
 Thanks to the leftover cakes and pastries he has been bringing in to work after his pastry classes, Isaac Santos has already launched his own business, Indulgent Desserts. He attends ICE® in the morning and then goes on to spend the rest of the day working for Louis Vuitton at Bergdorf Goodman. There, customers and coworkers alike have started to order cakes from him, which boads well for his aspiration to be a high-end cake decorator. Santos is inspired by Ron Ben-Israel's floral work, and by the cakes he saw at Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego. He hopes to make his way to Paris to study pastry there. His grandmother, from Puerto Rico, used to bake a lot when he was a child; he eventually would like to incorporate French and Caribbean flavors into his cakes. |
LEON KOTZE
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management
Leon Kotze moved to New York for culinary school because he could not find what he was looking for in his native Namibia, in southwestern Africa. He started cooking about 10 years ago, having started to work on the management side of steakhouses in Namibia after having done relief work in Iraq and working in a school in England, notably as a cook. Kotze then spent three years working as a cook for a safari company, which taught him to make do with very limited resources, in locations that can best be described as very remote. Camps in the wilderness do not allow for refrigerators, for example. He enrolled in the dual culinary and management program to hone his skills and be ready to open his own restaurant as soon as possible. He envisions his own place to feature international foods that have influenced African foods and prepare them in his own versions of African dishes. |
HEIDI DURHAM
Pastry Arts and Culinary Management
 Heidi Durham understands the science behind pastry perhaps a bit better than some of her classmates, thanks to her Ph.D. in pharmacy. She worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 10 years, but spent all her free time baking. Through referrals only, she was receiving countless requests for custom cakes and pies, as well as wedding cakes. When she finally decided to follow her true passion, she and her husband relocated to New York from Durham, North Carolina. They plan on moving back there eventually, so that Durham can open a bakery or café. She credits culinary school with giving her the confidence to think about launching a larger operation, and works hard to gain the speed that will allow her to work with the best upon graduation. |
ERNESTINE LLAMAS
Culinary Arts
Ernestine Llamas was used to wearing a uniform long before she had to wear one in the kitchen: she spent eight years as healthcare specialist in the U.S. Army, being deployed to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and most recently, Iraq. It is in military barracks that she developed her culinary skills, hosting dinner parties she prepared with a toaster oven, microwave, and a rICE® cooker. Her love for food started when helping her grandmother, in a family where every gathering of three people was enough reason to celebrate with food. The California native finds herself at home in New York now, and plans on working for a chef from whom she can keep on learning – "I'm like a sponge, absorbing everything," she said – before turning to private cheffing or catering. She also looks forward to traveling for fun. |
EDGARD GALLARDO
Pastry Arts
Edgard Gallardo comes to pastry as a continuation of a very creative life: he spent 20 years in show business as a dancer, singer, and actor, including the 2006 Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life on Broadway. He thinks it is why he is most drawn to food styling as a career once he leaves ICE®, as he feels it would combine the two things he loves. Gallardo, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, learned to bake by helping his mother as a child – she now asks him for lessons! He was nervous, having been out of school since graduating college with a biology degree, but found that once in class, everything kicked in. Gallardo attends ICE® on weekends, spending his days supervising a genetics laboratory. He hopes to extern at Per Se, having met its pastry chef at a trade show, and then travel around the US and in Spain to continue learning more about pastry artistry. |
MEGHAN SIMPSON
Pastry Arts and Culinary Management
 Meghan Simpson earned a bachelors degree from West Virginia University and a masters from St. Peters College. She worked as a social worker, teacher, bartender, then joined the polICE® force. Graduating polICE® academy is the most fulfilling thing shes ever done, she says, but she did not feel that life as a cop was something she wanted forever. In 2004 she went back to teaching, and decided to sit down and consider what she really wanted to do. The soul searching made her realize how much she loved baking, and how opening her own bakery was her true dream. Her admission visit to ICE® made her feel at home immediately, she says, and she is ecstatic at how much she has already broadened her knowledge of pastry and of the business world, thanks to her diploma programs from ICE®. |
CHRISTOPHER ALI
Culinary Arts
 A Franciscan brother in solemn vows (obedience, chastity, and poverty), Christopher Ali took a leave of absence from his order to pursue his culinary education. He cooks for the community, as part of his angel work in the South Bronx and Yonkers, but wanted formal education to complement this on-the-job training, along with the opportunity to work in restaurants once he graduates. Ali was born in Trinidad of a Middle Eastern father and Portuguese/Irish/Native American mother. This unique background still influences his culinary preferences today, as they veer towards Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and generally spicy foods. He moved to the US in his mid-twenties, looking for a religious life, and became a Franciscan Friar in 1995, after working for Prudential. |
RENIN OLIVER
Culinary Arts
 The dedication Renin Oliver puts in her culinary career shows at many levels; one is the awards that shes won, including James Beard and Les Dames dEscoffier scholarships. Once at ICE®, she decided to take part in the Lee Kum Kee Culinary Contest, and won that too, with her Balsamic Hoisin Chicken. This despite the fact that she hates chicken, having had to eat it too often when growing up in a large family. She earned a bachelors degree in nutrition from New York University in 2004, and is now completing the internship she needs to earn her registered dietitian status as a cardiac dietitian. She uses her passion for food and cooking as a way to convey to her patients that diets do not have to deprive people of the pleasure of eating. Oliver has a special taste for cuisines from around the globe, stemming from spending summers in Turkey in the family of her mother, and from living in Ghana for six months while in college. |
JOSEPH CIMINO
Pastry Arts
 Joseph Cimino is a dentist passionate about all things pastry-related, expressing a special love for cannolis. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, and takes pride in still being in the same neighborhood. He took ICE®s 12-week pastry course in 2001, but could never fit the professional program in his schedule, busy with two practICE®s. In February he sold one, which allowed him to finally enroll. Although already a talented baker, Cimino wants to learn to think like a chef, "looking at a formula, putting things together," he says, stressing the importance of an academic setting to reach that high level of thinking. |
ANTON VAZANELLIS
Culinary Arts Program
 Anton grew up in the food business—his
family owns a small restaurant in Queens. While he
has a lot of front-of-the-house experience, he felt
that he needed a solid culinary education to make
his dream of owning several restaurants a reality.
WHY ICE®? "I
wanted a broader education.
I didnt want to study just
classic French cooking. I want
to be exposed to modern techniques
and new styles." |
CAMARA BABACAR
Pastry & Baking Arts Program
 Camara, who hails from Senegal, came to the states
to work in his brothers electronics shop. Impressed
and motivated by the success of a friend who is a pastry
chef, Camara enrolled at ICE®. His plan is to return
to Senegal and work in one of the countrys lavish
resort hotels.
WHY ICE®? "There
was no question. A friend of mine from
Africa attended ICE® and recommended
it to me."
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THOMAS JAE CHUL LEE
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Programs
 Upon graduation, globetrotting Lee (he was born in Korea and
lived in Argentina before emigrating to the United States) plans
to open up a fusion restaurant specializing in combining Latin
and Asian flavors. But first, he plans to work in Europe, once
he finishes his externship at Bond Street restaurant. |
CARLOS GARCIA
Culinary Arts Program
 >"September 11th is what got me here," says
Carlos. Having worked in corporate travel at
Deutsche Bank for years, he decided that it was
time to finally pursue his hearts desire. Taking
the advICE® of a friend who recommended ICE®, he
enrolled shortly after and is now in the middle
of his externship at Washington Park restaurant,
under the watchful eye of the legendary Chef
Jonathan Waxman. |
JANNY PON
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Programs
 Having been an investment banker and marketing
executive, Janny took a practical look at her career.
She saw that her busy professional friends were relying
on personal chefs. So she traded in her pinstripes
for chef whites and is planning to start her own business
after graduating.
WHY ICE®? "I like
the fact that the externships are at
restaurants instead of in-house. You
get more experience that way."
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TOM MULLIGAN
Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Programs
 Tom brings significant work history to his studies at
ICE®. He was a professional sailor, charter captain, interior
landscaper and floral designer. His new goals are to manage
a restaurant as well as launch his own line of gourmet products.
WHY ICE®? "The
courses here are really comprehensive.
Its sort of like a liberal arts
program in the culinary world."
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BASHA STARR
Pastry & Baking Arts Program
 Basha spent the past two years in the hospitality
and management program at Penn State University.
Realizing cooking intrigued her far more than
management, she came to ICE® .
WHY ICE®? "I
was enrolled in another
school, but the day before
I was to start, I checked
out ICE®. I immediately
knew this is where I belong.
The interaction between
Chef-Instructors and students
is much more open." |
DAN SEGALL
Culinary Arts Program
 Dan has always been interested in food,
but, like many of our students, took a career
detour—in his case, theater. Once he decided
to pursue his lifelong dream, he poured his energies
into our culinary program, during which time Food & Wine profiled
him and his popular sandwich business. Dan now
plans to take advantage of our externship program
by studying in Singapore.
WHY ICE®? "I
like the class structure
and the small class size—thats
important to me." |
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