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MEET THE CULINARY ENTREPRENEURS
Meet The Culinary Entrepreneurs, is an innovative lecture series featuring some of America's top culinary business owners. The sessions, held monthly at ICE’s 23rd Street facility, introduce audience members to restaurateurs, specialty food retailers, caterers, and other proprietors who have established highly regarded local and national brands. The ongoing series was designed to supplement ICE’s culinary management diploma program.
An ICE management instructor moderates the 90-minute discussions, which focus on the lessons the entrepreneurs have to offer based on their own experiences. Whether audience members dream of opening a business or are already active in the food industry, they’ll learn from these experts’ wealth of knowledge and will be better equipped to launch their own ventures
2007 Speakers:
March 15, 10 AM - Liz Neumark, Great Performances
April 26, 6 PM - Jim Lahey,Sullivan Street Bakery
May 17, 6 PM - Joshua Wesson, Best Cellars, Inc.
June - Book: Lobels' Prime Time Grilling
July 19, 10 AM - Richard Martin, Wild Edibles, Inc.
August 27, 10 AM - Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing
September 27, 10 AM - Shelly Fireman, Fireman Hospitality Group
October 4, 6 PM - Candy Wallace, American Personal & Private Chef Association.
November 12, 10 AM - Lee Jones,The Chef's Garden, Inc.
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MARCH: |
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Liz Neumark CEO and founder, Great Performances
Thursday, March 15 @ 10:00 AM
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Liz Neumark created Great Performances 26 years ago. Her vision was to establish an alternative path for women in the arts, by which they might find greater financial opportunities in the food service industry. It is this creative spirit that makes Great Performances' unique company culture what it is today: defined by dedication to the needs of the customer, obsession with excellent service, passion for food, and a deep love of and commitment to hospitality. As CEO, Liz has infused Great Performances with the spirit of ensemble work. She works on a daily basis with the GP team to stay a step ahead of trends, to find new ways to deliver to clients, and to succeed in an intensely competitive industry.
In 2006, Liz realized her dream of owning a working organic farm. The company began harvesting crops in May, creating an innovative lettuce bar and serving distinctive and unusual greens in signature salads. The farm is home to The Sylvia Center, a non-profit educational organization operated by GP. The Center is dedicated to serving needy and at-risk children, enriching their lives by cultivating a taste for healthy foods, an appreciation for the joy of growing fruits and vegetables, and a love for the magic of the farm experience.
Liz keeps Great Performances connected to organizations such as
The James Beard Foundation and City Harvest, as well as to several charities unrelated to food. She is a third-generation New Yorker, active Barnard College alumna, and mother of four.
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APRIL: |
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Jim Lahey - owner and executive baker,
Sullivan Street Bakery
Thursday, April 26, at 6:00 PM
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Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan St Bakery, originally intended to spend his life as a sculptor. He studied at SUNY Stony Brook and the School of Visual Arts, but was too free-spirited to stay very long at either school. Intending to educate himself in sculpture, he headed off to Italy, where his life took a propitious turn. He began working with bakers in northeastern and central Italy, exploring the sculptural quality of a new medium: bread.
Lahey started Sullivan St Bakery in 1994 with little more than the wild yeast he cultivated by hand in Italy and a passion for bringing the exquisite, handcrafted breads of Italy to the American table. Over the past 13 years, Sullivan St Bakery has grown rapidly from a small bread bakery into a destination for savory Roman-style pizzas, rustic Italian pastries and cookies, and of course, award-winning loaves. In 2000, the new headquarters for Sullivan St Bakery opened on West 47th Street, and the bakery's wholesale business continued to expand. Today over 250 of New York's finest restaurants and markets receive handmade loaves from Sullivan St Bakery every day.
Lahey and his groundbreaking no-knead breadmaking technique have been featured in the New York Times and on Martha Stewart. His bread and his bakery have also been featured in Vogue, Saveur, and New York magazine, as well as television specials hosted by Ruth Reichl, Molly O'Neill, and Mario Batali.
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MAY: |
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Joshua Wesson: Co-founder and Wine Director
of Best Cellars, Inc.
Thursday, May 17 @ 6:00 PM
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 Best-known today as the Co-founder and Wine Director of Best Cellars, Inc., Joshua Wesson enjoyed a long and successful career in the food and wine industry prior to founding the company in 1996.
In 1984, Wesson won the title of Best French Wine Sommelier in the United States. Two years later, he was named one of the top five sommeliers in the world. In 1989, Wesson was nominated for Who's Who in American Cooking. In 1997, Food & Wine magazine named him Retail Wine Innovator of the Year for his work in developing Best Cellars. In 2003, he received the prestigious Ambassador's Award from the European Wine Council. In 2005, JetBlue Airways selected him as its official "Low-fare Sommelier."
Wesson is a leading authority on the pairing of wine and food. He writes for numerous magazines and has been a guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America and many other shows. Wesson is also a regular commentator on The Early Show and National Public Radio's "The Splendid Table."
Wesson's wine recommendations appear in several cookbooks. His own book, the award-winning Red Wine with Fish: The New Art of Matching Food with Wine, co-authored with David Rosengarten, was published in 1989. In late 2007, Weldon-Owens will release Wesson's newest book, Williams-Sonoma Wine & Food.
Wesson attended Hampshire College and the University of Rochester's Graduate School of Community and Preventive Medicine. He lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
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| JUNE: |
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Book: Lobels' Prime Time Grilling |
Stanley Lobel is president of M. Lobel & Sons, Inc., and has worked there since 1954. He is involved in all aspects of company operations with particular emphasis on meat procurement and supply management.
Stanley has co-authored nine books. He has been a syndicated columnist for Gannett Newspapers and the New York Post, as well as a contributor to several magazines. His expertise has been of value in articles that have appeared in New York Magazine, Food & Wine, People Magazine, and The Wine Spectator, to name a few. He is a contributing editor to Saveur Magazine. Stanley has also appeared on several television and radio talk shows, including Martha Stewart Living.
Stanley has conducted seminars and advised students at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and also at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. He is currently a trustee on the Board of The National Cattlemen's Foundation.
Stanley has designed and holds patents for the treating and aging of meat, and for a gravy separator.
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Mark Lobel, co-owner of Lobel's, has been with the family business since 1986 and is involved in all areas of operation
He is an authority on meat and its preparation and has been interviewed and profiled in a variety of prominent national publications, radio, and television shows including Food and Wine Magazine, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Mark is also a co-author of Prime Time: The Lobel's Guide to Grilled Meats, Lobel's Prime Cuts, and Lobel's Meat and Wine cookbooks.
Mark has a B.A. from Long Island University. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
He sits on the Board of Directors of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association where he is directly involved in Beef Safety Research. Mark travels and lectures around the country on the topic of beef.
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In this updated user-friendly guide, America's #1 butchers offer just what grillers and meat lovers need for great outdoor cooking. With answers to frequently-asked grilling questions to tips for perfect grilled burgers, steaks, chops and ribs, this cookbook's new recipes, tips, and charts will make selecting, grilling, and serving the best cuts of meat on the market even easier and more enticing.
Stanley, Evan, Mark, and David Lobel own and operate Lobel's Prime Meats on Madison Avenue and 82nd Street in New York City as well as Lobels.com, an online butcher shop launched in 2001. Their family has been in the butcher business for generations. They are also the authors of Lobel's Meat and Wine, Lobel's Prime Cuts, and Meat. Leon Lobel, a partner in the family business for more than 56 years, passed away in January 2006. |
JULY: |
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Richard Martin - owner and president Wild Edibles, Inc.
Thursday, July 19 @ 10:00 AM
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Richard Martin is owner and president of Wild Edibles, Inc. In 1992, Martin was a manager at Trattoria del Arte when his brother-in-law, Michael Reynolds, accompanied Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten on a trip to Maine to hunt for rare and exotic foods. Reynolds and Chef Vongerichten were blown away by what they found, including scallops hand-picked from the ocean floor and fresh-from-the-sea urchins.
When he returned, Michael called Richard. The two men smelled a business, realizing that nothing available on the market compared to the flavor and texture of freshly caught, wild seafood. They aimed to provide a superior product to New York's top chefs and seafood purveyors.
In October 1992, they opened Wild Edibles, dedicated to seeking out the finest of all possible fish and more. Initially working out of their own cars and refrigerators, they quickly became known for their mammoth scallops, wild Alaskan King salmon, hand-picked Maine crabmeat, small-farm organic produce and much more.
By 1995, the company occupied a large space on Elizabeth Street, and in 1998, a retail shop debuted at the same location. In 1999, Wild Edibles expanded to an 11,000-square-foot facility in Long Island City. Today, Richard has more than 40 employees, a dozen vehicles, and operate two of the finest seafood shops in New York. Zagat's New York City Gourmet Marketplace has rated Wild Edibles the #1 seafood store for the last four years in a row.
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AUGUST: |
Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing,
Chef Owners
Monday, August 27 @ 10:00 AM
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Allison Vines-Rushing attended the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. After graduation she took a job at Brennan's in her home state of Louisiana, and later studied under Chef Gerard Maras at Gerard's Downtown alongside her future husband, Slade Rushing.
Slade, a Mississippi native, graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. He worked at Chez Daniel in New Orleans, and then studied as a pastry chef under Chefs Alain Rondelli and Bruce Hill in San Francisco, finally becoming pastry chef at Rubicon. Returning to New Orleans, he worked at Gerard's Downtown.
Allison and Slade moved together to New York City, where Slade worked at March Restaurant before becoming Chef de Cuisine at Fleur de Sel. Allison first took a job at Picholine, then at the 4-star Alain Ducasse. Allison went on to win the 2004 James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year for her work as chef for the opening of Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar. In 2004, Slade joined forces with Allison at Jack's, where they fused their Delta roots and French technique into a refined Southern fine dining experience.
Allison and Slade realized their life-long dream when they opened the Longbranch Restaurant in Abita Springs, Louisiana in 2005. Their plan to open on September 1st was delayed by Hurricane Katrina, but not for long-they debuted with a scaled-down menu on September 16th. Since then, the Longbranch has become one of the South's premiere fine dining experiences.
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SEPTEMBER: |
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Shelly Fireman - Founder and CEO
of the Fireman Hospitality Group
Thursday, September 27 @ 10:00 AM
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Sheldon "Shelly" Fireman is one of the most successful and innovative restaurateurs in America. As the founder and CEO of the Fireman Hospitality Group, he has created and operated some of New York's most acclaimed restaurants, including two Brooklyn Diners USA (the finer diners), Café Fiorello, Redeye Grill, Shelly's New York, Trattoria Dell'Arte, and Bond 45 in Times Square. He is known throughout the restaurant industry for his creativity, vision, and hospitality. Fireman's success as a restaurateur, coupled with his reputation as one of the industry's most visionary thinkers, has made him a frequent focus of national restaurant-industry publications.
Shelly Fireman was born in New York City and attended Hartwick College on a football scholarship. He created, built and ran the famous Hip Bagel on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. There he developed his philosophy of hospitality and began to demonstrate the merchandising flair that has become the hallmark of every restaurant he has opened.
Fireman believes in research. If he's interested in a new dish, he'll go to fifty restaurants in Europe and eat it, finding what makes the dish distinctive. Perhaps that explains why local magazines have awarded his restaurants such honors as "Best Pizza in New York," (Café Fiorello), "Best Cheeseburger," (Brooklyn Diner USA), and "Best Chicken Soup," (Brooklyn Diner USA).
Shelly Fireman lives in New York City with his wife, Marilyn. They have a farm in Vesilia, Italy, along the Tuscan coast, where they make their own olive oil and lemon liquor from their own fruit.
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OCTOBER: |
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Candy Wallace - Founder and Executive Director of
the American Personal & Private Chef Association.
Thursday, October 4 @ 6:00 PM
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Candy Wallace has devoted nearly 40 years to the foodservice industry. She has served as a commercial chef, caterer, personal chef, private chef, teacher, mentor, and, for the past 12 years, founder and executive director of the American Personal & Private Chef Association.
Wallace combined her years of experience at the stove with her experience in the corporate world to help culinarians pursue careers as business owners who cook for multiple clients in non-traditional venues. Her contributions to the personal-chef and private-chef sectors of the foodservice industry have elevated the awareness of personal and private chefs. More than anyone else, Wallace has helped to establish the validity and stature of each career path.
In 2002, Wallace propelled the personal-chef sector light years ahead when she signed a partnership agreement with the American Culinary Federation (ACF), co-creating professional-certification criteria for personal chefs. The following year, she won the International Association of Culinary Professionals' (IACP) annual Award of Excellence for her tireless efforts in promoting personal chefs.
Wallace is co-author (with Greg Forte, CEC, CCE, AAC) of The Professional Personal Chef: The Business of Doing Business as a Personal Chef. This groundbreaking textbook is the first definitive, comprehensive manual on training to become a personal chef and operating a successful personal-chef business.
Wallace is a longtime supporter and member of Les Dames d'Escoffier,
Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, IACP, ACF and other notable organizations, and has served as a board member of the San Diego chapters of ACF and Les Dames d'Escoffier.
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NOVEMBER: |
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Lee Jones - co-owner of The Chef's Garden, Inc
Monday, November 12 @ 10:00 AM
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Lee Jones and his brother Bob are co-owners of The Chef's Garden, Inc., where they grow more than 500 varieties of specialty vegetables (including 80 varieties of heirloom tomatoes), micro greens, herbs and edible flowers for the most creative chefs in America. The farm is located on sandy, fertile soil near the shores of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio.
The farm began supplying one chef more than 20 years ago. Since then, the Jones family and the Chef's Garden team have maintained a commitment to producing food that looks and tastes good and is good for you, as well as growing crops through natural means. Research at the Chef's Garden involves methods utilized by our great grandfathers combined with modern technology. A Research and Development team examines innovative methods of insect control, weed control, natural composting and growing methods. Always dressed in his trademark overalls and a red bow tie, "Farmer Jones" has been a pioneer of the Sustainable Agriculture movement.
The Jones family furthered the food safety effort by building The Culinary Vegetable Institute, a retreat and learning center providing a unique setting for recreation, education and inspiration for chefs, food professionals and food enthusiasts. In 2004, the family began a non-profit organization, Veggie U., to educate children on the importance of healthful food choices. The program suggests ways to combat obesity, diabetes and other health issues that have become epidemics.
Farmer Jones serves on The Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation and Chef Magazine Boards, and has been featured in numerous culinary and news publications and television shows.
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