Every so often, I am presented with a life-affirming reminder of why I decided to pursue my culinary career in New York City. One of these moments came late last month, when I was given the opportunity to be a culinary volunteer at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. Yes, the Wine and Food Festival. The Super Bowl of gastronomic delights.

One of ICE’s celebrated alumni, Marc Murphy, is lighting up the New York City dining scene with a new restaurant, Kingside in the Viceroy Hotel on West 57th Street.

Over the past few years, a trend has arisen in hotel management regarding new and innovative solutions for guest registration. As an experienced hotelier, it has been unclear to me what the motive is for managers to change this process. In theory, using technology could save on labor costs or possibly speed up the process. However, I'd argue that the most useful alteration would be the addition of a human touch.

This week, ICE made an appearance on Rocco DiSpirito’s new Food Network show Restaurant Divided.

When Michael Laiskonis got hired for his first job, scooping ice cream in Detroit, he probably never imagined that he would one day be teaching ICE Pastry & Baking students about the complex chemistry of frozen dairy products. In fact, Michael never intended to enter the food industry. Rather, he fell into it by accident, after deciding to abandon formal studies in fine arts and photography for what he describes as an "earn while you learn" approach. And so he entered the business, working the overnight shift at his roommate's brother's bakery.

My first thought on day one of the Culinary Management program was, "Oh boy." As in—oh boy, eleven textbooks is kind of a lot. Oh boy, this is a room of people I've never seen before. Oh boy, this is the thickest information packet of all time. Oh boy, I have a lot to learn.

More than fifty guests gathered at ICE for a book signing with internationally renowned pastry chef Francois Payard.

When you hear terms like “modernist cuisine” or “molecular gastronomy,” it brings to mind visions of mad scientist-like chefs using fancy machines to create concoctions that you’re not sure if you're supposed to eat or see on display at the Museum of Modern Art. But for Chef John Bignelli of the East Village hotspot Alder, modernist cooking is anything but.