When Chef Chad Pagano isn't rustling up wild game for his new radio show, he's usually elbow-deep in flour, instructing our Pastry & Baking Arts students. But this morning, he rose early to share his talents with another audience, on CBS New York's "2 In the Kitchen".

Lior Lev Sercarz is spice blender to the stars - star chefs, that is. From Eric Ripert to Michelle Bernstein, Paul Kahan and Apollonia Poilâne, his roster of clients is a veritable "who's who" of culinary innovators. Even those chefs who know how to blend their own spices agree: Sercarz just does it better.

ICE alum and Chef's Advisory Council member Jason Apfelbaum is far from your average culinary entrepreneur. When he first enrolled, his dream was to own a boutique hotel in a remote location (and, eventually, to become the mayor of that small town). The choice to attend culinary school was a "back up plan", in case one of his employees didn't show up to work.

Chad Pagano's backstory isn't that of your average pastry chef. Long before he spent his days instructing in the art of kneading dough, he was serving in the United States Army's 10th Mountain Division, utilizing his recreational hunting skills as a scout/sniper. After leaving the army, Pagano enrolled in culinary school, where he discovered a passion for natural, earthy and organic foods.

How does an aspiring marketing professional become one of New York's top bakers? Like many of our students, Amy Scherber was a career changer, motivated by her passion for food.

It’s difficult to sum up the accomplished culinary career of Jonathan Waxman. His is one that has spanned two continents, more than three decades and multiple mediums. His first foray into the American restaurant scene was after returning from training in France to his hometown of Berkeley, California, where he cooked at the pioneering restaurant, Chez Panisse. It was there that he forged a strong friendship with Alice Waters and grew more attached to fresh-from-the-soil ingredients. After a brief stint at Michael’s in Santa Monica, he left the West Coast thirty years ago and headed to New York City where his first mentor was none other than the legendary chef of Lutèce, André Soltner.

Chef Chris Gesualdi is no slouch. Last night, he whipped 16 novice chefs into shape, prepping a 10-course New Year's Eve hors d'oeuvres menu in just under three hours. Not only was it one of the most organized cooking classes I've taken, it was also one of the most intriguing.

This month, in honor of the holidays, we’ve asked our Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts instructors to share their favorite festive recipes. We’ve already tested out Chef Kathryn Gordon’s Australian mince tartelettes , traveled to a French Christmas market with Chef Ted Siegel‘s Alsatian tarte flambée and celebrated American nostalgia with Chef Scott McMillen’s

For most people, holiday desserts don't include cupcakes. But Chef Melanie Underwood's "Holiday Cupcakes Workshop" helped this non-believer (and non-baker) realize that the cupcake is an excellent format for the festive flavors we all know and love.

This month, in honor of the holidays, we’ve asked our Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts instructors to share their favorite festive recipes. We've already traveled to Australia with Chef Kathryn Gordon's mince tartelettes and celebrated American nostalgia with Chef Scott McMillen's snickerdoodles. Today, we head back abroad with Chef Ted Siegel's Alsatian tarte flambée.