Even before the big announcement last October detailing my intentions to leave Le Bernardin at the end of the year, I had already begun to consider a number of directions my post-restaurant career might take.

ICE is pleased to announce that this March we will welcome prestigious pastry chef Michael Laiskonis as our first-ever Creative Director. In this new and innovative role, Laiskonis will bring his vast experience as an industry leader to ICE.

Meet The Culinary Entrepreneurs is an innovative lecture series featuring some of America's top culinary business owners.

On the first day of Valentines Day… Oh wait, wrong holiday.

The diverse student body at ICE attracts many different people. With a wide variety of age, experience, and goals, no two ICE students are alike. We like to share snapshots of life inside the classrooms with a look at ICE students. Julia Heffelfinger came to ICE to pursue her dream of working on the Food Network — a long way from early morning hockey practice in Minnesota! We asked her to tell us more about how her interest in food developed and her goals after culinary school.

When ICE President Rick Smilow and Anne E. McBride wrote "Culinary Careers: How to Get Your Dream Job in Food," they discovered a plethora of food jobs they had never heard of before. Since the book's release, they have been discovering even more interesting culinary career paths. DICED shares some of them with you in a reoccurring feature: “Unique Culinary Careers.”

ICE has a Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for all of our career training diploma programs. These groups, who include some big names in the New York and national culinary world, meet several times a year to make suggestions about the school’s programs and progress.

ICE is proud of its alumni and their accomplishments. From four-star restaurants to food media, and test kitchens to personal chef positions, our alumni continue to succeed and win awards, accolades and attention for their endeavors. ICE alumni are finding success in a plethora of avenues in the food world. Check out just some of the alumni making recent headlines.

New York is a buzz with excitement to see the New York Giants play in the Super Bowl this weekend and one ICE alum is working hard to make sure they play their best.

Yesterday, ICE students got to meet with renowned Chef Andrew Carmellini, of Locanda Verde and The Dutch, for a frank conversation about life after culinary school and working in the restaurant business.