Not long after my last post I did a trail at Marc Forgione’s American Cut that immediately turned into a job. I did my first two shifts as a pastry cook last week and could not be happier. It’s still a bit insane to me to compare my current situation with where I was a year ago as I weighed the decision to leave a great job for this career. So to the ICC and chefs that have taught me so much and prepared me so well I say thank you, thank you, thank you.

In 2016, ICC and the Olive Oil Times Education Lab partnered to create the world’s most comprehensive curriculum in olive oil quality assessment. For the seventh time since its inception, we welcomed culinary professionals from around the world for another sold out round of the two-level Olive Oil Sommelier Certification courses. Over the course of six days, professionals learned to identify the positive attributes & defects in olive oil and tasted more than 100 samples from various regions around the world.

From marketing to wine: How she became a certified sommelier The road to becoming a Sommelier can be different for everyone, but what most paths share is an interest in wine and a desire to pursue your passion. The same can be said for our 2019 Outstanding Sommelier Award Winner, Vanessa Da Silva. What began as a curiousity while studying abroad in Florence grew into an undeniable passion for wine, and ultimately a career change into the hospitality industry!

During the course of the Professional Pastry Arts program, students have the opportunity to participate in industry field trips to restaurants, bakeries and more where they meet working pastry chefs, ask questions and see the skills + techniques they’ve learned in action.

ICC In The News provides monthly highlights from articles published around the world that feature alumni, deans, faculty and more within the ICC community. Stories of our 15,000+ alumni network and their successes are continuously popping up across various prestigious publications. Below, we have aggregated some of our favorites from June 2018, aimed to keep you connected with our community and inspire readers to #LoveWhatYouDo in the kitchen and beyond.

The sky was a bright blue and the sun was shining. My espresso-hot and my cigarette-lit. I sat there and, in my head, ran through what I imagined my first day to be like. It involved a lot of nerves, some sweat and plenty of note taking. But as I entered the castle (yes, it is an actual castle – read about that later in another post) I was whisked away into what is now my reality.