Culture

Plate to Planet: ICE Chef Helps Grow Oysters in NY Harbor

ajohnson — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 19:47:37 +0000

Plate to Planet: ICE Chef Helps Grow Oysters in NY Harbor ajohnson Sun, 10/13/2024 - 15:47 October 14, 2024

Chef-Instructor, Pastry & Baking Arts and Instructor, Restaurant & Culinary Management

Ģ��Ƶ Chef Kathryn Gordon is volunteering with a non-profit organization to bring oysters back to New York harbor.

Even though ICE Pastry & Baking Arts and Restaurant & Culinary Management Instructor Kathryn Gordon absolutely loves eating raw oysters, lately she's been keeping them off of her plate and in New York harbor.

Chef Kathryn is volunteering directly with Billion Oyster Project, a non-profit organization leading a movement to restore oysters to New York's waterways. There, she is a trained community scientist helping to monitor oyster populations in the harbor.

Oysters are particularly effective filter feeders. They remove algae, organic matter and excess nutrients from bodies of water. Because of this, oyster reefs are being installed up and down New York Bay, the Hudson River and the East River to help clean the New York harbor as a whole.

The best part about the Billion Oyster Project's mission is that the organization actually encourages New Yorkers to eat oysters in local restaurants. They collect the used shells, clean them, let them cure for over a year at a curing site and then re-use them for new oyster growth. This reusability also translates into good kitchen habits: in the Culinary Arts curriculum, ICE Chef-Instructors teach students how to carefully open oyster shells, making sure to leave as much of the shell intact as possible without splintering it.

ICE Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon with an oyster habitat.

According to the Billion Oyster Project, it's estimated that New York's waterways were one of the world’s largest oyster habitats in early America, with approximately half the world’s oyster population living there. Oysters were so abundant that they were once a ubiquitous street food. But fishing, overconsumption, sewage from newly-developed settlements and industrial pollution took their toll.

Related: A Deep Dive Into Oysters

The Billion Oyster Project started 10 years ago to, as you may have guessed, reintroduce oysters to the ecosystem they once called home. The long-term goal is to restore one billion oysters to the harbor by 2035.

In order to do so, the organization has many restorative efforts underway, including collecting recycled oyster shells from restaurants, rebuilding oyster reef systems and setting 50 million oysters in local waterways each season. Their network is vast and includes approximately 15,000 volunteers, 100 New York City schools, 8,000 students and over 75 restaurants.

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As a volunteer, Chef Kathryn monitors two tanks placed by Billion Oyster Project scientists in Sheepshead Bay. The oysters in the tanks help clean the southern Brooklyn coastal region. Oyster spats, which are stabilized oyster larvae that have attached to a surface, were inoculated onto previously-recycled oyster shells and brought to Sheepshead Bay in April 2024. In the first count one month later, they had grown to about 5 millimeters. At the most recent count, those same oysters are almost 65 millimeters, just about seven months into the total growing process.

ICE Chef Kathryn Gordon with an oyster.

If you don’t mind a bit of mud and are interested in working with Chef Kathryn on the monthly count and measurement, reach out to her on social media at @chef_kathryn_gordon. If oysters aren't your thing, there is also need for volunteers to document a range of other aquatic life such as blackfish, suckerfish, crabs, blood worms, oyster drills, barnacles, and mussels in the bay.

Also, if you're a current ICE student or graduate and like eating oysters, join Chef Kathryn’s friend, the Canadian shellfish educator and ambassador Michael-Ann Rowe, for an educational oyster lesson with a master shucker on November 22 at ICE New York!

Reserve your spot: Canadian Oyster Festival with Shucker Paddy

Food News Sustainability

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Is Culinary School Worth It?

abaker — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 18:39:48 +0000

Is Culinary School Worth It? abaker Tue, 06/25/2024 - 14:39 June 25, 2024

By ICE Staff

“Culinary school isn’t just important, it’s the greatest gift an aspiring culinarian can give themselves,” says ICE’s Vice President of Education, Richard Simpson.

With campuses in two dynamic and exciting food cities — New York City and Los Angeles — and award-winning culinary curricula, ICE brings students to the forefront of the food and hospitality industries.

“I enrolled in culinary school because it allowed me the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a field that I was really curious about which was plant-based holistic cooking techniques,” says Gabrielle “Gabi” Chappel, winner of the latest season of Gordon Ramsay’s “Next Level Chef” and Plant-Based Culinary Arts alumna.

A Penn State University graduate with degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish, Chef Gabi came to New York to work in production. It wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic that she decided to dive into making this dream a reality.

“Having a culinary background allows you to understand food from the ground up and it allows you to have a better understanding of the way the culinary industry works,” Chef Gabi continues.

Regardless of which program you choose, whether online or on campus, students are offered a global curriculum taught by dedicated Chef-Instructors who have tenure in the industry.

With a strong job placement record and a clear entrepreneurial focus, ICE is recognized by top chefs and hospitality professionals as a leading pathway to beginning or continuing a wide range of culinary and hospitality careers.

“Another reason culinary school can be so helpful for so many people is the connections that are made and how people get their foot in the door,” says ICE’s Chairman & CEO, Rick Smilow.

Great industry leaders and entrepreneurs stop by both ICE campuses for guest lectures and demos — an invaluable learning opportunity. These events are also streamed live online for students who are unable to attend in person.

“Is culinary school worth it? Yes. It absolutely is worth it. It was so worth it for me,” says Chef Gabi. “It introduced me to new concepts, new theories, new ideas about cooking and about how there’s a unique relationship between chefs and the ingredients and the environment. I wouldn’t have had that without culinary school.”

Culinary Arts Culinary School

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2024 Juneteenth Events in New York City and Los Angeles

ajohnson — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 22:17:17 +0000

2024 Juneteenth Events in New York City and Los Angeles ajohnson Mon, 06/17/2024 - 18:17 June 18, 2024

By ICE Staff

Though it only recently became a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has been celebrated since the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. Those celebrations often include plenty of recipes passed down through generations, ranging from barbecue to show-stopping desserts.

If you don't have a Juneteenth celebration planned at home, you're not out of luck! Both New York City and Los Angeles see a ton of celebratory Juneteenth events — here are a few to put on your radar this holiday.

Events in the New York City area:

Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth

June 19, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Times Square

Hosted by The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative, this year’s free concert is hosted by Michael James Scott and features 35 performers from shows including Aladdin, Hell’s Kitchen, The Lion King, Water for Elephants and The Wiz, among many others.

Juneteenth NY Festival 2024

June 13-19, multiple times
Brooklyn

Now in its 15th year, the nonprofit organization Juneteenth NY is a multi-day celebration. Events this year included a Black Kings Celebration, parade and fashion show, culminating with a virtual summit on the 19th.

Black & Queer: A Juneteenth Concert

June 19, 7 p.m. Eastern Time
Midtown East

To celebrate both Pride and Juneteenth, guests are invited to join the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus at Christ Church in Midtown for a 75-minute concert. The night’s show will feature a number of the Chorus’s solo artists who will share what the holiday means to them through their own stories.

Celebrate Juneteenth 2024

June 19, 12 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time
Astoria

This year’s celebration at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) includes a screening of Black filmmaker Spencer Williams’ “The Blood of Jesus” (with a panel discussion immediately to follow), live music and a tour of the museum.

Events in the Los Angeles area:

Black Family Reunion Juneteenth Celebration

June 19th, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time
Leimert Park Village

In place of the annual event held in Los Angeles' Leimert Park Village, which was canceled this year, the Leimert Park Merchants Association is hosting its own Juneteenth celebration in the same place. The location is extremely fitting, as Leimert Park is known as the historic center of Black and African American culture in Los Angeles. According to the official website, the event will have food, music, and family-friendly activities perfect for a day of celebrating freedom.

Juneteenth Celebration Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

June 19th, 8 p.m. Pacific Time start
2301 Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068

This one-night-only concert is described on the Hollywood Bowl's website as a "celebration of freedom, creativity, and brilliant artistic tradition." The event curated by the musician T-Pain and will feature many Black artists, including a full orchestra.

Juneteenth Events from the LA County Library

Various dates
Multiple LAPL branches

The Los Angeles Public Library is hosting multiple free art-forward events in honor of Juneteenth. The events range from poetry readings to free movie screenings and offer options for all ages.

Holidays Special Events

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Top Culinary Industry Award Shows Name the Best of 2024

abaker — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:47:23 +0000

Top Culinary Industry Award Shows Name the Best of 2024 abaker Mon, 06/17/2024 - 09:47 Courtesy of Eliesa Johnson Photography. This year's James Beard Awards and World’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced within the same week. June 17, 2024

By Abbe Lewis

Abbe Lewis is a writer, editor, Emmy nominee and extreme nacho enthusiast with over a decade of experience in food and beverage media. Always on the move, Abbe can be found running long distances on the weekends to new restaurants or her favorite hangouts.

In early June, food lovers and culinary industry insiders saw two of the top-tier awards ceremonies pertaining to the industry: San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants and the James Beard Awards.

The World’s 50 Best list was announced at a glitzy ceremony held at none other than the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Disfrutar, the three-Michelin-starred Barcelona restaurant from Chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas, took the number one spot.

The New York Times’ restaurant critic Pete Wells noted that many of the restaurants featured on the list, such as Alchemist in Copenhagen and Gaggan in Bangkok, are more than restaurants — they’re “immersive experiences,” that “normal people can’t get into.”

Stateside, Chefs JP and Elia Park’s two-Michelin-starred Atomix took the top US spot at number six, while three-Michelin-starred SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California landed at number 46. Both establishments, as well as Atomix’s sister restaurants, Atoboy and Naro, have served as externship sites for students at the Ģ��Ƶ.

The James Beard Awards, held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, boasted a similar caliber of winners in an evening filled with success.

Hosted by Chefs Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais, Amanda Freitag and Marcus Samuelsson, it was a sold-out show, with industry professionals gathering for the announcement of the Restaurant and Chef awards.

Chef Michael Rafidi of one-Michelin-starred Albi in Washington, D.C. nabbed the Outstanding Chef award. Arabic for “my heart,” Albi is an homage to Chef Rafidi’s Palestinian roots with coal-fired cuisine coming out of the wood-burning hearth.

In New York, Chef Charlie Mitchell of one-Michelin-starred Clover Hill in Brooklyn (where Culinary Arts graduate Sam Caucci hails as Sous Chef), took home Best Chef for New York State.

Chef Lord Maynard Llera was awarded Best Chef: California for his Filipino restaurant Kuya Lord in Los Angeles. Serving up traditional Filipino fare, Kuya Lord is self-described as an “elevated fast-casual restaurant concept.”

Dakar NOLA, Chef Serigne Mbay’s modern Senegalese tasting menu concept in New Orleans, won Best New Restaurant, and Lula Café, a charming crowd favorite in Chicago by Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds, won for Outstanding Hospitality.

It was a week that’s given us a lot to chew on — with a bucket list of eateries around the globe to consume.

Congratulations to all nominees and winners. Until next year.

View the full list of the World’s 50 Best List here.
View the full list of the 2024 James Beard Awards winners here.

Awards and Honors Food News Restaurants

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Discover 3 Underrepresented Asian Cuisines You Need to Try

abaker — Thu, 30 May 2024 16:48:21 +0000

Discover 3 Underrepresented Asian Cuisines You Need to Try abaker Thu, 05/30/2024 - 12:48 May 30, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

According to a Pew Research study, about one in nine restaurants in America is a restaurant with Asian heritage. While it may be no surprise for those who crave Asian foods, this is nonetheless a huge number, considering that most Asian cuisine only started gaining mainstream popularity across the U.S. in the 1990s or later.

Of those Asian restaurants, however, a vast majority in the U.S. are represented by the cuisines of only a few cultures. Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants account for nearly 70% of all Asian restaurants in this country, with another approximately 20% consisting of Indian, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants. The remaining 10% consists of a wide variety of Asian cuisines, often representing regional cultures or fusion expressions.

While there are numerous underrepresented Asian cuisines in the U.S. that you should get to know — Malaysian, Pakistani, Goan, Mongolian and more — here, several chefs talk us through three cuisines that are on the rise.

Cuisine of Taiwan

While Taiwanese cuisine might have recognizable elements for those who love Chinese food, the cuisine of Taiwan, an island nation near China’s southeastern coast, is distinct.

“It’s indigenous, pure and simple,” says Jin-Ya Huang, founder of Break Bread, Break Borders, a social enterprise empowering refugee women economically through the storytelling of food and culture. “To experience the unique flavors of real Taiwanese food is truly spectacular gourmet, with wild ingredients, original spices and native species, foraged and prepared by the aboriginal tribes who hunted and gathered from the mountains and the plains across the island.”

She cites a dish known as zhutong fan, or “bamboo tube rice” — rice literally steamed in a bamboo tube with wild boar meat — as an example of that which is inspired by nature, a tenet of Taiwanese cooking, which exhibits the influence of various Indigenous peoples such as Atayal, Truku and Tsou tribes.

Colonization often plays a role in the evolution of indigenous cuisines around the world, including all three cuisines highlighted here.

“Taiwanese food is the political fusion of the eight major cuisines of mainland China, with local modifications and Japanese influences due to colonization,” Huang says.

Related: Types of Chinese Dumplings

She highlights a few important dishes and elements such as yu lai gu or “star jelly,” a gelatinous substance that forms on trees after rain, alivongvong, a dumpling-like preparation that’s cooked in woven pouches to resemble lunch boxes and flying fish, often prepared as a jerky and served with taro.

Look for Taiwanese restaurants tucked in among Chinese restaurants in communities with sizable Chinatowns such as Flushing, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rockville, Maryland, and especially throughout the Los Angeles area.

Filipino Cuisine

Given the Filipino population in the U.S. relative to the number of available Filipino restaurants, this may be the most underrepresented AAPI cuisine in the country. But Filipino cuisine is definitely on the rise, and important to get to know for culinary enthusiasts.

"It's an untapped cuisine that is ever growing,” says Daniel Corpuz, a Filipino-American Pastry Chef and Owner of Daniel Corpuz Chocolatier. “I am fortunate to say that through my work, I am able to define and even redefine what Filipino cuisine is.”

Meet the ICE grad serving up deliciousness in LA's Historic Filipinotown

“Filipino Cuisine speaks to the colonial past of the Philippines,” Chef Daniel says. “In a way, Filipino food is everything and nothing at the same time. Everything, because it's a fusion of Spanish, Japanese and American cooking, and nothing, because of how that colonial past has been able to influence what Filipino food is. What makes it unique is the complete usage of ingredients while having sharp and impactful flavors.”

While dishes and ingredients such as lumpia and ube have become mainstream, not to mention the proliferation of Filipino fried chicken chain Jollibee, Chef Daniel says he tries his best to showcase Filipino flavors beyond the well-known ingredients.

“I am able to utilize ingredients and flavors that not many are familiar with,” he says.

Chef Daniel often cooks with ingredients such as pandan, an aromatic palm leaf, kalamansi, a lightly bitter citrus hybrid and pili nuts, a sought-after, savory nut redolent of almond, macadamia and sunflower seed.

Chef Daniel highlights a few important Filipino dishes:

Lumpia, a Filipino fried spring roll exhibiting Chinese influence, is “a great introduction to Filipino food for its approachability,” he says.
Filipino chicken adobo, a slow-cooked chicken, is distinctive because of the sharpness of both the vinegar element and the amount of garlic.
Sapin-Sapin is a Filipino dessert made “primarily using glutinous rice flour. It is a vessel for different flavors like coconut and other native flavors like jackfruit and ube,” Chef Daniel says.

Fast and fast-casual Filipino restaurants can be found throughout the country, but Chicago boasts the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, Kasama.

Hawaiian Cuisine

“I think it's important for culinary students to pay attention to this last state of the U.S.,” says Kiki Aranita, owner of Hawaiian-inspired sauce brand Poi Dog, and Senior Editor for New York Magazine. “Hawaii is the most diverse state in the country, not just in terms of population, but in terms of environment and ecology, and we have our own culinary traditions that are unlike anywhere else in the world.”

With its extraordinary produce such as taro and sugarcane, and equally diverse history, the foods and dishes of Hawaii are especially dynamic. Similar to the cuisines outlined above, Hawaiian cuisine should also be considered in two parts.

“There’s a distinction between Hawaiian cuisine and Hawaii’s local food,” Aranita says. “The term 'Hawaiian cuisine' indicates cuisine that was made by Native Hawaiians, especially prior to Western contact. That said, a lot of Hawaiian cuisine has been very much influenced by its immigrants, who came to Hawaii during the sugar cane plantation era, or even a little before. So there's a lot of what we would consider Hawaiian food that does have elements of Chinese cuisine in it."

Numerous other cultures, both Asian and European, also intersected with Hawaii throughout its complicated colonial history. Hawaiian sweet rolls, for example, are actually Portuguese in origin. Spam features heavily given the influence of American GIs, combined with the necessity of canned goods in an area prone to hurricanes.

These diverse influences in part explain why Hawaiian food is unrepresented on the mainland, according to Aranita.

“We have a lot of Japanese, Chinese and Korean immigrants, which means that if you're from Hawaii, and you move to the mainland, you can scratch your itch for those foods by going to other restaurants,” she says.

It may be challenging to find a true taste of indigenous Hawaiian cuisine outside of Hawaii, but for a deeper dive than poke, thoughtful Hawaiian restaurants can be found not only in major U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but also in communities such as Burnside, Oregon, and Midvale, Utah.

Food History Ingredient Exploration

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AAPI Heritage Month Product Spotlight: Black Vinegar

abaker — Tue, 21 May 2024 22:43:31 +0000

AAPI Heritage Month Product Spotlight: Black Vinegar abaker Tue, 05/21/2024 - 18:43 May 21, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Even if you've never heard of black vinegar, you've probably tasted it.

The ingredient is a "cornerstone of Chinese cuisine," according to Chef Lane Li, the Chinese-born Owner and Executive Chef of Noodle Lane in Brooklyn, New York.

Various Asian cuisines, beginning with Chinese, started to become popular in the United States in the 1920s. With a boom in numerous styles of cuisine from Southeast Asia occurring from the 1990s, now approximately one in nine restaurants in America has Asian providence. Along with its massive increase in popularity in the past few decades, American cooks are no strangers to a variety of Asian ingredient staples such as miso, fish sauce and gochujang, among others.

Black vinegar, however, may not be as well known to the masses — at least, not yet. Chef Lane's restaurant features authentic dishes from both Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines, many of which feature black vinegar.

“As a key ingredient, it adds both complexity and tanginess to dishes ranging from soups to cold salads,” she says.

Here’s everything you need to know about this enigmatic ingredient before you inevitably add it to your cabinet of cooking staples.

What is Black Vinegar?

Vinegar is a fermented product that can be made from a number of different plant sources, and in the case of black vinegar, it can be made from a number of grains that are common in Chinese culture.

“Chinese black vinegar is typically made from fermented rice, wheat, barley or sorghum,” Chef Lane says. “It undergoes a slow fermentation process to develop its distinctive flavor.”

Like other varieties of dark vinegar, black vinegar is typically aged for a number of months in various vessels in order to develop not only complexity but also its signature deep color. Different varieties of black vinegar are utilized throughout various Asian cuisines, but its origin is Chinese, and it tends to be always fermented from grain regardless of its pedigree.

Credit: Andrea Nguyen on Flickr.

What Does Black Vinegar Taste Like?

Chef Lane describes the flavor of black vinegar as “robust, slightly sweet and tangy, with hints of maltiness and a subtle smokiness.” While black vinegar has a similar color to another well-known dark vinegar — balsamic — the maltiness and umami flavor distinctive of black vinegar can be attributed primarily to its grain base, and slow fermentation.

The subtle sweetness of black vinegar is more rich and caramel, rather than fruity. Balsamic vinegar, on the other hand, has a fruity sweetness due to its grape base, and the specific balsa wood vessels in which it is aged. Some sources have likened the flavor of black vinegar to that of a different dark condiment: Worcestershire sauce, which also has a base of fermented barley, but is flavored with additional ingredients.

Black vinegar, however, develops its complex flavor strictly from its fermentation and aging process.

How is Black Vinegar Typically Used in Chinese Cuisine?

You’ve doubtlessly had black vinegar in Chinese dishes regardless of whether you’ve been aware of it, as it is ubiquitous as an ingredient in numerous Chinese preparations and recipes.

“Black vinegar is commonly used as a dipping sauce for dumplings, adds balance to the richness of soups and braises, and is also a key ingredient in most cold dishes,” Chef Lane says.

Black vinegar is also an excellent counterpoint to spice, according to Chef Lane, providing a deep umami character in addition to its typical acidic function. “We use black vinegar in our most popular noodle dish, Dan Dan noodles,” she says. “Its acidity balances the heat of chile peppers and the richness of the broth perfectly.”

Interested in More? Try One of Our Cooking Classes:

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For Many Black Chefs, Juneteenth Means Barbecue

abaker — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

For Many Black Chefs, Juneteenth Means Barbecue abaker Mon, 06/19/2023 - 09:00 June 18, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Juneteenth was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021. We spoke to several Black chefs about the importance of the occasion and how barbecue is a favored centerpiece for Juneteenth celebrations.

Juneteenth, a contraction of the words "June" and "nineteenth," commemorates the date of the emancipation of slaves in Texas in 1865, with the arrival of the Union army to issue the order and to enforce the release of those remaining enslaved following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

Originating as a holiday in Galveston, Texas, over time celebrations of Juneteenth spread throughout the American South, and in 2021 Congress passed a bill, signed by President Joe Biden, to fully recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday, the first new such annual observance since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was made a holiday in 1983.

We spoke to ICE New York Culinary Arts Chef-Instructor Gill Boyd, as well as several other chefs of color, about the personal meaning of Juneteenth, and the imperative role barbecue plays in Juneteenth celebrations around the country.

The Meaning and Importance of Juneteenth

“Growing up, the date was not really discussed within my family,” Chef Gill says. “It was not until my adulthood that I understood the importance of the date from my uncle in Oklahoma who was a member of the local NAACP. Years later it does have great importance to me, because it acknowledges the slavery of the African American people in the United States. Currently it is also of national importance because it seems some states want to rewrite that history.”

To Chef Gill’s point, while Juneteenth celebrations have been common in the South since the late 1800s, the national importance of Juneteenth didn’t really start to take hold until the growing Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Now, as a federal holiday, it lends even more attention to the date’s significance to Americans throughout the country.

The other Black chefs I spoke to echoed this sentiment, regardless of where they call home.

Chef Alexander Harris is the Culinary Director of Brooklyn’s Emma’s Torch, which works with refugees to celebrate their cultural heritage and empower people with employment and culinary training. For him, Juneteenth represents the delivery of a promise set by one of the founding fathers.

“As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,’” Chef Alex says. “This was not a question or a thought experiment, but a statement by which we’ve defined our country. Juneteenth is a celebration of another step in that direction, embracing our country’s culture, past and present, good or bad, and moving forward consciously recognizing what and who made this country great.”

Chef D'Andre Carter, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Chicago’s Soul & Smoke brings up another important point.

“I’m just happy that everything African Americans went through is being recognized, and that everyone can celebrate our emancipation," Chef D'Andre says.

Juneteenth celebrations are also growing across cultures in the U.S., in the spirit of recognizing a difficult past, while looking forward in hope toward the future.

Chef Dominique Leach, Chef and Pitmaster of Lexington Betty Smokehouse, also in Chicago, says “It's important to me to remember this history because without it I would not be where I am today, and it's a reminder of how much we fought for and still do. One of my missions as a chef is to create space in the BBQ community for Black pitmasters, especially Black women as pitmasters, who are very underrepresented.”

The Importance of Barbecue in Juneteenth Celebrations

Speaking of barbecue...

Juneteenth is traditionally celebrated with red foods, including brightly-colored beverages such as hibiscus tea and strawberry soda. Food historian Michael Twitty has previously spoken on this topic, explaining to Oprah Daily that the reason behind this was not only because such brightly colored foods would have been in contrast to what slaves typically had access to, but also showcasing Caribbean influence, with celebrations of Juneteenth beginning in Galveston.

“Texas was at the end of the world to the Antebellum South,” he says. “There were a lot of enslaved Africans who were coming to Texas from the continent and through the Caribbean. The color red is highly associated with the cultures that would've come through the later years of the trade, which would have been Yoruba and Kongo.”

Related Recipe: Cured Sumac Plum Cobbler

That all being said, when I reached out to several Black chefs for their favorite Juneteenth foods, expecting to amass a round-up of a variety red foods, instead I got a unanimous chorus of “barbecue.”

“The food of my childhood,” Chef Alexander says. “Soul Food, and barbecue.”

“Barbecue — and that means real barbecue, which is slow cooking meat with charcoal and usually cooked under cover.” Chef Gill says. “It’s all about the anticipation of long-cooked meat and how tender it will be.”

“Barbecue has always been my family's favorite celebration food of choice,” Chef D’Andre says. “We love to gather together around barbecued ribs, mac & cheese, greens and cornbread. That’s a party for us.”

“My favorite food for celebrating Juneteenth is Barbecue," Chef Dominique says. "There's something spiritual about firing up the grill with family and celebrating what we have overcome as Black Americans.”

This was Juneteenth’s lesson for me, and an important one.

While barbecue categorically holds the potential for plenty of symbolic red foods: not only in its crimson barbecue sauce, but sides and desserts such as watermelon, red beans and even red velvet cake, the color is not what’s important; it’s the community aspect of barbecue that resonates for Juneteenth celebrations. The feeding of a crowd. The gathering.

Moving toward equality in this country has always been and will always be a group effort. The communal aspect of barbecue is the perfect setting for Juneteenth in which to commemorate the events of the past, with an eye toward the future.

Holidays Barbecue

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ICE Chefs' Father's Day Food Traditions

abaker — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

ICE Chefs' Father's Day Food Traditions abaker Sat, 06/17/2023 - 09:00 Cheers to you, Dads! June 17, 2023

By Anna Johnson

Anna Johnson is the Content Manager at the Ģ��Ƶ Los Angeles as well as a current Plant-Based Culinary Arts student. She loves telling stories about anything food and beverage-related, with a special interest in sustainability, accessibility and advocacy within the hospitality world. Follow her culinary school journey on social media at @yumgoddess.

It's Father's Day, and being a parent in the hospitality industry can certainly be challenging given the level of commitment required for the job.

Most chefs, regardless of parental status, know that Mother's Day is actually one of the quintessential examples of a "food holiday." Whether it's brunch reservations at a fancy restaurant snagged months ahead of time or just ordering takeout from a local favorite, many Americans choose to get food from a restaurant for Mother's Day.

Father's Day, however, is a different story.

"All of the work and plans are usually for Mother's Day," ICE Los Angeles' Lead Instructor of Wine Studies Paul Sherman says. "On Father's Day, we usually like to just relax."

Even though the holiday often brings rest in having a day off from restaurant work, many chef dads still have food-related traditions that they've stuck to through the years. Some dads, including ICE New York's Lead Chef and Operations Manager Joshua Resnick, are creating their own special memories for their families for years to come.

"[My dad and I] used to grill together. In more recent years, since I've become a father, we now smoke meats," Chef Joshua says.

We asked our Chef-Instructors from both campuses how they plan to celebrate Father's Day this year.

Joshua Resnick, Lead Chef and Operations Manager

"We don't smoke the same meats consistently. We just like to use it as something that we can do together. I come from a culinary background, my dad doesn't. So I've kind of used [smoking meats] as like a wave to teach him some different stuff. He likes reading about it and doing stuff and then you know, we get to do it and enjoy it together. Last year was brisket. The menu for this year is ribs. We're doing baby back ribs and we're doing beef short ribs.

Last year was brisket. The menu for this year is ribs.

We're not super saucy. We're more about the rubs. We do like different versions of classic spice wrote like classic barbecue rub. So it's normally going to have smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. It'll also have brown sugar and a good bit of salt and black pepper. But sometimes we like to keep like certain things a little bit more simple and just play around with some different woods. So we might do salt and pepper, but then we might smoke it with applewood, or we'll might do it with hickory and just kind of play around with it that way. Oftentimes, I like to add things like I like to add caraway seed into my spice rub for certain items because I feel like they bring out like a more unique flavor. One of my favorite smoked items is pastrami. So for me, I always think pastrami, I think of rye bread. So for me, it's kind of a fun way to combine like more of like a Texas-style barbecue, but still having a little bit of that almost — New York deli flair to it. I also make my own version of Old Bay seasoning, but I call it 'New Bae.'"

Rèmy Forgues, Chef-Instuctor, ICE New York

"On Sunday, I plan on doing jujitsu with my daughter, and then we'll grill local catch like porgy or black bass and serve it with a side of salsa verde."

Stephen Chavez, Chef-Instructor, ICE Los Angeles

"Here in Pasadena, we have the street Chalk Festival that goes all weekend long. They start on Friday and by Sunday, they have these amazing works of art. So we'll normally come down in the morning, we'll walk around for a good couple hours in the morning, maybe grab a little snack from a street vendor or something like that. This year, we're going over to my mom's and having a little Mexican food — homemade chili relleno from mom. It'll be really delicious and nice. Father's Day is about family. Being a dad is the best thing in my life."

Being a dad is the best thing in my life.

Ozmar Heredia, Chef-Instructor, ICE New York

"[In the past], we gathered around, someone cooked something, so it's just like spending the day having dinner, talking to each other. I don't recall any specific tradition for home cooking in this case other than like any type of Peruvian cuisine. My dad likes chicken and beans."

Jeff Shields, Chef-Instructor, ICE Los Angeles

"Food traditions, after sleeping in, would be mainly grilling and barbecuing. Hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, anything outdoors. My older son will cook sometimes, he also does like Thanksgiving meals and stuff, he'll help with some sauces. He's eight and my youngest daughter, she's six. We love to do mainly anything outdoors."

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Meet Hillery, ICE Alum & Former Admissions Director

abaker — Mon, 23 May 2022 15:04:45 +0000

Meet Hillery, ICE Alum & Former Admissions Director abaker Mon, 05/23/2022 - 11:04 Continual discussion with prospective students about ICE’s career programs led her to enroll in Culinary Management. May 23, 2022

By Hillery Hargadine

Hillery Wheeler Hargadine has been with ICE since 2009 and is a graduate of ICE’s Restaurant and Culinary Management program. After over a decade with the Admissions team helping students to fulfill their dreams of enrolling in culinary school, she now enjoys profiling those same students in their new careers as Notable Alumni. In addition to alumni outreach, Hillery works on prospective student messaging and content. She currently lives in Toyko, Japan with her husband and son, and eats as much sushi and ramen as possible.

Like any college graduate, I started my first job hunt with ideals of wanting a position that allowed me to maintain a reasonably comfortable lifestyle while also satisfying the desire to work in a field and for a company I believed in. A position that inspired me. Something that allowed me to feel I was making a positive impact on others.

I was one of the lucky ones in that my first professional job was here at The Ģ��Ƶ. I knew as I walked down the halls of the school for that first interview that this would be where I would start my career. What I didn’t know was that this entry level job on the Admissions Support team would lead to 12 years of satisfying work and professional growth, eventually becoming the Director of Admissions at the flagship New York campus, helping thousands of students navigate the often emotionally complex waters of following their dream to work in food.

Throughout those 12 years I not only saw my own personal growth, but the incredible expansion of the school, which at the time was known as much for hobbyist cooking classes as for its three career-training programs. Now it’s become a multi-campus industry leader, educating people from around the country and across the world in five career training programs, three certificate specialty programs and countless professional development classes.

Check out our Culinary Arts Career Program curriculum

In my time I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with industry leaders who come to recruit our graduates and inspire the next generation, including top-tier chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants, massive restaurant group operators, major food media personalities and many, many more. However, the most interesting and inspiring people I met along the way were the prospective students I met with in Admissions. The everyday people who dared to take that first step and be brave enough to actually pick up the phone or send an email and start the conversation of “I’m ready. I want to go to culinary school.”

So many people come to us full of fears and doubts, questioning if it’s the right time, how they’ll pay for it, what they’ll do with this education (especially if they don't see themselves working in a traditional restaurant). Knowing only that they love food, they wake up thinking about it, spend the day planning what they want to make for dinner, their preferred "shopping" is for groceries rather than for clothes, be it a checklist for something specific or the simple joys of discovering a new ingredient or condiment they’ve never heard of. Regardless of their different backgrounds and ethnicities, life stages, education and experience levels, they all have one thing in common: they love food.

Whether it’s the middle-aged woman who retired early from being an immigration attorney to find herself working in corporate private dining, thrilled, for the first time in her life, to get up and go to work. Or a former textile designer for major fashion brands who recalled pulling over on the side of the road in France to eat a picnic lunch after he scored a bottle of unique wine and couldn’t wait to open it — he eventually found himself doing food and wine pairings for an upscale country club. Or the recent college grad who completed a chemical engineering degree just to completely pivot into pastry (and was recently named Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bernardin, following in the footsteps of our own Michael Laiskonis).

Nothing is more satisfying than meeting these people and being able to say “welcome, this building is full of people just like you.”

These are just a handful of the stories and voices I had the honor of hearing during my time as an Admissions Coordinator, and there were countless more I learned about second-hand when I moved into the Admissions Director role. Easily one of the best parts of setting foot in the Admissions office at ICE every day is hearing all the various coordinators bubbling over with enthusiasm as they describe a new potential student they just met who had a unique and wonderful backstory. So many of them starting out unsure whether or not they belong here because they think they’re too young, too old, have no industry experience ( or the ‘wrong’ kind of industry experience), don’t want to work in a restaurant (or desperately want to work in a restaurant but can’t see how they can make it work with their lifestyle) — the list goes on. And the Admissions Coordinator gets to be the one to open their eyes to the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of food careers out there that people have never considered, or never even heard of. That this is an industry that can accommodate so many voices and flavors — so long as they have the passion and the discipline to follow their dreams.

I look forward to posting here on DICED to share some of the stories and insights I’ve learned through my time here both as a member of the admissions team and as a student myself in the Restaurant and Culinary Management program.

Thanks for reading along.

Learn More about our Restaurant & Culinary Management program at ICE.

FAQs Culinary Student Culinary School

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The Culinary Traditions of Kwanzaa

ablustein — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 19:00:58 +0000

The Culinary Traditions of Kwanzaa ablustein Thu, 12/30/2021 - 14:00 It's a celebration of family, community and culture. December 30, 2021

By Andrew Blustein

What food do you eat on Kwanzaa? Well, there isn't one answer, but there sure is a lot to choose from.

A relatively new holiday, Kwanzaa's origins go back to 1966, during the Civil Rights Movement, when activist Maulana Karenga, Ph.D., made a holiday specifically for African-Americans.

The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means “first fruits,” harkening back to when people collectively harvested fruit and vegetable crops and gave thanks for the bounty of their efforts and for each other.

“Kwanzaa is based on the many harvest festivals and rituals practiced across the African continent, during ancient and modern times, that would last about seven days, from the end of one year to the beginning of a new,” says culinary historian Tonya Hopkins on her podcast, “American Food History for All…From a Black Perspective.”

There are seven nights of Kwanzaa, from December 26 to January 1, each celebrating a different principle or social value. On the sixth night, Kuumba (meaning “creativity” in Swahili), is the feast.

“While there is no set Kwanzaa menu, it is customary to serve African and African-influenced foods for any Kwanzaa meal,” Tonya says.

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When Tonya was researching and writing about Kwanzaa's food history for the Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, she spoke with Maulana, who said the first fruits and vegetables of the harvest traditionally included the likes of mango, pineapple, oranges, okra, eggplant and yams, all of which were part of the diet of enslaved Africans who were brought to the Americas. So, the Kuumba feast features a central meal typically from the American continent and surrounding dishes from different African communities.

That covers everything from jambalaya and Jollof rice, to Canadian groundnut stew and Philadelphia pepper pot soup, to West Indian and South African curry dishes, and much more.

“It's also a great opportunity to eat and drink together,” she says, “and to explore all kinds of delicious [and] nutritious foods from our bigger and broader culinary heritage.”

Food History Culinary Arts

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