Kathryn Gordon

Kathryn Gordon received her bachelor's degree from Vassar, later attending New York University’s Stern School of Business for her graduate degree. She began her career as a Wall Street consultant before switching to food. After deciding to change professions, Gordon earned an honors certification from L'Academie de Cuisine and worked at leading restaurants such as The Rainbow Room, Windows on the World, Le Cirque and Le Bernardin.

Chef Kathryn was an assistant producer and co-host of the live Carymax World and National Pastry Championships for 12 years. She joined ICE in fall 2003, transforming her knowledge and experience into a passionate career in education. Chef Kathryn helped launch ICE’s culinary study abroad programs and is a formidable competitor in national and regional pastry competitions. She's even been the master of ceremonies for a number of pastry events, including the live Carymax World and National Pastry Championships. Chef Kathryn has taught a Craftsy class on Contemporary Layer Cakes and is a nationally featured chef in the first American Almond Lookbook.

In 2011, she published "Les Petits Macarons, Colorful French Confections to Make at Home," a best-selling guide to crafting French macarons — one of the pastry world’s most notoriously tricky sweets. Described by The Wall Street Journal as “comprehensive and inspiring,” the book has sold over 70,000 copies. Her second book is now available through Running Press, “Les Petits Sweets, Two-Bite Desserts from the French Patisserie.”

Chef Kathryn is a founding partner in Food Startup Help, a food consultancy for entrepreneurs building wholesale or retail bakeries, or bringing a food product to production. She is also the co-chair for ICE's Center for Advanced Pastry Studies (CAPS) program and a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier.

In ICE’s New York teaching kitchens, Chef Kathryn aims to create extreme scenarios that challenge students to think on their feet. Inspired by her attention to detail and determined focus, Kathryn’s students have gone on to find their own significant success, including Dana (Loia) Pollack of Dana’s Bakery and Christina Ha of Macaron Parlor. 

For Chef Kathryn, the term "culinary voice" means, “thinking about the food you're serving from the ingredient level up — what the ingredients are, where they came from and how they were grown, and how they go together in delicious and perhaps surprising manners.”