Congratulations to ICE's Class of 2022: Graduation Recap

On May 10, 2022, Institute of Culinary Education graduates from 2021-2022 participated in a live commencement ceremony at New York University’s Skirball Theater, featuring Keynote Speaker Jacques Pépin, along with alumni speakers and chefs Mary Attea and Shenarri Freeman.

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.

June 2, 2022

“To see our students live at graduation, after two years of COVID-19 and many other stressful events, was both uplifting and touching,” says Lead Chef of Health-Supportive Culinary Arts, Elliott Prag. “More than ever I was aware that our common touchstone — the love of food — creates community in a profound way. The authentic pride and camaraderie shared among our students and teachers spoke louder than any words could.”

Indeed, it was a day of celebration. "Today is your day and you are lucky to have been able to study at ICE," says Keynote Speaker, Jacques Pépin. "It is the beginning of your career, the beginning of a new life. It is a time of hope, a time to believe in yourself, a time to dare. While here you have learned the fundamentals. Now is your time to be curious, be enthusiastic, be tenacious and be engaged. It is a time in your life where the word “impossible” doesn’t exist, a time to reach for the sky. The world of food is huge and even if you decide to leave the stove for another area of the food world — marketing, food distribution, food writing — what you have learned at ICE in terms of discipline, organization and communication will stay with you forever and you will always use your cooking talents at home."

Congratulations, again, to all graduates. View our full recap video below.

To our graduates at our New York campus, your photos are now live on our Facebook page for your viewing pleasure! Feel free to tag yourself and download. Congratulations!

Video shot and produced by Kathryn M. Sheldon.