The Ultimate Birthday Cake Techniques
Chef Penny has more than 15 years of professional pastry experience. After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education and working at Spice Market, she opened custom cake bakery Sugar Couture
Claudia Fleming's Road Back to Union Square Hospitality Group
Claudia Fleming’s winding food road, from over-the-top pastries in the '80s and '90s to writing her second cookbook in a Long Island cottage, has landed her back where it all began with Union Square
A Pastry Chef's Guide to Working with Flowers
Take a look around you right now. There are flowers everywhere: on phone cases, t-shirts, notebooks, water bottles, pencils. Maybe you have some on your desk or in your window. How about your food
Meet Chef Sohrob Esmaili
California-native Sohrob Esmaili had a penchant for cuisine from a young age. “I was really into baking and cooking as a teen, and I would bring things I prepared at home to school,” Chef Sohrob says
How is Flour Made?
Firstly, let's identify what flour is. It’s amazing to me how many people have no idea how to make flour or where it comes from. Types of Wheat There are six classes of wheat — within which are around
Chocolate Classes Return to ICE's Bean-to-Bar Lab
The Chocolate Lab’s origin story dates back nearly nine years when ICE began to outgrow its New York campus on West 23rd Street. The initial seed of an idea — perhaps carving out a small corner of a
Cacao vs Coffee
Long before I developed a passion for working with chocolate, I began fostering a love for coffee. I don’t exactly recall the occasion of my first pre-teen taste of coffee, but it subconsciously
ICE Pastry Students and Alumni Collaborate to Elevate the AAPI Community
In mid-March, Arnold Byun, founder of With Warm Welcome (WWW), approached me with the idea of doing a Bakers Box after being inspired by the efforts of Bakers Against Racism last year. As an avid
Pâte à Choux's Potential
As a chef who is obsessive about technique, I’m enthralled by these types of recipes that seem to have endless variations and uses. By having a solid pâte à choux pastry recipe in your tool kit, you
Going Nuts for Gianduja
Every once in a while, a technique or a preparation will inspire me to reflect on some of the philosophical aspects of cooking. If I were to reduce the act of cooking down to the simplest of concepts
Popcorn Choux Pastry
Years ago, while working as the pastry chef at Le Bernardin, I began giving serious thought to the role of nostalgia and the sense of memories tied to taste. I still enjoy finding playful yet subtle
Behind the Product Development Process
I was grateful to have my former chef-instructor from ICE's Pastry & Baking Arts program, Penny Stankiewicz, share some wisdom about the process. “With recipe testing, the first thing I do is research