From Modeling for Vogue to Pastry at Spago
Erin Gruber was genuinely captivated by the prospect of working with pastries in eighth grade, when her classmates were enticed by desserts during a mentorship program at a bakery. While the notion of
ICE Alum Becomes Sous Chef at Jon & Vinny’s
Sam loved cooking from a young age. A native Angeleno and an explorer of all cuisines, he describes that some of his favorite childhood memories took place around his family’s dinner table. With an
ICE Alum Pursues Third Diploma
Aviv On began working at his parents’ kosher catering business, Bazilikum (Hebrew for “basil”), during his senior year at Beverly Hills High School. At 17 years old, working in the kitchen was simply
Meet Chef Alon Langleib
After serving in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) from age 18 to 22, Alon evaluated his strengths and weakness with his brother to determine a course of study and career trajectory. "I breathe food. I
ICE Alum Divides Her Time Between Two of Orange County’s Hottest Restaurants
Tanya thrives off of a busy schedule. Leaving behind a demanding corporate job as a manager to pursue a lifelong passion by attending culinary school, Tanya has proven that she can excel at anything
Meet Chef Norma Salazar
There is no (sugar-filled) challenge too great for Pastry & Baking Arts Chef-Instructor Norma Salazar. Case in point: Prior to joining ICE, the classically trained, foundationally French chef was
Meet Chef Natsume Aoi
Chef Natsume is a classically trained pianist and music composer. She inherited her family's love of food growing up and pursued a career in music before she got burnt out and disillusioned, and the
ICE Alum Combines Management and Pastry Training for Chocolate Company
Joshua McCain (Management, ‘18/Pastry, ‘21) didn’t always love to cook. At first, he simply made food to help his family. As the oldest of four children to a single mother, Joshua was often
David Schneider's Path to Portale
From a young age, food was a major influence for David Schneider (Culinary, ‘02). “I grew up in a family of foodies,” David says. “In Huntsville, Alabama, there weren’t a tremendous number of great
Veterans Become Culinarians at ICE
In July 2020, Alex Clark, Kenji Alexander Chang and Patrick Claytor put on their chef whites to begin their post-military journeys at ICE. From F-16s to Food Trucks Alex Clark grew up in New York City
ICE Alum Pivots Paella Experience to Private Catering
Although Genna has found her true calling in the culinary industry, she admits it didn’t come to her immediately. "Right after high school, I went to art school in San Francisco, and I quickly learned
Meet Chef Stephen Chavez
The first thing Chef Stephen Chavez remembers baking, with his mother’s help, was a pineapple upside-down cake that he discovered flipping through the pages of an issue of the children’s magazine,