A Month of ICE Alumni Success

It’s striking to see, in the past month, just a sliver of what our graduates—both newly minted, as well as seasoned alumni—are up to.

Many established chefs have been taking the food world by storm as they continue to build their restaurant empires or attract national press attention to their restaurants. For starters, Marc Murphy (Culinary ’90), Chopped judge and chef/owner of several restaurants, including Landmarc Tribeca, Landmarc Time Warner, and Ditch Plains, just added Kingside to his growing restaurant group. Located in the new Viceroy New York Hotel, Marc, in partnership with the Gerber Group, is bringing his signature downtown cuisine to midtown.

Meanwhile Miguel Trinidad (Culinary '07), Executive Chef of both Maharlika and Jeepney (which garnered a Time Out New York Award for "Best Seafood dish of 2013") has added Golden Cadillac, a new cocktail-focused lounge, to the collection of restaurant menus he oversees. Diverging from the modern Filipino cuisine for which he’s received critical acclaim, Golden Cadillac’s menu inspiration comes from vintage Gourmet magazine dishes from the 1970’s. 

This fall, the food press was flooded with ICE alumni mentions. Ann Redding (Culinary '02), co-chef/owner of the buzz-worthy new restaurant Uncle Boon's, snagged a Time Out New York "Top 10 Dishes & Drinks in NYC" distinction for the restaurant's khao soi kaa kai dish, and was also given a shout-out in the "Best Asian" category. Over on the West Coast, Seattle chef Rachel Yang’s restaurant Joule, was selected by Bon Appetit, as one of the "10 Best New Restaurants of 2013." And front-of-house professionals were not left out either. Juliette Pope (Culinary '94), Beverage Director of Gramercy Tavern, was lauded by The New York Times for her wine program, naming it one of the "12 Best Restaurants in NYC for Wine."

Each ICE graduate defines her or her own success. For some, this past month brought the realization of long-held plans to open their first business. Scott Edwards (Culinary '04), whose resume includes time at Veritas, Oceana, and 3-Michelin star Oud Sluis in the Netherlands, is now Chef and Co-owner of Open Kitchen Events, a catering business based in NYC. On the sweet side of things, Treva Chadwell (Culinary '08), launched BeeHive Oven, shipping the company's addictive buttermilk and pumpkin biscuits nationwide. 

Exciting ICE alumni news wasn’t limited to the restaurant set—this month also marked the release of two grads' new cookbooks. Sarah Copeland (Culinary '02), Food Director of Real Simple magazine, published her latest cookbook, Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for Any Eater and Every Appetite. Rick Mast (Management '06), along with his brother/partner, Michael, are out with their first book, Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook. As owners of Mast Brothers Chocolate, their artisan bean-to-bar company supplies their carefully sourced chocolates to chefs such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Humm, Alice Waters, and Alain Ducasse, as well as chocolate connoisseurs around the world. 

And lest we forget our Hospitality Management alumni, the most recent graduating class of 2013 has landed in a range of exciting new careers. Jeremy Shikhman (Hospitality '13) was hired out of his externship at Club Med's Sandpiper resort in Florida. He began as an Assistant Restaurant General Manager and is now moving into reception. Victoria Schaetzle (Hospitality '13) is now general manager of Picnic, a new restaurant featuring contemporary takes on American classics in the East Village. Carol Arciniegas has been hired by Great Performances as venue manager for its Sotheby's event space. And finally, Valarie Beckford was hired out of her externship at The New York Palace Hotel as a Catering, Meetings & Events Coordinator after the luxury property completed its $140 million renovation.   Congratulations to all our graduates from throughout the decades, as they realize their culinary dreams and career aspirations! We can’t wait to see the successes that next month will bring…