Love What You Do!

Judging olive oil

Last month in conjunction with The Olive Oil Times and Fairway Markets, The New York International Olive Oil Competition was held at The International Culinary Center. Over 800 oils worldwide were submitted. The judges came from Chile, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Spain,Turkey, Tunisia and the United States, with the ultimate olive oil maestro, Italy’s Dr. Gino Celletti, Chairman of the Monocultivar Olive Oil Council, presiding. Some astounding statistics were:

1. Over 50% of the oils were tainted and thus disqualified.
2. Over 25%  were not virgin olive oil!
3. The US is now the third largest consumer of olive oil in the world, after Italy and Spain.

Some other points and details regarding the competition:

653 samples from around the world, 75 from the Southern Hemisphere

261 medals conferred- 16 Best of Class, 146 Gold, 99 Silver

Our panel had to eliminate 379 defective oils which in majority had muddy sediment and were rancid.

You can find the winners here. They are truly artisan and worth it. And I am proud to say that 33 American olive oils won medals.  You can find them at Fairway (if available).

It’s that NYCE time of year again. This past weekend, May 4th and 5th, we once again hosted with New York Magazine the Fifth Annual New York Culinary Experience. This is a one of kind food fest where you get to do hands on classes with the world’s master chefs. More than half of our attendees are repeat students. And more than 80% come from hundreds if not thousands of miles away. This year we had attendees that flew in from Hawaii and the Philippines!

Jacques Torres & Ron Ben-Israel

Michael Lomonaco, Marc Forgione

Morimoto

Dan Barber, Daniel Rose

A very good time was had by all. You can’t believe the camaraderie and spirit. Some very formidable attendees went from their gastronomic adventure here to Bouley restaurant Saturday night for a meal of a decade. Good fun was had by all…as these pictures can attest. Hope we see you next year. And book early, we had a waiting list this year!

April Bloomfield, Matthew Lightner

Michael Psilakis

Christina Tosi

Seamus Mullen

Michael Anthony, Marc Murphy, Paul Liebrandt

Carnegie Hall, April 28, 2013

The International Culinary Center held its graduation ceremony at Carnegie Hall for the very first time on April 28th, 2013. We were honored to have Thomas Keller as our commencement speaker, and sharing the stage and hall with our graduates were our 2012 Outstanding Alumni, and our Deans, faculty, staff, family and friends. It was a day to remember. Truly amazing and inspiring. I’d like to share with you my welcome speech along with some photos of a graduation we won’t soon forget.

Well, graduates, I am as excited as you are today.  Wow, on the stage at Carnegie Hall.  How did we all get here?  I did some serious reflecting on this momentous occasion and I realize that it hasn’t just been our own achievements that got us here.

I am the granddaughter of a lobster fisherman from Nova Scotia and a shepherdess from Slovakia. A second-generation American.  It took those earlier generations to get me to this iconic stage in New York City. I had loving and inspirational parents. I was embraced and supported by my siblings.  And look around me on this stage and see the incredible team of The International Culinary Center. I have had the great fortune of working with the most gifted, talented and accomplished professionals. They have nurtured thousands of alumnae who have made our reputation soar. It is all of them who got me here today.  I stand on their shoulders and thank them from the bottom of my heart. Likewise I am so proud of all of you today.

Most of you have sacrificed, worked hard and most importantly believed in yourself to be here today.  That already is a key to success.  At commencement we are suppose to give advice.  Well, if I can give you a word of advice it is ….never to stop learning and never give up your dreams.  Life is fraught with challenges and setbacks but if you focus, if you believe in yourself and take that step forward even if it is just one step at a time, you can go the distance. You have chosen a noble profession.  To feed and nourish the world is essential.  Our food and wine world is filled with challenge, inspiration, hard work and camaraderie.

Some of our graduates with Dorothy

I recently graduated myself from the OPM program at Harvard Business School and was chosen to give the speech that day. My classmates were from all over the world.  While there, I thought to myself how  serious the cultural clashes are in the world today. But in the halls of education we have an oasis.   We have a sacred place where people come to learn, understand, trust and grow.   In our food community the baseline of trust and understanding is even greater.  I have never seen two chefs from two very diverse cultures be anything but be intrigued by each other.  They look forward to cooking and sharing a meal together.  They toast and share a glass and almost always have true appreciation for each other’s work and culture. Call me naïve, but I do think our lives as chefs and hospitality professionals place us in a unique position.  We are nurturers by trade,  but by feeding the body, we touch the soul… and in our own quiet way are enablers of peace and understanding. We hold a position of trust.   In your busy lives, please don’t forget that.

We are thrilled to hold our ceremony with our Deans, Faculty and Staff.  With your beautiful family and friends. You, like I, owe our success and the fulfillment of our dreams to them.   Remember to hug them and thank them.

In closing I have to tell you that I am a Yankee fan.  And I think for the first time, there is a quote from the famed Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra that actually applies just to us.  He said,” If you ever see a fork in the road, take it!”  I hope you have many, many forks in your road. Thank you.

L: Thomas Keller, R: Dorothy, Dean Jacques Pepin, Thomas Keller, Dean Cesare Casella

Culinary VP Candy Argondizza and Deans Jose Andres, Alan Richman, Alain Sailhac, Jacques Torres, Jacques Pepin, Emily Luchetti, Cesare Casella, Andre Soltner backstage

Some of our wonderful faculty backstage at Carnegie Hall

Chris Cosentino

Am I speaking Filipino? No, actually it’s Japanese, a la Chef Chris Cosentino. I had the privileged delight of eating at Incanto last week while I attended the IACP Conference in San Francisco. Chris is the wildly talented chef/owner of this restaurant and holds offal (innards), dear to his heart.

Mino Crudo

The menu is an adventure. The above mentioned and pictured mino is actually a lining between the two stomachs of a cow. It is a delicacy that Chris experienced in Japan, which he learned could be imported to the U.S. It’s a tripe that doesn’t touch food since it isn’t in the stomach per se. It is thinner and more delicate and thus able to be served crudo or raw. He seasoned it superbly with sesame oil, green onion and a touch of chile (I think!). Doesn’t sound it, but it was yummy! He also brought out another Japanese surprise, dried tuna heart. Yes, you heard right, tuna heart. He grated it over some scrumptious, delicate pasta. It was reminiscent of bottarga but more earthy.

Dried Tuna Heart

Our good friend, Harpreet, who shared this dining adventure with us, brought along a 100-point Pinot Noir, Kosta Browne. I will tell you, it was an evening I will never forget! If you are a foodie, Incanto has to be on your bucket list.

I want to thank the International Association of Culinary Professionals for awarding me their  “Entrepreneur/Businessperson of the Year”. I must broadcast from the top of the Transamerica tower (the ceremony took place in San Francisco) that this award is truly to be shared with the staff of The International Culinary Center. I am lucky to stand on the shoulders of 300 educational professionals who cherish our students and alumnae.

I was the lucky one to high five Thomas Keller, chat with Alice Waters and hang out Marcus Samuelsson, Anne Willan and even our alums, Liz Gutman and Jen King, founders of Liddabit Sweets.

What a night! Thank you again IACP.

Believe or not there is a difference. Years ago we tested our staff and students using an analytical tool called The Predictive Index. The index was uncanny in what personality traits it uncovered. We had our Deans take the test as well. We were looking for a student with the same DNA as Jacques Pepin. Well, we didn’t find a budding Jacques but we did catalogue the personality differences.

Actually the differences are pretty logical. To make a vast generalization, pastry chefs are very precise and analytical while culinary chefs are more reactive and instinctive. Think about it. A pastry chef has to measure and check, if even the pinch of salt is left out of the pastry crust, there is no point of correction once it is in the oven. Likewise, for a culinary chef every day presents a different challenge. Every product from the variable marbling of beef to the sweetness of a tomato takes a palate and adjustment to cooking techniques to compensate.

We find in our student profiles that people in culinary come from backgrounds such as real estate, military, teachers and wall street professionals. Pastry people are architects, interior designers, a former Miss Venezuela and medical workers-including a large proportion of former dentists!

If you are interested in becoming a chef, don’t hesitate….please speak with one of our admissions counselors if you want help in determining which DNA runs through your veins. You don’t have to have one of those a previous professions to attend the ICC. Just bring your passion! And we will help you love what you do.