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NEW YORK, NY — The Institute of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Education (ICE®), along with several of its chef-instructors and graduates, is being honored by some of the culinary world's leading organizations and publications this spring.

ICE® was named "Avocational Cooking School of the Year" by the International Association of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Professionals (IACP). The award was announced in Montreal on April 12 in conjunction with the group's 25th annual international conference. Additionally, ICE® instructor Richard Ruben was selected as the 2003 "Cooking Teacher of the Year" by the IACP. The awards were determined by majority vote of members, a group of over 3,800 food professionals from 35 countries.

This coming June, Pastry Art & Design will announce its annual list of America's ten best pastry chefs. On the list is Nicole Kaplan, a 1997 graduate of ICE®'s career program. Nicole has been Executive Pastry Chef at New York City's Eleven Madison Park since 1999; prior to attending ICE®, Kaplan was a professional flutist. Pastry Art & Design will make its formal presentation June 12 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

In May, the James Beard Foundation will be hosting its 13th annual awards ceremony. This year's nominations include:
• ICE® graduate Gina DePalma of restaurant Babbo for the All-Clad Bakeware Outstanding Pastry Chef Award;
• ICE® graduates Greta Anthony and Mark Ski, producers of Martha Stewart Living TV, for Best Television Segment Award: National or Local;
• ICE® Chef-Instructor Micol Negrin for her new book Rustico: Regional Italian Country Cooking in the category Best Mediterranean Cookbook.

Winners will be announced on May 2 (Journalism) and May 5 (Chefs & Restaurants and Broadcast) in New York.

Following the May 5 awards ceremony will be a reception attended by culinary luminaries from around the nation. This year, for the first time, two schools — ICE® and FCI — have been invited to cook for the reception. ICE® will be serving two dishes: short ribs "Wellington" with black truffles, and chocolate-raspberry James Beard birthday cake. Also in conjunction with the awards, ICE® is hosting a panel discussion at the school on May 5, 10:30-noon. The topic is "Remembering James Beard," coinciding with Beard's 100th birthday. Moderator for the event is New York Times Chief Correspondent R.W. Apple, Jr., and panelists include Marion Cunningham, Judith Jones, Ruth Reichl and Caroline Stuart.

About ICE

The Institute of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Education (ICE®) is New York City's award-winning center for culinary education. Founded in 1975 by Peter Kump, the school offers highly regarded 8- to 12-month career training programs in ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Management and Hospitality Management. With an intensive curriculum, dedicated Chef Instructors, a strong record in externship placements and a clear entrepreneurial focus, ICE is widely regarded as a great pathway to begin or continue a culinary career. ICE also runs the largest program of hands-on recreational cooking classes and wine education courses in the country, with more than 26,000 enthusiasts taking any of the 1,500 classes offered each year. In 2008, ICE was named the International Association of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Professionals' (IACP) ¹ú²ú¸£Àû School of the Year and a School of Distinction by the ACCSCT in 2006. ICE's 42,000 square-foot facility is open seven days and nights a week, 350 days a year and is located at 50 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. More information can be found at www.iceculinary.com.