Ashley Day

José Avillez's Red Shrimp Recipe

aday — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 21:31:37 +0000

José Avillez's Red Shrimp Recipe aday Mon, 11/16/2020 - 16:31 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/red%20shrimp%20header.jpg.webp?itok=R-cEfJ12 Photo by BoaOnda Lisbon's leading chef demonstrated the signature dish for ICE students and alumni on YouTube Live. November 19, 2020

By Ashley Day

ICE's former Content Director, Ashley Day has also managed USA TODAY's food section and covered food and travel for The Daily Meal, Rand McNally and Hungry? City Guides. Ashley went from taste-testing frozen pizzas at the Good Housekeeping Institute to braving exotic game meat for Field & Stream, then making ramen with Morimoto and rolling sushi with Nobu for USA TODAY Eats.

The chef of Lisbon's first two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Belcanto, shared his approach to showcasing Portugal's cuisine.

José Avillez advised the importance of understanding ingredients, techniques, Portuguese culture and classic French cuisine before creating and imparting one's identity to the cuisine.

His signature shrimp and its head with rosemary "ashes" is inspired by the traditional way to cook locally caught seafood over charcoal in Portugal, and the chef said local ingredients are so vital to the cuisine that he was arrested in Canada and Brazil trying to fly with Portuguese products. Today, he sends three flights a week to deliver ingredients from Portugal to his restaurant in Dubai.

"Even the water makes a difference," he said of the giant red shrimp, called carabineiro, from the Atlantic. "You have the sweetness, saltiness, all this umami flavor to transport you to the Portuguese seas."

"There are a few ingredients and products that we almost don’t touch, and we only cook them to perfection with some special seasonings to promote the flavor to make us travel to certain times of our childhood, and this dish is all about that," he mused while showing us the shrimp body and head that have to be delicately prepared after a day of blending and smoking the rosemary powder. "It’s about amazing Portuguese ingredients with what I think is a perfect cooking technique with these ashes that bring all this flavor from the charcoal that we are used to since we were kids from grilling seafood, fish, even from our grilled chicken piri piri. It’s that smokiness that you bring here."

Watch the recording of the complete three-dish demo and get the recipe below.

Grilled Giant Red Shrimp with Rosemary Ashes

Yields 4 servings

Giant Red Shrimp and Giant Red Shrimp Butter

Ingredients

4 un. giant red shrimp
2 giant red shrimp heads
Unsalted butter (pomade), as needed
Salt, as needed

Directions

With a knife, separate the head from the body of each red shrimp.
Peel the shrimp and use tweezers to remove the vein.
Keep the meat in the fridge, in a lined tray, covered with absorbent paper.
Scoop out the heads and keep the content in the fridge, in a lined tray, covered with absorbent paper.
Scoop out the two other heads, blend the content with a hand blender and sieve through a fine-mesh sieve.
Weigh and add equal amount of unsalted butter (at room temperature).
Set aside in the fridge.

Ashes

500 milliliters water
125 carolino rice (native short grain variety low in amylose)
15 grams cuttlefish ink
250 milliliters peanut oil
Sea salt, as needed
Maltodextrin, as needed

Directions

Cook the rice in unsalted water in a medium-sized saucepan, uncovered, over low heat, for 2 hours.
Add the cuttlefish ink, combine, and cook for 20 minutes.
Drain the rice through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the liquid, and mash the rice in a food processor.
Lay the rice on an oven tray lined with Silpat and keep it in the food warmer to 70 C until completely dehydrated.
Break into regular pieces.
Fry the pieces of dehydrated rice in hot peanut oil (200 C) for 5 minutes until puffed.
Take out of the warmer, let drain in a tray well lined with absorbent paper and try to absorb as much grease as possible.
Grind the fried rice pieces in a processor at medium speed until left with a powder.
Add smoked salt and maltodextrin as needed.
Set aside in the warmer or at room temperature.

Rosemary

Ingredients

4 twigs fresh rosemary

Directions

Break the rosemary twigs to match the giant red shrimp in length.

To Finish

Ingredients

1 head giant red shrimp
1 rosemary twig
1 giant red shrimp
1 teaspoon giant red shrimp butter
Virgin olive oil, as needed

Sear both sides of the head in a very hot nonstick frying pan with a dash of olive oil.
Lay the giant red shrimp in a stainless-steel tray or plate, pour a dash of olive oil over it and top with the rosemary twig.
Finish cooking (on both sides) in the salamander.

Plating

Ingredients

1 head giant red shrimp
1 giant red shrimp
1 teaspoon giant red shrimp butter
2 teaspoons rosemary ashes
Smoked fleur de sel, as needed

Directions

Lay the giant shrimp and its head on the center of the plate.
Season the giant red shrimp with smoked fleur de sel.
Pour 1 tsp of giant red shrimp butter over the giant red shrimp.
Spread the ashes over the shrimp.
Serve immediately.

Watch more Elite Chef demos on YouTube @iceculinary.

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�� Career Advice from Rick Bayless

aday — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 17:21:10 +0000

�� Career Advice from Rick Bayless aday Tue, 09/15/2020 - 13:21 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Frontera%20Grill%20header%20GALDONES%20PHOTOGRAPHY%20312.jpg.webp?itok=SCYs9AAG Frontera Grill interior photo by Galdones Photography Insights from the Chicago chef and restaurateur's virtual appearance at ICE. September 15, 2020

By Ashley Day

The James Beard Foundation named him Humanitarian of the Year in 2007. He won the first season of “Top Chef Masters” in 2012. Eater called him the most interesting man in the world in 2014, and Bon Appetit called him the unofficial mayor of Chicago in 2015.

Chef Rick grew up with an appreciation for regional specialties because his father specialized in Oklahoma barbecue, and he developed expertise in regional Mexican cuisines after relocating to the country for five years to write a cookbook on the topic. He opened Frontera Grill based on that cookbook in 1987 and has expanded to four restaurants on Clark Street throughout 30 years of acclaim, awards and food media appearances, including seven James Beard Awards, nine cookbooks and four Emmy nominations for his PBS series “Mexico – One Plate at a Time,” which is in its 12th season.

Here are Rick Bayless’ top tips for aspiring culinary professionals from more than three decades of success.

Rick Bayless photo by Galdones Photography

Keep an Open Mind

My motivation for writing a cookbook on regional Mexican cooking was to help show people that the kind of food we call Mexican in the U.S. isn’t really Mexican food, it’s Mexican-American food. And the food that they eat in Mexico, I wanted to show people was more diverse and really, really wonderful. But the only way I could do that was to support myself by being a consultant in a chain of Mexican-American restaurants that had 27 ingredients in the kitchen and I couldn’t add anything else, and I had to make everything from wet burritos to crispy, fried shell tacos, but I did it because they paid me enough to do the other project that I wanted to do. The thing that I learned in all that because I kept an open mind – it was a little hard from time to time – but it taught me a whole lot about how to run a really good restaurant. They had all the systems down.

Build a Solid Foundation

I worked super hard on that opening menu of Frontera to make sure that it: No. 1 reflected Mexico really well. No. 2 would be dishes that our clientele here, which wasn’t mostly Mexican at the beginning, that they would resonate with in some way, and not be put off by, and were absolutely rock solid in their preparations. After 30 years we still have eight dishes on the menu from that original menu. That’s a huge recommendation on my part: Your opening menu should not be a work in progress. It should be absolutely stuff that you think could be bedrock for you then to grow from and add more stuff to. Get something rock solid to start with because that’s what everyone’s going to know you as. I think that’s been part of our success that I built a good, solid foundation. Then the second thing that’s really important is to constantly change your menu. For us it was really important to build this constant changing thing so that we could stay engaged.

Learn the Technique. Respect the Tradition.

When you make a real cochinita pibil, and you do it just like they do in Mexico. It’s a real small pig that’s marinated in achiote and then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly traditionally in a wood-fired pit but in most people’s homes it will go in the oven. And then you make all of their accompaniments to go with it exactly right, which most people will tell you that you have to tone it down for the American palate, and then to me you’ve compromised the dish in a way that is not representative of Mexico, and it’s not that good. You have to have all the parts. You have to have the right pickled onions and the right habanero sauce, which can make certain people cry – it made me cry the first time I had it, too. It’s hot but it’s so incredibly flavorful, and if you make it in the traditional way, which is three ingredients treated right, then you’re going to have the most amazing dish. But if you don’t learn the technique and respect the tradition, it’s not going to be a great dish. We do it all right. We get the pigs from a local farmer, all of that.

Build a foundation with a Restaurant & �� Management diploma.

Introduce Something Unknown

I have such clarity that I want to represent Mexico really well so if we have a fine dining concept and we have a mid-place concept then I say, what would quick-service be like? And that’s when we opened Xoco. Anything that is inspiring to me in Mexico, I’m inspired to bring back to the U.S. That’s why we spun off from our Xoco place, which really focuses on tortas and caldos, the meal-in-a-bowl soups, and fresh churros. We made a little version of that to do at the airport because we thought it would work out there, and it did so incredibly well. The most successful concept that the airport has ever seen. Who knew that you could do something with Mexican sandwiches? Everybody knows sandwiches, but nobody knows Mexican sandwiches, and they’re not even called sandwiches, they’re called tortas. We decided to do that because everyone and their dog is doing a taqueria now, so I wanted to bring something that’s not known from Mexico.

Get to Know Yourself

You have to know yourself really well, and I don’t think that that happens the second you start out. It’s always that test by fire and you find out who you really are and what you’re really made out of when you go into business. The clearer you can become on what motivates you and what feels like it’s your thing, what’s expressing in food what you want to express, then do it, but it takes some time to get to know that.

I’m a guy who has never ordered a delivery pizza in my life. If I’m going to eat something I want it fresh out of the oven. I’m such a hospitality guy that putting food in a bag, stapling it shut, setting it on a wire shelf and letting somebody come to the other side and take it off – there’s no hospitality there. I like to see people enjoy my food. That was the hardest thing in the world for me to be stuck doing all takeout. I didn’t get any of the feedback I’m used to getting.

Enchiladas at Frontera Grill

Know Your Mission

I didn’t get into this because I had a business concept, I did this because I was passionate about Mexico and its cuisine, but you’ve got to manage the finances so that you can do the art. If you go out of business, you can’t do the art. I wanted to run our restaurants well but not sacrifice everything to make money.

I’m always open to thinking about everything, but I think first and foremost: How will this further our mission? Right now, we don’t have anything going at the airport, and there are people who would plan their layovers in Chicago to get tortas there. For some people that was all they knew about our cuisine: what they got from Tortas Frontera at the airport. Thinking about what we could do to give that some life again, we thought about the ghost kitchen.

There’s this place that’s not far from our restaurants that’s ghost kitchens for people. You can have your own unique concept or a brick and mortar someplace else. Now we can say you can get this food that you loved at the airport, and you don’t have to go to the airport to get it anymore [because online ordering for delivery or pickup is now available]. I try to imagine when I think about what the new possible concept is, how would we look doing that concept? What would make it a Frontera concept? Does it really fit?

Tell Your Story

The hardest thing that we have to do as chefs is to be able to talk to our guests. We express ourselves through our food but there’s a story in every single plate. In the past we’ve had an amazing education for our front of house staff at Frontera to educate the staff on the story behind the dish. They could communicate some of that to our guests, but there is no one better than you as the chef to communicate that. That’s why I always write books because it gives me the opportunity to tell the story behind the dish and help them understand what my inspiration is. I think it’s really important to do that. It’s also really good practice to concisely tell your story and the story of the dishes. Whether it’s cooking demonstrations or guest spots on the lunchtime news in your town, do it. I never said no to anything, I would do it all because I knew it would really give me the practice I needed. The more you talk and tell your story the more comfortable you are with it. It’s always great to have a cookbook and a bunch of TV appearances, but make sure that they really express who you are.

See upcoming guest chefs and culinary experts speaking online, and start your future in food at ICE.

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Marcus Samuelsson on His Most Important Work Ever

aday — Fri, 08 May 2020 00:22:23 +0000

Marcus Samuelsson on His Most Important Work Ever aday Thu, 05/07/2020 - 20:22 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Marcus%20WCK%20work%20header%20credit%20Sebastian%20Lindstrom.jpg.webp?itok=GrFgcI2n The Red Rooster chef and restaurateur reflects on his culinary career, community, culture and impact. May 8, 2020

By Ashley Day

"I miss my community, I miss the guests. I miss creating food. I miss the cooks. I miss arguing back and forth with chefs, like 'how are we going to do this next dish?' 'What’s going to be on the menu for spring?' All of that: what it means to be part of the hospitality community. The giving part, the way Red Rooster’s built between music, food, menus, storytelling. I just miss it."

Eight weeks into New York City's shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chef Marcus Samuelsson took a break from packing thousands of meals for the daily line outside Red Rooster to inspire ICE culinary students on Instagram Live.

The chef of 12 restaurants around the world, author of seven books, star of "No Passport Required," and judge on "Chopped" began cooking with his grandmother after school in Sweden before traveling and cooking in Japan, Switzerland and France between ages 18 and 21. "That really transformed my life," he said. "This was a field that I could be part of. I didn’t exactly know where or how or what. Food and the making of food was something that I was deeply connected to."

Marcus studied at the �� Institute in Gothenburg and began his career at Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken, Switzerland, working in the garden and then all the stations with a French and German-speaking kitchen, before sharpening his skills in France.

"A chef told me that I had to lower my ambitions because I wanted to own a place one day. He said there is no black chef in the world that has the ambition that you have. You can work in a restaurant kitchen but you can’t own one," Marcus relayed. "I didn’t know how to take that, it’s obviously very, very disappointing and challenging as a kid, but my parents were the ones who said, 'You should go to America. You should go to New York.' So the experience of diversity that America is still working through was better here at that time than anywhere else. Those experiences wouldn’t have happened unless I would have been born in Africa, unless I would have been an immigrant. For any student now, you may go through obstacles now whether it be financial or language-wise, whatever, but once you overcome that it can also be one of the things that is very much yours and it can be something that you can add on to."

Of course, he did, after making a name for himself at Aquavit in Manhattan. "Through 9/11, I cooked in Midtown at a very high-end restaurant, but I was looking for a home. Not so much as a restaurant but a community, I didn’t know my neighbors and I wasn’t engaged in Midtown. It was a great place for clients but not necessarily for me to live. I decided to move to Harlem," he explained.

"Red Rooster is a reflection of many years of searching. I met amazing people here and the community guided me and really informed me of what Harlem was in terms of culture. And then I started to see cooking on a different level: The food was in the parks. Great food was at an after-church program, not so much from high-end restaurants. That all informed me to open Red Rooster in 2010, creating a space that was in the community built of the community. Ever since that, 180 of us have been working on it, and we have 70 musicians on top of that. It’s a very layered experience, and we can’t wait to come back fully to the Red Rooster as people know us."

That's because the restaurant converted to a community kitchen in partnership with World Central Kitchen (WCK) in early March, thanks to its connections. "What does it mean to be a chef? It means to engage people, whether it’s purveyors, whether it’s staff, whether it’s the customer base. You’ve gotta create a place that’s of desire, that’s sticky and delicious. I’m lucky enough to know dishwashers, cooks, servers, but also a lot of wealthy people. And I know Jose Andres," Marcus said of the WCK founder and fellow humanitarian chef. "We were up within a week in Harlem and then in Newark. Together we have great partners in Newark, like Audible. The CEO asked how they could help out and raised over $1 million so restaurants in Newark could come back. As a chef, it’s about looking through your contacts and figuring out how to get the infrastructure of hospitality back. Us serving 42,000 meals gets cooks back to work. The farmers now have an infrastructure to send to us so we can get back to work as soon as we can."

His teams here and in Miami are preparing and distributing thousands of meals a week for takeout and delivery. "The regulars now might be a blend between first responders, people who lost their jobs, some are homeless, all of them are in deep need of Red Rooster being open," Marcus said. "We’re probably doing the most important work that we’ve ever done. I couldn’t do it without this incredible staff. It’s not an easy environment for the hospitality industry at all, but I admire — the heroes for me have been — my staff right now."

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A post shared by Marcus Samuelsson (@marcuscooks) on May 5, 2020 at 4:20pm PDT

As for getting involved, Marcus advised students: "You can help out, volunteering and engaging. It’s not always about needing a check. You can help with anything from technology skills to marketing skills. Just being a young person, there are so many different ways you can help out. Reach out to that local cafe that’s struggling to stay open, say, 'Hey I have a couple of hours a day, how can I assist you?' Being home does not mean that you don’t have work ethic or that you don’t have a skill set to offer."

He advocates culinary school for structure and is optimistic about the next generation of chefs. "Going to a very designed program like at ICE, I think it’s a great choice because it’s in a very urban, active area like New York City so you have access to your internship at great restaurants and you can volunteer on weekends. A quick, smart, targeted program is ideal because there are some things in school that you can just learn about in school. And it’s a very unique moment: When you’re in school you’re with other students that you can share ideas with. Once you’re out in the open market, your hours matter. You’re costing someone money. So that open book is not going to be the same."

Marcus remarked that the restaurants that opened in New York after 9/11 had a new way of connecting with clients, and he expects a new wave. "It’s not a bad time to be in school to learn the traditional skill set and come out at this pivotal moment. How exciting for a student to come out in the birth of that."

Photo by Angela Bankhead, MSG

The globally influenced chef recommends learning through travel, too. "As a chef, you are inspired by where you go, how you live your life and where you come from," he said. "I’ve been lucky enough to cook from Australia to Brazil to London, Sweden, America, Asia, Southeast Asia. Travel has changed me, formed me and transformed me. Any young cook that wants to get in the field, when things go back to normal, travel. Traveling online is one experience, but nothing beats do. I remember the first day when I was a teenager and I walked into that kitchen in Japan. That is different than just seeing it online: It smells different, the way you communicate is different, the way you understand umami is different. There’s a real experience. The way you connect with your eyes when you don’t speak the same language. You learn so much."

More recently, Marcus traveled around America for the first two seasons of his PBS show, "No Passport Required." On taking time away from his dozen restaurants to film, he said "storytelling in food is very important. Being an immigrant, being somebody who can relate to these various cultures’ challenging times right now. When you’ve been fortunate enough to do something that you love so much, you should share those stories."

When asked how he has time to cook among all his professional endeavors (which include virtual cooking classes for his son's school during the shutdown), Marcus explained, "cooking is a creative muscle for me that needs to be stimulated and activated. I love working with my cooks because they kick my butt if I don’t stay on top of it. It’s like sports, you have to have somebody to practice with that is hungry that pushes you. I have a very exciting team that is ambitious and diverse and enjoys the industry. To me, people that work in hospitality are the best people in the world. It’s a very difficult time right now, but we’re going to get through this, and I can’t wait to do it with the people that I worked with before."

When viewers expressed their ambitions to work for Marcus one day, we asked what he looks for when hiring: "Desire and passion around food," he emphasized. "Everything else you can teach. You can teach pure cooking skills, you can teach how to do something. There are going to be times when you question the why on cooking, and you’ve gotta have a deep love for food, people, process and craftsmanship. Be curious about craftmanship."

Marcus' desire, passion and curiosity have led him from 10 years of success with what's become a Harlem landmark to concepts in London, Montreal and the Caribbean, a food festival celebrating his community, and the opportunity to fight food insecurity in three cities.

"I feel blessed to have been in cooking for such a long time. I’m more curious about food today than when I started. Anyone who can have a job for over 25 years and be more excited, that means that you’re in a good field. Even in this tough, challenging, super difficult time. And there are some great things that are coming out of this. The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) came out of this. I wish that we would have thought of that earlier, but I see more work together and teamwork today than I’ve seen at any other time. Maybe after 9/11 it was similar. The word restaurant means to restore your community, and never has that been more important than now."

Find more inspiration from our Instagram Live guests and pursue a future in that good field with ICE's career programs.

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Industry Insights from Dana Cowin

aday — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:42:22 +0000

Industry Insights from Dana Cowin aday Mon, 04/27/2020 - 18:42 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Dana%20Cowin%20header.jpg.webp?itok=6UwX-YZs The former editor-in-chief of Food & Wine discussed food media, restaurant industry crisis response and advocacy, and women in food with us on Instagram Live. April 28, 2020

By Ashley Day

Food media legend Dana Cowin is best known for her 21-year tenure at Food & Wine, where she was the editor in chief. Her food industry resume has since included curating guest chefs at Chefs Club, writing a cookbook, judging on "Top Chef," and hosting the Heritage Radio podcast "Speaking Broadly."

Most recently, Dana's involved with restaurant advocacy through ROAR, which she shared more about along with insights from her culinary career and her outlook for the future. Here are some of the highlights.

You’ve interviewed thousands of food professionals over 25 years, how is the industry essential to you?

When I think about it, when I came to Food & Wine, which was about 25 years ago, the industry wasn’t essential to me at all. I was pretty good at making reservations and that was my connection to the industry and now I feel like I absolutely can’t live without it. It is my lifeblood. It kind of means everything.

This morning I went online and bought a Blue Hill at Stone Barns vegetable box, and I experienced a joy that I actually haven’t experienced in the last month because I was connecting to a farmer, I was connecting to a chef, I knew that the food that I was going to make from that box was going to be incredible just because the ingredients were so great.

The industry has given me a whole new view of how to live and the connection to the earth and connection to others, pretty much everything.

After a 10-year magazine career before landing at Food & Wine for 21 years, can you talk to aspiring chefs and industry professionals early in their careers about longevity and how that evolved?

I discovered if you continue to change with the job and continue to be fresh and interested, your job kind of is new all the time, and that way you have a great sense of longevity … At Food & Wine we changed so much and it was this notion of always trying to stay current and trying to move ahead and trying to live inside what was true at that moment rather than what we had thought in the past. That’s what made it interesting to me for 21 years, but also what made me grow. Longevity is for curiosity.

Do you see a correlation between the way journalism had to evolve from print to digital to multi-platform and the way food businesses are modernizing and diversifying to survive?

One of the reasons that Food & Wine was a success for a lot of the time that I was there was that we really were multi-platform at the time. We got revenue from consumers who had subscriptions, we got revenue from advertisers, we got revenue from events and partnerships. We had already found a way to diversify income streams, and for restaurants it’s the same thing. Restaurants aren’t waking up today and saying, “Oh, you know, instead of only doing people eating in my restaurant...” They’ve already said, "What can I sell online? What’s the merch I’m going to sell? What’s the cookbook? What’s the TV show? What are the other revenue streams?" It will continue to be an evolution for restaurants the same way it absolutely continues to be an evolution for journalism.

Where can you find the money and how do you stay true to who you are? What is the core mission? At Food & Wine the idea was, we’ll do everything that seems right to fit our core mission. We’re not going to go outside of that. I hope that restaurants are able to do the same. Iteration is so important, as I was saying, my career is based on iterating in a way and restaurants will have to iterate to survive. They’re going to have to look at so many of the ways that they’re doing business and rethink them.

Why is the food and hospitality industry worth waiting on with this kind of volatility and uncertainty?

First of all, a lot of people follow this career path because, like writers or artists, it’s such a seed deep within them that needs to be nurtured and needs to bloom, and I think for that, you can’t turn away. If you feel that this is your gift, of course you can’t give up now. It is always worth it if it’s the most important thing to you.

I actually know that on the other side, we’re all going to be eating. Everyone needs to eat, and not everyone can cook for themselves, and there’s such a pleasure in being in an environment or being cooked for. What’s great about a culinary education is that it can lead you into 100 different directions. We’re not talking about leading in a single direction. It’s not as though someone is being trained to be a cook in a restaurant, although that’s certainly one outcome, but cooking is discipline. Cooking is joy. Cooking is connection. All of those things will be ever more important rather than less important. To have grounding and structure and a framework in which to grow from there is fantastic. You’re not training for one thing, you’re training for life.

What’s great about a culinary education is that it can lead you into 100 different directions.

What’s your advice for industry people during this time?

Right now our focus is on advocacy, like what are the five to seven things that the government can do that can help us get to the other side. It’s extremely important, and if you’re interested in this topic and you’re listening, you should look at what the IRC is doing, look at what ROAR is doing. There are a lot of organizations around the country that have a list of demands for congressmen and you have to participate. You cannot just guess someone else is going to do it. You can do something. Congresspeople listen — very important — but on the other side, I think it’s also important to realize there’s something that we each individually can do to band together to make sure that the future is a great future for all of us.

I would put advocacy at the forefront, also looking around you and helping your neighbor, whatever that is, whatever the thing is that’s closest to you. Some things are actually just, you know, make your bed. I think what can get lost in all of this, what can we do!?, is well, we first need to take care of ourselves and we first need to do small things so we feel good when we wake up and we don’t feel panic-stricken or anxiety. It’s important to reroute fear into courage. That’s the most important thing to do that allows you to do more. When and if you can do more, it depends if you feel safe, helping organizations like Rethink Food, which is doing an extraordinary job through the Lee Initiative.

What about professional development?

What could you do that might build your skills for the future, which is a great opportunity. That’s where I come with the silver linings. If you have a cooking skill, I don’t recommend that everyone go off and do Instagram Lives, but it can be fun and you can build an audience, and you can play with it. This is a time when you can play, and the expectation of the perfection of what you put out in the world is lower. There’s also more so-called competition, there are more people doing it, but they’re doing it because it’s fun, it’s a creative outlet. There’s actually freedom to express yourself right now that’s great to take advantage of. Find out who you are.

Cook what you have and find out what happens when you don’t have constraints, when you’re not taking a class, when you’re not doing it for someone else. What happens when you do it all on your own? On the other side of this, and there will be another side, your success is tied to knowing exactly who you are in the kitchen and who you are as a person. If you can figure that out, who you are, you’ll be much stronger in whatever you do.

Your success is tied to knowing exactly who you are in the kitchen and who you are as a person.

You’ve hosted nearly 130 episodes of the “Speaking Broadly” podcast, which has featured ICE alumni like Kerry Brodie, Adrienne Cheatham and Adeena Sussman. What has that experience been like and how is the world changing for women in food?

I love doing “Speaking Broadly,” I love having conversations with women that are both deep and broad, and the notion that we start with a foundation of caring about food and wine, which is also essentially caring about others, caring about other people. I love the insights that they bring. I love learning from each and every one of these women.

When I began doing “Speaking Broadly,” which was about two and a half years ago, one of the reasons I did it was I felt like we needed more women’s voices and we needed a greater diversity of women’s voices so the idea was to spotlight women, and there are a whole lot of places that are trying to spotlight women’s voices. One of the things that I noticed is that it’s often the same women over and over again, and what interests me is broadening the zone. It shouldn’t be the same. I love hearing from the powerful women whose stories are out there and finding something deeper within them, but I also like finding completely different stories from women.

I think that things have gotten better. I think that there are more women who are running their own businesses, there are more women chefs, there are more women of color, there are more queer women running their businesses and who are true to themselves and sharing that, but I have to say, there could always be more.

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We caught up with the former Food & Wine editor-in-chief @fwscout and host of @speakingbroadly about her food media career, the state of the restaurant industry, advocacy in the age of COVID-19 and women in food. Read the recap at ice.edu/blog.

A post shared by Institute of ��Education (@iceculinary) on Apr 29, 2020 at 8:52am PDT

Watch the complete conversation on IGTV, and learn more about a future in food media with ICE career training.

Dana's Lessons at ICE

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ICE Alum Makes Nonmedical Masks for Macaron Orders

aday — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 15:52:38 +0000

ICE Alum Makes Nonmedical Masks for Macaron Orders aday Sun, 03/29/2020 - 11:52 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/macaron%20parlour%20header_0.jpg.webp?itok=p7pUScMa Christina Ha marries her sewing and baking skills to thank customers and healthcare workers. March 30, 2020

By Ashley Day

We're highlighting all the ICE alumni who are inspiring us with their response to the coronavirus crisis' impact on the restaurant industry. At Macaron Parlour and Meow Parlour, Christina Ha (Pastry, ’10/Management, ’11) found inspiration from family members in the medical field for a sweet way to support healthcare providers and essential services.

"After closing down my shops, I felt very restless and also almost useless, like I wasn't doing enough, but as I read more and more stories about our healthcare workers not having access to personal protective equipment (PPE), I knew that was an area where we could help," Christina explains. The founder and head baker at Macaron Parlour in New York City has a sister in medical school and another who works at a research lab. "Even though they aren't N95 masks, they are better than nothing," she explained on Instagram.

She studied haute couture at Maison Sapho School of Dressmaking and Design and earned her associate's degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology before earning a dual diploma in ICE's Pastry & Baking Arts and Restaurant & �� Management programs and developed a strategy to incorporate each educational experience to give back. "I know how to sew and how to make adjustments for a better fit. So I decided to start making masks and donate one for every order that has come in since our shops closed. I liked tying the two together because we have received close to 100 orders between Macaron Parlour and Meow Parlour so it was a real number to work towards for me personally."

Christina shared the initiative on Instagram and instantly received support from former employees and customers — one person even mailed her fabric. Her washable cotton face masks include a pocket to fit a surgical mask inside, and she's donating large coffee filters that can be cut to fit alternatively. After sewing the first dozen masks, Christina posted that she'll include some in macaron orders for essential service workers.

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A post shared by Macaron Parlour NYC (@macaronparlour) on Mar 26, 2020 at 10:38am PDT

"Emotionally, it's a way for me to say thank you to those who have ordered online from us," Christina says. "I shared it online because I also imagine it helps other people who feel like I did initially and aren't able to sew or assist directly with COVID-19 in other ways, so they will know they are supporting both a small business and healthcare workers in a single shot while receiving something delicious."

Read more about Macaron Parlour's team of all ICE alumni and fellow grads strategically responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Pastry & Baking Arts Make Macarons More Info

Pastry Arts Alumni Entrepreneurship COVID-19

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Navigating Restaurant Relief Funds, Petitions and Campaigns

aday — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 17:32:31 +0000

Navigating Restaurant Relief Funds, Petitions and Campaigns aday Sun, 03/22/2020 - 13:32 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/relief%20funds%20header.jpg.webp?itok=71cp4v9L Restaurant groups, organizations and foundations have organized efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the industry. March 23, 2020

By Ashley Day

After ordering delivery, investing in gift cards and buying merchandise from independent businesses, we’re all trying to navigate the flood of relief funds and hashtags on our Instagram feeds. Here’s a breakdown of the broadest opportunities to help determine where you can donate or sign to support the restaurant and hospitality industry.

A slew of prominent restaurateurs have set up funds for their staff, including Daniel Boulud, Fredrik Berselius, Tom Colicchio, Marc Forgione, Danny Meyer and Junghyun Park. Here are five ways these chefs are joining others across America as restaurants come together for the greater good:

The Independent Restaurant Coalition's #SaveRestaurants Campaign

The IRC is calling on Congress for relief with three proposals at saverestaurants.co. Chefs Sean Brock, Tom Colicchio, Ashley Christensen, Will Guidara, Marcus Samuelsson and others are supporting the call for an income replacement program and grants by tagging specific representatives on social media. �� professionals can share their personal stories on the website and read more about the campaign.

Follow @iceculinary for updates.

The James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund

JBF’s national fund is backed by $1 million from S. Pellegrino and $425,000 from PATRÓN tequila, among other corporate and private donors, “to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage businesses in need.” Business owners can learn more about the application process at jamesbeard.org/relief.

Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants' Petition

More than 45 New York City restaurants founded ROAR, which presents eight goals covering rent abatement, payment deferrals, taxes, unemployment benefits and insurance coverage, on change.org in a petition for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The group — which includes Jean-Georges Restaurants, Momofuku Group, Starr Restaurants and The Dinex Group — aims to acquire 35,000 signatures and requests $11 from each signee, more than 10,000 of whom have donated.

The RWCF COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund

The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF) aims to provide cash assistance and zero-interest loans, support organizations and establish a relief fund. The fund also supports small businesses and industry relief organizations. Individuals and companies can donate directly to the relief fund at restaurantworkerscf.org, which breaks down where the money is going.

Save America's Restaurants' Petition

Nationally, more than 45 chefs from 20 cities are petitioning America's mayors, governors and legislators for five courses of action for aid with rent, taxes and employment benefits. More than 269,000 have supported the initiative aimed at 300,000 signatures, and signees are asked to chip in $2 to spread the word. Chefs behind the campaign include ICE alum Vivian Howard (��, '03) in North Carolina; Curtis Stone, Susan Feniger and Tim Hollingsworth in Los Angeles; and Alex Guarnaschelli, Amanda Cohen and Geoffrey Zakarian in NYC.

More on COVID-19 and the restaurant industry:
Resources for Restaurant Industry Workers
ICE President & CEO Rick Smilow Compels Community to Order In
Six Food Books to Get You through the Shutdown
Food for Boosting Immunity and Calming Nerves

Restaurant & �� Management �� Arts

Chefs Food Policy News COVID-19

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Resources for Restaurant Industry Workers

aday — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 14:52:45 +0000

Resources for Restaurant Industry Workers aday Wed, 03/18/2020 - 10:52 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/takeout%20header.jpg.webp?itok=tcd19nGp Updates for ICE externs and alumni and our community of culinary professionals. March 18, 2020

By Ashley Day

Here's an evolving list of resources for our students, alumni and community as the restaurant industry navigates the challenges and changing landscape resulting from COVID-19.

Assistance:

NYC Employee Retention Grant Program: The city is offering small businesses with fewer than five employees a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months to help retain employees.
Our official partner, the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), has factsheets, guidance and safety tips.
The James Beard Foundation has resources, a daily webinar with industry support and stories.
The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation has put together a comprehensive list of resources for restaurants and food industry workers coping with the COVID-19 emergency.
Empowered Hospitality provides resources for terminated employees.
UBS shared a document on Coronavirus Relief Resources for US Business Owners.
Restaurant Hospitality shared where restaurant workers can get financial help during the coronavirus crisis.
The National Restaurant Association offers information, resources and an email subscription for more.
The New York State Restaurant Association has compiled information and resources.
The California Restaurant Association covers restrictions, relief, announcements, tips and webinars.
The City of New York is now providing childcare for all essential personnel who are critical to the COVID-19 response efforts. This includes restaurant staff and delivery/takeout workers. Those who are serving in these vital roles and have no other means of childcare can enroll in New York City Department of Education's Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs). RECs are open and operate from 7:30am to 6:00pm on Monday-Friday, and will ensure that students in grades K-12 have access to remote learning as well as various art, music and other activities. Visit the NYC Department of Education website to enroll your child(ren) in one of these centers.

News:

Eater is maintaining lists of restaurant relief funds and restaurants offering delivery in major cities while providing thorough updates on the restaurant industry.
Food & Wine published a pro guide on the situation, covering communication, safety, staff and support.
Grub Street shares stories under Shutdown Diaries.
Cherry Bombe is compiling resources for impacted businesses by state.

Voice Your Support:

To advocate for assistance for the restaurant community, contact your representatives in Washington, D.C.
The National Restaurant Associations has submitted a proposal to Congress.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance is covering COVID-19 updates and calling for a response from the government. Here's a fast way to take action.
Here are five other restaurant relief funds, petitions and campaigns.

Apply for Unemployment Benefits:

Here are the state unemployment sites for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California. Read about unemployment because of the coronavirus shutdown in New York here and California here.

Resources for Your Mental and Physical Health:

Chefs with Issues provides mental health resources and support.
The New York State Department of Health has updates, tips and travel alerts for minimizing risk.
The California Department of Public Health has daily updates on the outbreak and response.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide the latest global updates, guidance and travel information.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advice, reports and updates on the outbreak.

As restaurants convert to delivery and close dine-in operations, slashing staff hours, many are providing resources from groceries to family meals for culinary professionals out of work. Here's a running list for our students, externs, alumni and their colleagues during this difficult time:

Workforce1 is providing remote assistance for job seekers.
Chef Edward Lee's Lee Initiative is hosting the Restaurant Workers Relief Program in six cities, including Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. In Brooklyn, Gertie restaurant has been converted to a relief site sponsored by Maker's Mark. Any restaurant worker who has lost hours or been laid off can come for dinner and supplies, Tuesdays-Fridays. Pick up one meal person at 357 Grand St., from 4-7 p.m., first come, first served. Virit LEEInitiative.org donate.
In NYC, IGC Hospitality launched family meal, providing free meals to people in the industry with a new menu each day at 10:30 a.m.
Serviceindustry.tips is calling on people worldwide to tip a local service worker every time they have a drink at home while social distancing. To sign yourself or your city up to receive random tips via Cash App or Venmo, visit serviceindustry.tips.
In San Francisco, Chef Dominique Crenn is providing family meal for all Crenn Dining Group staff members.

Volunteer Opportunities

Tag @iceculinary on social media to share additional resources, and check out these food books and industry podcasts while you're social distancing.

Restaurants Restaurant Culture New York City Los Angeles COVID-19

Resources during the shutdown

Submitted by Nevia on March 19, 2020 11:21pm

Thank you!

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Day by Day is a Double-Edged Sword

aday — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 20:34:53 +0000

Day by Day is a Double-Edged Sword aday Fri, 03/13/2020 - 16:34 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Drew%20Nieporent%20header.jpg.webp?itok=uAGin5m6 An unprecedented crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies the inconsistent nature of the restaurant industry. March 13, 2020

By Ashley Day

Veteran restaurateur of Bâtard, Nobu and Tribeca Grill fame, Drew Nieporent weighs in on the coronavirus crisis’ threat to culinary and hospitality businesses and professionals.

There’s a common theme in the restaurant and hospitality industries, consistently echoed by students, externs and alumni among the reasons for choosing and enjoying their individual career paths: Every day is different. That’s the nature of the service industry, which can be rewarding and fulfilling, but as we’ve seen this week, uncertain and risky.

Few industry leaders know this better than legendary New York City restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who’s opened more than 40 restaurants. After 30 years of success with Tribeca Grill, 25 years with Nobu and more than 20 with Montrachet, which is now Bâtard, Drew has inevitably overcome crises and closures.

In 2001, Manhattan’s downtown businesses below 14th Street closed for two weeks, first reopening to pedestrians and eventually to vehicular traffic. Drew recalls his restaurants recovered because residents responded. “The greatest thing, post-9/11, was the sense of community and the surge to businesses in lower Manhattan. It was a full house as soon as we reopened,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

After Hurricane Sandy shut down the same area, Food Republic reported that Drew lost an estimated $600,000 from closing Nobu and Tribeca Grill. Eight years later, he hardly remembers an impact.

“This is something else,” he says of COVID-19. “I don’t think there’s anything I can profess to have experienced that compares with this.”

In a week of reactions, cancellations and quarantines across the country, Drew’s response has been to cut dishes from menus and workers from schedules, while assessing advice and direction from doctors and officials. “Every day brings a new nuance to the situation,” he says. “This is a day by day, week by week situation.”

Hours before our conversation, the James Beard Foundation announced delaying its annual awards after the NBA, NHL and NCAA suspended seasons, Broadway shows were canceled, and close to home for Drew, the Tribeca Film Festival was postponed.

“Right now, it’s not business as usual, but we’re staying open because we’ve had no instances [of anyone testing positive for the virus],” Drew says. “Common sense says if we stay open we have to be scrupulous about keeping everything clean and we have to monitor the situation on a daily basis, but if people don’t have confidence in that, we’ll make the hard decision to close. When you close, you know that the economics for all the individuals is going to be very catastrophic. Does one outweigh the other?”

Drew recognizes that a restaurant like Union Square Cafe, which closed temporarily for cleaning when an employee felt ill, can withstand that decision after 35 years of business, and says workers are entitled to stay at home for their own health and safety.

“It’s a tough decision but the ultimate decision is tomorrow, everything shuts down,” he predicts. “And then you have no choice, but now you have a choice. The information we have today is telling us if you take certain precautions you’re not going to get it.”

Moments earlier, Jersey City mandated a 10 p.m. curfew for bars and New York City mandated that restaurant capacities be cut in half, which Drew had to assess affecting Nobu’s 400 to 500 covers a night.

“We’re not capable of sustaining a long financial impact like this,” he says of the industry. “The minute restaurants pull the trigger and start to close, the people who are going to be impacted the most are the employees.”

Restaurants have already been cutting staff hours or closing across New York City as businesses scramble to strategize, stay afloat and respond responsibly to rapid reservation and event cancellations.

“There are going to be lessons to be learned, but in the short run, if you work in a restaurant, you’re out of luck. It’s going to be that way for a little bit. I’m an employer, it doesn’t matter what I do, I’m going to lose money. It’s just a question of how much.”

While he admits he’s at a loss and believes no one could have predicted these circumstances, Drew is confident about one thing: “I think the public at large is going to support restaurants for sure. It’s part of our culture.”

Students at our New York City campus can text COVID to 692-692 for updates on the latest developments from the City of New York. Students at our Los Angeles campus can text READY to 888-777 for emergency alerts. ICE is adhering to guidance from the CDC, New York State Health Department, New York State Education Department, California Department of Public Health and California Department of Education. Our Emergency Preparedness Team will continue to update our community.

Follow in Drew's foosteps with a diploma in Restaurant & �� Management.

Restaurant Management Restaurant Culture News New York City Restaurants COVID-19

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Chef Ana Ros Transports �� Students with a Taste of Slovenia

aday — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 03:12:23 +0000

Chef Ana Ros Transports �� Students with a Taste of Slovenia aday Wed, 03/04/2020 - 22:12 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/ana%20ros%20header.jpg.webp?itok=VO0IKmd4 Photos by Alex Shytsman One of the world’s best chefs brought exclusive ingredients to our New York campus from one of the world’s tiniest countries. March 6, 2020

By Ashley Day

The executive chef of Hiša Franko (No. 38 on the 2019 World's 50 Best Restaurants list) introduced ICE students to Slovenian culture, Soča Valley flavors and two of her signature dishes using terroir and unique techniques. Chef Ana was named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2017 and starred on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” season 2 episode 5.

You can cross Slovenia from east to west in three hours, Chef Ana divulged while introducing the nature of her country, which is bordered by Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy. “We’ve been a part of six countries,” she said. “Immense identities surround us. We are one of the most, if not the most, diverse countries in the world.”

Chef Ana explained how history, from socialism to migration, impacted Slovenian cuisine, which combines Italian, German and Balkan influences. “Geography for food is very important … Borders have divided families and communities, but a border doesn’t stop culture or food.”

She calls Slovenian people and food such a melting pot they’re “undefinable” — that was until she took the helm at Hiša Franko. A self-taught cook-turned-chef, Chef Ana never studied, staged or even helped her parents with dinner.

“I jumped in the water without knowing how deep it is,” she admits of the first night she ran the kitchen for service in 2002. “I’m in a constant doubt, but doubting is so important. Never think you’ve reached your goal. When you reach your goal you stop working, and cooking is a living thing.”

Chef Ana Ros with ICE students after her Elite Chef demo. Photo by Alex Shytsman

Chef Ana was inspired by seeing the world and found her culinary voice upon returning home. “When you travel, you start thinking for yourself,” she said to students at her Elite Chef demo. Now she travels up nearby mountains to source butter from shepherds, works with local fishermen for trout, forages and gardens.

Hiša Franko showcases global influences with coffee, spices and a staff from around the world, but the main ingredient in each dish comes from the environment surrounding the restaurant. “With the two dishes I’m preparing today, I would like to prove to you how important it is to keep your identity and be original,” Chef Ana said. “Walk around the world with your eyes open and use the techniques, but do not copy and paste.”

Photo by Alex Shytsman

She and Sous Chef Leonardo (Leo) Fonseca began the demo with potatoes, a very traditional dish in Slovenia, with which she incorporates ricotta for locality and acidity, and hay, which historically represents preservation and transports today’s guests at the restaurant to the mountains where the cheese is made. They ferment the cheese with rock salt and hay for two years, resulting in a spiciness that the potato balances out.

When the team at the restaurant blends the local hay, the aromatic oils are so strong that they have to wear masks. So Chef Ana brought hay and cheese from Slovenia for students at ICE to smell and experience while she explained how to poke the potato so the essential oils can penetrate the vegetable. When the dish is served at Hiša Franko, guests break open the aromatic hay-crusted potatoes for an essence of the mountains, an idea that came from the tradition of cooking fish in a salt crust for preservation. At the demo, Chef Ana breaks one open for students to smell.

“The beauty of both of these dishes is they’re humble,” Chef Ana said while transitioning to her signature apple dish, for which she searches for the perfect tart, non-starchy variety in each destination where she travels.

“All of the other elements take time, a little bit of pain, skill and patience,” said Chef Leo. “For the guests, we call this dish ‘A Masterpiece.’ In the kitchen, we call it a pain in the ass.”

“We collect rosehips on a mountain,” Chef Ana explained. “It takes an incredible amount of time to pick them. We dress up in the worst things we have and throw them away because of the thorns. And it’s cold: Rosehips need at least one freeze to develop sugars.”

Slowly cooked in water, carefully de-seeded and dried, the rosehip is served with juniper, because the two grow together, and beeswax, which is difficult to work with while “incredibly aromatic,” and of course, full of terroir.

Photo by Alex Shytsman

Chef Leo demonstrated extracting the entire flesh of an apple in a strip, which can stretch out to 1 meter, using a Japanese mandoline. He rolled the strip tightly with toothpick-like skewers in the shape of a croissant, injected rosehip puree inside, brushed a coating of cajeta on and torched the treat three times.

After the flesh is used for this dish, Hiša Franko freezes the remainder of the apple with sugar and cinnamon to make ice cream as a complement, which served alongside beeswax pastry cream, completes the masterpiece.

“Working so close with nature means you have to be creative and flexible,” Chef Ana explained. “We change six to seven courses on the menu a day. An ingredient can change based on a storm or the moon, and we need to make people happy. We have people traveling 10,000 kilometers to eat our food.”

And while getting to know a tiny country’s culture throughout 11 courses should bring happiness, Chef Ana aims for guest experience. “Local products are strong in flavor. You can have a memorable meal and not like every element,” she said. “Respect the territory, the seasons and your personality. That’s what makes food original.”

Experience more original food at the next Elite Chef demo, and find your culinary voice in our career programs.

Elite Chefs Demos & Lectures Global Cuisine �� Arts �� Education

Chef Ana Ros

Submitted by Charlene on March 14, 2020 5:35pm

How lucky, to have this chef discuss her unique approach to cooking. How lucky for her to come to the Institute of �� Education, she must have good support from others to do her work!

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Eunji Lee Shares Her Signature Dessert

aday — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:29:39 +0000

Eunji Lee Shares Her Signature Dessert aday Sun, 03/01/2020 - 19:29 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/baby%20banana%20header.jpg.webp?itok=Ar5VcqzY Photo by Alex Shytsman The executive pastry chef of two-Michelin-starred Jungsik demonstrated her baby banana dish at our New York campus. March 2, 2020

By Ashley Day

The Institute of �� Education’s monthly Elite Chef series featured Jungsik Executive Pastry Chef Eunji Lee in February. The Korean chef showcased her signature dessert, discussing the development of the dish, her use of natural flavors and her approach to presentation.

Chef Eunji moved from South Korea to France when she was 19-years-old to pursue a pastry career. Over the next decade, she studied pastry arts at the Institut National de la Boulangerie Patisserie in Rouen and Ecole Ferrandi in Paris, and worked under chefs William Ledeuil at Ze Kitchen Galerie and Alain Ducasse and Cédric Grolet at three-Michelin-starred Le Meurice in Paris.

“I really loved the experience of gastronomy: pastry, bread, cakes, wine and food,” she recalled. “It helped me make my philosophy of food and respect of flavor.”

Chef Eunji brought her experience with French ingredients and technique to Jungsik, a two-Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in New York City, in 2016. The pastry chef was inspired by the distinct flavor of American bananas when she arrived and subsequently served banana pudding in a small bowl as a post dessert on the bar menu. The treat became a crowd favorite, often ordered with coffee so Chef Eunji developed a larger dish served with coffee ice cream for her five-course tasting menu.

Photo by Alex Shytsman

Inspired by her work with Chef Grolet, the refined dish would coordinate banana-flavored components in the shape of a life-like banana. Now, she takes three days to prep 100 baby bananas for each evening, using Tahitian vanilla for a floral, not-too-spicy flavor and soft, smooth texture; and natural banana flavor for pudding, cremeux and cake. Chef Eunji makes her own silicone molds (in this case, shaped like small bananas), delicately dips the dessert in chocolate with yellow food coloring and hand paints it with cocoa powder for a rustic and realistic effect.

The baby bananas are served to the table atop a basket of fruit for animation and interaction with guests.

“I want fruit to be the hero of the dessert when I make a fruity dessert,” Chef Eunji explained, emphasizing seasonality. “I try to use maximum natural fruit flavor and respect the season and taste.”

Her dessert tasting menu features a seasonal fruit tart before the famous baby banana, followed by a pecan hazelnut dish, small macarons and bonbons, and yakgwa, a traditional Korean honey cake.

“I’m very curious,” Chef Eunji explained. “Whenever I don’t know something, I taste it and profile the flavors. That helps me create recipes and desserts.”

Photo by Alex Shytsman

She combines her Korean knowledge and heritage with her French restaurant experience while accommodating local flavor when developing menus. For example, one of Jungsik’s signature desserts, NY-Seoul Ver. 2, uses Korean brown rice cream, pecans from Georgia and caramel, a favorite of Americans.

“Pastry is all about your passion and love,” she said when asked about being hired by world-renowned chefs. “It’s not an easy job. You stand and work for hours. When I was in Paris, I worked for 17 hours per day and I was happy. You need to be ready to learn and be motivated.”

Find motivation at more Elite Chef demos and learn foundational skills in a career program at ICE.

New York City Restaurants Chefs Demos & Lectures Elite Chefs Pastry Arts

Ashley Day

José Avillez's Red Shrimp Recipe

Grilled Giant Red Shrimp with Rosemary Ashes

Giant Red Shrimp and Giant Red Shrimp Butter

Ingredients

Directions

Ashes

Directions

Rosemary

Ingredients

Directions

To Finish

Ingredients

Plating

Ingredients

Directions

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�������� Career Advice from Rick Bayless

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Marcus Samuelsson on His Most Important Work Ever

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Industry Insights from Dana Cowin

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ICE Alum Makes Nonmedical Masks for Macaron Orders

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Navigating Restaurant Relief Funds, Petitions and Campaigns

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Resources for Restaurant Industry Workers

Resources during the shutdown

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Day by Day is a Double-Edged Sword

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Chef Ana Ros Transports �������� Students with a Taste of Slovenia

Chef Ana Ros

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Eunji Lee Shares Her Signature Dessert

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�� Career Advice from Rick Bayless

Chef Ana Ros Transports �� Students with a Taste of Slovenia