Life As a (Gluten-Free) Culinary Student

By Jackie Ourman

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I have always loved food. Loved to cook. Loved to talk about food, think about food, read about food. You get the gist. Food + Me = Love! But recently, my relationship with food was challenged. My love turned to fear.

One of my children was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to peanuts, most tree nuts and sesame, while another child was diagnosed with celiac disease, along with the same allergies. Shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with celiac disease (my mom was too!). Looks like we’ve been living with these issues for years and had no idea! When you have celiac disease, you can’t eat anything that contains gluten, which is primarily found in wheat, barley and rye.
Where life-threatening allergies are concerned, the only options are to refrain from eating those foods, educate, advocate and carry epinephrine. Shortly after my son’s diagnosis, I became a member of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network and utilized many of their incredible resources to wrap my arms around all of it.

After educating my children and myself as much as possible, advocating for them in our community and witnessing the immediate health benefits of a gluten-free diet for my son (energy, growth, happiness), the fear lessened a little bit. I started to get more creative in the kitchen. Instead of focusing on what we couldn’t eat, I focused on what we could. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the impact these issues would have on my children throughout their lives, I felt empowered and responsible to show them they could live full, happy lives and love food despite their dietary restrictions.
We are a family of 5 and my husband and third son (yes, 3 boys!) do not have allergies or celiac disease. I try to keep things varied, healthy and delicious for all. My goal for the food I prepare is that it doesn’t ever taste like it’s missing anything.

Jackie shares gluten free recipes, often based on what she learns at ICE, on her personal blog – like these GF Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

What started as a quest to help my own family became a mission to raise awareness about these issues and help others as well. I enrolled at ICE to learn as much as I could about food, recipes and the realities of working in busy restaurant kitchens. I graduated from the Culinary Management program in August 2012 and am currently enrolled in the Culinary Arts program. I absolutely love it!

Celiac and Allergy Friendly Epicurean is a blog I created to chronicle my journey. I share recipes I use at home, adapt recipes I learn in culinary school, highlight experiences dining out with celiac and food allergies and share resources I have found helpful in and out of the kitchen. I’m excited to have the opportunity to share some of this information with you on the ICE Blog and hope you will enjoy my perspective on the Culinary Arts program as a student who is gluten-free and allergy-aware.

Jackie was also recently nominated for “Top 25 Foodie Moms” on Circle of Moms. You can vote for her every day through June 4th.

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Life as a Culinary Student: The First Day

By Danamarie McKiernan

Finally, it came. My first day of culinary school. The night before, I ironed my uniform and organized my equipment in my new tool bag. My family took photos of me leaving the house with my white coat on a hanger and chef shoes in hand. That’s when the nervousness kicked in, and I felt the butterflies swimming in my stomach.

I had waited for this day for so long. I had no idea what to expect – and that was the most exciting part. My student advisor said we should arrive at ICE thirty minutes early. I’m a food nerd; I was there an hour early. I felt flushed as I walked off the elevator and hoped my cheeks’ pinkish tone was not too noticeable.

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Looking around as if at Disney Land for the first time, I took in the photos on the walls, walked past a pastry class, and inhaled the scent of fresh baked breads. At the front desk, I check in, collected all my text books and took a photo for my student ID. Then off to my locker, where I changed into my uniform before entering the kitchen. Ah! The beauty in that command, “head to the kitchen”.

With a smile as bright as my chef’s coat, I looked around the bright, fresh-smelling kitchen, and suddenly, I was no longer nervous. My classmates cheeks’ wore the same flushed tone. We were all in this together. Our advisor, Jennifer Fallon, ran us through the rules and regulations, then asked us to introduce ourselves and explain why we came to ICE. It was very interesting to see how so many people, at different points in their lives were all led here by their passion for food – a passion strong enough to make a person change their whole life.

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Then Chef Chris Gesualdi stepped up to the plate. I will never forget him, as I am sure no culinary student has ever forgotten their first Chef Instructor. He was the one to help me pave the foundation of my culinary career. Chef Chris got down to business very quickly, walking to each student and handing them their personal knife kit. I teared up and wondered if he noticed. It was the sign of becoming a real chef, receiving our knifes.

Chef Chris explained that we are all starting at zero, no matter what we had done or where we had worked. In his class, until the end of the program, we would move together. That was true. Very true.

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Class started right away and right away it hit me all at once. I was so excited that I forgot that this was still school. It was shocking, but I quickly learned how much hard work this was going to be. The first class was a blur, reminding me that I didn’t know as much about cooking and the culinary world that I thought I did.

After a brief school tour, we learned to identify kitchen equipment. A strainer may just be a strainer in the outside world, but in a professional kitchen it is a china cap. We then learned to identify herbs. “What is chervil?” I had cooked my whole life, been around my family, watched food network obsessively, and I had no idea what chervil was. It had a nice, refreshing flavor. It was also the first time I had seen or smelled fresh oregano.

Chef Chris explained that the next few weeks would be “stock mania”, where we learn how to build flavor and create beautiful stocks. I have made stocks and soups at home since I was a kid, but it was interesting to learn that the herbs used in almost all stocks are thyme, parsley, bay leaf and whole peppercorns: a sachet d’epices.

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Last, but not least, Chef Chris explained mise en place, “everything in its place”, which would become a way of life. Everything organized, where you need it, when you need it, and always clean.

As I arrived home, I sat alone for a while to reflect on what just happened. It was more difficult than I expected, but I knew this was right. I cracked open my books and started organizing my notes and recipes. To become a chef, I had to master the art of organized chaos. Mise en place, I got this.

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Life as a Culinary Student: Learning to Cook An Egg

By Melissa Lamothe

Melissa, hard at work in ICE's kitchens.

Melissa, hard at work in the kitchen.

The other day I was greeted by my neighbor (who happens to be a chatty little six-year old) in the elevator. Each time she sees me, she promptly asks which floor I’m on and then proceeds to push the button for me. This is usually followed by a couple of knock-knock jokes and/or discussions about why a chicken crossed the road. On this day, she was on an egg-themed kick.

Mini-neighbor: Why can’t you tease egg whites?
Me: I have no idea!
Mini-neighbor: Because they can’t take a yolk!
Me: Hyolk! Hyolk! Hyolk!

Now it was my turn.

Me: Why is the chef so mean?
Mini-neighbor: Um…
Me: Because she beats the eggs!
Mini-neighbor: Hyolk! Hyolk! Hyolk!

Oddly enough, this conversation reminded me of my first day of culinary school. During our Dean’s welcome speech, he warned us that any lesson involving eggs may be a very humbling experience. At the time, I wondered why an egg deserved such notoriety. How come it wasn’t aspic, an onion, or the evil potato?

The reason is that an egg is very sensitive to its environment. An egg white is essentially just water and the protein albumin, while the yolk primarily contains water, albumin and fat. Of these components, the albumin is the most reactive part because it can physically be altered if subjected to changes in its surroundings. When heated, it solidifies (which is also known as coagulation) and turns rubbery. Add an acid, and this too will cause coagulation. Alternately, when an egg white is whisked, it will turn into a foamy white structure. None of these states can be reversed. Once you do this, there is no turning back <insert evil thunderclap sound here>.

But this irreversibility is actually a good thing. Thanks to its unique properties, an egg can help bind ingredients, give volume to batter, emulsify liquids, thicken a sauce, provide flavor, clarify a liquid, and even add a nice color or glaze to certain dishes. Because of this, it’s important to know when to use an egg white, egg yolk, or both.

Experimenting with egg cooking times.

When we began to tackle the egg in class, we prepared them in a multitude of ways. Beginning with simple techniques, we tested a hard versus soft boil and watched how each minute of cooking would transform the egg. We also poached, fried and scrambled them. From there, we moved on to using eggs in everything from Hollandaise sauce, crepes, soufflés, pasta dough, breads to custards.

Even in seemingly simple preparations, there was room for error. Hollandaise, in particular, is very tricky to master. If you apply too much direct heat, the egg will overcook, causing the sauce to break and curdle. Over-boiling an egg is another common mistake. Going a few minutes too long will draw out the iron and sulfur, turning the yolk into a nasty grey color with a green ring. On top of it, the egg will begin to emit a sulfurous smell.

Fried eggs over a salad.

Yet now that I’ve confronted the egg and have a better understanding of its quirks and talents, I have a new-found respect for it. An egg is the Gremlin of the food world: if you don’t follow the rules, it can turn into an evil monster and destroy any dish you put it in. But love it or hate it, the egg is an essential ingredient that has been around for centuries.

Interestingly, the original French chef hat is supposed to have exactly 100 pleats because a professional chef should know how to prepare an egg 100 ways. When I started culinary school, I’m not sure if my hat even deserved one pleat. Fast forward many months later, and I’m proud to say that – while certainly not 100 – I’ve gradually earned my pleats.

How about you? Are you an eggcellent chef? Could you help me improve on my egg jokes?

To read more about Melissa’s culinary journey, visit her blog.

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Life as a Culinary Student: Making A Change

By Danamarie McKiernan

Culinary school has been calling to me since I was 17, but I just wasn’t listening. Raised in Brooklyn, I have been surrounded by good food for as long as I can remember. Holidays with my Irish-Italian family meant days of preparation and cooking, finally gathering around our oversized table for the main event.

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This is a photo of my Christmas Eve table when I was a kid. Amazing! My grandfather, “Gramps” oversaw the feast each and every year. Our family of astounding home cooks whipped up homemade delicacies such as crab sauce or calamari with baby lobster tails. My mom, uncle and I would stay at the table long after the others, sucking on crab legs to extract every last piece of meat. Alongside the crabs, we served perfectly golden, stuffed fried shrimp and baked clams. The meal continued with flaky fish filets, tangy, lemony seafood salad and perfectly al dente pasta. If I close my eyes I can still smell and taste everything.

That is reason why I am going to culinary school. It is because of the women and men in my family that surrounded me with food and shared their passion for cooking. My mom taught me how to make the most amazing chicken cutlets and buttery mashed potato pie. My Aunt Annie introduced me to the importance of fresh produce and shared the secret to her amazing crepe-like pancakes. Uncle Frankie was the adventurous one. He always used spices and animal protein that I didn’t even recognize. My grandma Margret taught me consistency. The most saintly, wonderful woman, she made the best butter smothered shrimp and bacon-wrapped potatoes. They taste the same every time she cooks them – even today, at age 94! Aunt Lizzie pushed me to do things my own way, to be creative. She would pop open that refrigerator door, pull things out randomly and, an hour later, a masterpiece was served. It was her recipe I adapted to make the best lobster bisque my family had ever tasted.

But more than anyone, it was my grandparents, “Lucy” and “Gramps” who inspired my interest in food. Each night, I would walk downstairs to their apartment to help Gramps get dinner ready. At first, I was in charge of salad dressing, placing the spices he had laid out in the correct shaker. At that age, I remember he would eat this horrible, dark green, spinach-like vegetable with pasta, and the oil would drip down his chin. I thought it was horrible, but today pasta with broccoli rabe is one of my favorite things to cook and eat.

My Lucy made everything from chicken, fish, pasta, pizza to desserts and pies. Late at night, she would whistle for me to come downstairs, and we would make apple pie together, trying not to wake Gramps with our giggles. The first meal I ever cooked alone with no help was for her and Gramps. It was a “Buttermilk Chicken” from my mom’s red and white Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I still have the book, with its stained and ripped pages.

The first all-adult dinner party I prepared was for my Lucy’s 70^th birthday. I planned out the menu, cooked everything myself, and even hired a waitress to come to the house and help. It was during that dinner party that Uncle Frankie suggested, “Dana you should go to culinary school”. From that point on, it was always in the back of my head.

I looked into a cooking school in Manhattan called “Peter Kump’s Cooking School” (today, the Institute of Culinary Education). But instead of going to culinary school, I ended up in the service industry. I have bartended and managed bars and restaurants, but none of those jobs ever stuck. I now know why. This is what I was meant to do and it has just been waiting for me. After leaving my last job, I said to myself, “This is it.” I applied for the Culinary Management Program at ICE and have never been happier. In September 2012, I graduated, winning an additional award for Leadership.

Now, I’m in the Culinary Arts program. This is the best decision I have ever made in my life. Things are going to change. I will be a chef, and I am ready. My application papers are signed, the knife kit is in my hands and I have been fitted for my chef coat. I cried when I put that coat on for the first time. There is an amazing culinary road ahead of me. Stay tuned; it’s going to be a fun ride.

danamarie

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ICE Student Profile: Jackie Ourman

Where do you come from?
My parents emigrated from Egypt shortly before I was born. I was born and raised in Rockland County. I currently live with my husband and 3 sons (8, 6 and 3 years old) in Irvington, NY. It is a beautiful village on the Hudson River in Westchester County.

How did your interest in food develop?
My extended family is huge and we always had a ton of family gatherings throughout my childhood, filled with food. It seemed like every week was someone’s birthday or a holiday. I learned to love food then. Just the anticipation of all of the different things we would get to eat at each celebration excited me. I also used to take cookbooks out from grade school every summer and practice recipes as a hobby.

My whole life, the idea of going to culinary school and becoming a chef was a bit of a dream. However, it didn’t seem like the practical path for me once I graduated from college. After having children diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies and celiac disease and recently been diagnosed with celiac disease myself, I’ve spent a great deal of time in the kitchen trying to hold on to my passion for food and teach my children they too can love food, despite their dietary restrictions.

Describe an early food experience that has influenced the way you think about food and/or cooking.
I’ve had several major influences on the way I think about food. As I mentioned above, food has always signified family, gatherings and celebrations. I’ve had a lot of cultural influences on my palate as well. Growing up, our holiday foods were not generally traditional. Middle Eastern dishes were dominant such as lamb, stuffed grape leaves and béchamel sauces. I majored in Spanish in college and lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico for three summers. During that time, I gained a huge appreciation for traditional Mexican fare including chiles rellenos, street tacos, mole poblano and the versatility of the tomatillo. Additionally, my mother-in-law is from the Dominican Republic and is an amazing cook. A lot of her flavors and techniques have inspired me as well, including slow roasted pernils, sweet and savory plantains, stewed chicken and meats and of course, rice and beans.

Ultimately, I am a mom of three young boys and while I’d love nothing more than spending all day in the kitchen creating and building intensely beautiful and complex meals, I don’t have the time and my children won’t likely eat them. I’ve dubbed myself an ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ type of chef and I’ve learned to be creative and somewhat quick with the foods I have on hand. I buy ingredients that are fresh, seasonal and healthy and interpret all of the flavor influences mentioned above to create recipes.

What did you do before coming to culinary school?
I was a stay-at-home Mom for 8 years before starting the Culinary Management program in February 2012. Before that, I was a Vice President in Human Resources at a major investment bank in NYC.

What is your dream once you finish culinary school?
My dream is to become a resource in the culinary world with regards to celiac and food allergies as well as to those managing these issues for themselves or their family members. An estimated 4-6% of U.S. children under age 18 have food allergies. Additionally, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness states one in 133 Americans has celiac disease. These issues are on the rise, in a big way. It would not make good business sense for the food services industry not to accommodate them. I want to help them do so as a culinary professional. I also want to help those newly diagnosed with these issues adjust and realize they can still have varied and delicious diets despite those restrictions.

What are your pastimes?
Spending time with the kids, cooking and reading.

What do you cook when you’re home alone?
I’m never home alone! Just kidding. Check out my blog, Celiac and Allergy Friendly Epicurean by Jackie Ourman http://jackieourman.com/ . I’ve been sharing all of the recipes I use at home for the last few months.

What’s your least favorite food?
Smelly, oily fish such as herring are my least favorite foods.

Describe your most spectacular kitchen disaster.
When I was about 10 years old, I decided to make a Father’s Day cake for my dad. I think it was a box mix and it called for a couple of egg whites. As I inspected the eggs, the only white I saw was on the shells. So, I cracked them open, emptied the egg out, crushed up the shells, put them in the mix and baked it. My dad ate every bite of that cake, professing how good it was, as he was spitting out the little bits of shells.

What’s your desert island meal?
I love fresh, whole fish that is minimally seasoned. The Branzino with fennel at the Cookery in Dobbs Ferry and the Loup de Mer at Estiatorio Milos in NYC are two of my favorite dishes. One of those two dishes would be perfect along with grilled, seasonal vegetables, a French chardonnay and a rich, dark chocolate dessert.

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The Pantry at ICE

When you attend a class at ICE, whether it be for a recreational class or as a full-time student, you are often here to prepare food. In most cases your ingredients magically appear and you get busy in the kitchen, forgetting about how they got there. I recently look a trip down to our stewarding department and learned so much about what passes through the school on a weekly basis. This group really acts as the pulse of ICE as they ensure that classes are stocked and ready to go with the finest ingredients in town.

I walked away with a few fun facts to share from our grocery shopping last year:
23,688 pounds of butter passed through the school
16,050 pounds of veal bones were used
17, 136 pounds of chocolate were purchased totaling more than $60,000!
140-170 pull sheets (grocery lists) were submitted each week
3700 ingredients are available in stewarding

I found those statistics fascinating considering all that goes on around the school. While I might find these nuggets fascinating, the group from stewarding said if I really wanted to get a glimpse of the fun down there, I should come back when the pheasants, beef tongue and pigs come through.

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The Meaning of the Word “Significant”

Our first chef instructor was a man of clear distinction and significance. His list of accolades, accomplishments and credentials was longer than the length of my right arm (which is significantly longer than my left).

He commanded the kitchen when he first walked in. He demanded respect and he deserved it. He was able to rattle off recipes for French mother sauces and their derivatives without stopping to take a breath. I’m convinced without a doubt that of the hundreds of sauces in the French repertoire, he had committed most to memory. Never once in my 22 lessons under his tutelage, did he ever consult a recipe. They were all living as imbedded templates in his head.

He started working in a kitchen when he was 15. Now, 40+ years later, still working in the food services industry, and having worked in some of the finest food establishments on the planet to date, I have had the exceptional pleasure and the most intense pain of being his student.

The word ‘CHEF’ translates to ‘BOSS’ or ‘CHIEF’. Yes, the capital letters are absolutely necessary. And they remain necessary for all the chef instructors we’ve had over the last eight months. There was a definite philosophy in their kitchen. There was only one way; THEIR way (capitals continue to be necessary). Learn it right, learn it well, listen and don’t forget.

Fast-forward eight months. Our original class of seventeen has dwindled to fourteen. We have just graduated. Our externships take us to many diverse kitchens, but the same rules apply. The collective and sage advice of all our chef instructors is behind us. Now what? I continue to ask my self “WHAT NOW?”

This will be a messy split; a bad break-up. What will become of my weekends without ICE? What will become of my classmates? Who will I commiserate with about the heat in the kitchen, the number of pots in the sink, the paper I have to get done despite my full-time work schedule or the next practical or written examination? What will become of Class CA2DW.121011? What now…what now?

As of August 19, 2012, I will have washed my hands for the last time in kitchen 1402. We’re all a little uncertain. We’re all a little scared. It’s our turn to do something great with this culinary training. We’ve all come so far.

In order to be truly appreciated, all brilliant things must come to an end. So I’ll say a bittersweet goodbye to the class of CA2DW.121011, but not forever, just for now, and leave off with wise words that have remained with me for quite some time. “When you walk to the edge of the light, and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe one of two things will happen; there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will learn how to fly.”[1]

[1] Patrick Overton, REBUILDING THE FRONT PORCH OF AMERICA, 1996.

Photo contributed by Haesung Park

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From Corporate to Kitchen; A Culinary Journey

Eight short months ago, I walked into kitchen 1402 at The Institute of Culinary Education with sixteen other people for the first day of class in the weekend culinary arts program. I had aspirations of a second career and a promising new beginning. That day began an intense commitment and journey into a culinary arts program that I had been thinking about enrolling in for over four years. My good friend, Self-doubt, was sitting close by that day; I could feel its old familiar vibe in the air. But this time, it wasn’t only emanating from me. I knew that everyone else in the room was thinking the same thing, “what in the world am I doing here on an early Saturday morning?”

I arrived at ICE at the appointed hour as instructed; the crack of dawn (let’s just say it was still dark outside). Several weeks earlier, I picked up my professional tool-bag, and that incredible knife roll. Now, I could literally “pack my knives and go home,” if Padma ever asked me to. While standing in line to check in, I watched the hodgepodge of people gathering behind me; the reality of this journey began to set in. ID pictures taken first (mission impossible, always a horrible outcome for me), followed by being handed a bag of books that weighed about six hundred pounds. I started having flashbacks of my early days at college. I picked up my uniform the week prior to the start of class, and was wished “good luck” by the nice man running the shop. I must admit that putting on that outfit for the first time felt pretty unusual. The jacket, checks, comise hat, apron, blue side towels, and black heavy-duty slip resistant shoes were far from my attire as a creative director.

Who cared? I was in this kitchen to learn, to work, and to figure out where I belonged in this brand new, yet not-so-new place so far away and utterly different from the world I had come from. Besides, every one else looked just like me (picture deer in comise hats in headlights). I was happy to see so many people of various ages and ethnicities. For a moment, the kitchen reminded me of that old-fashioned box of candy called “The Sampler.” We truly were a mixed bag! A cross-section of individuals, tossed together from the salad bar of life, all of us with similar intent.

Today, due to an unpredictable job market and a roller-coaster economy, many of us are questioning our original career aspirations. Some by choice, and sadly, some by force. We’re collectively tired of being beaten up by corporate America or remaining unhappy in mind-numbing job situations. We’ve decided to take a risk by following our passion and seeking out something much more fulfilling. We’re taking a chance on a second chance.

Looking around the kitchen, I find that I’m in great company. An accountant to my right, a technician to my left, a research scientist at table three, a teacher at table two, and a lawyer across the hall in the same program that started a few months before mine. Wow. Suddenly, this creative director isn’t feeling so strange after all!

We’re from such different places, yet we find common ground. We’re all professional people with real lives, families, responsibilities, and commitments, which continue on, completely separate and apart from here. And we’re all passionate about this new undertaking. We’re sure to be challenged, but I know we’re up for it. And we never would have met under any other circumstances. I actually started to feel comfortable.

And then the chef walked in…

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Five-Course Friday

Ever wonder what’s cooking at ICE? Five Course Friday gives you a snapshot of what we are whipping up weekly. Whether you pop in to a recreational class, catch a professional demo or watch the transformation from student to chef, there is something scrumptious happening daily.

Lentil Walnut Salad from Culinary Arts students

Stuffed mushroom with spinach, potatoes and bacon cooked in a curry, coconut base

One students approach to sea scallops: Panko crusted with red pepper sauce

Another student’s take: Pan seared rosemary crusted scallops over sauteed spinach with bacon, roasted tomato and garlic

Chocolate cake with praline buttercream

Have a delicious weekend!

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ICE Student Profile: Emily Kessler

Why did you choose to attend culinary school?
I chose to attend culinary school because cooking was always a passion of mine and I wanted to learn about culinary arts on a much deeper level.

Where are you from?
I am a 3rd generation New Yawkah! I was born and raised in New York City and went to K-12 in Manhattan.

What is your favorite thing about New York City?
I love the diversity and energy of the city. I also really enjoy my walk to ICE everyday in the Flatiron district. Great views from the kitchens too!

What is your dream once you finish culinary school?
My hope is that by graduating from ICE, I will gain the necessary credentials to start a private chef business with a focus on healthful cooking for people with dietary restrictions.

What are your favorite pastimes?
I love me some football! While not very New York of me, I love the Patriots. Also while growing up, I spent a lot of time at my family’s house in the North Fork and fell in love with wine. I love tasting and harvesting – there is nothing better than knowing the perfect day for a good grape. I’ve also enjoyed horseback riding, fox hunting and making ceramics – I make most my own mugs, bowls and plates.

What do you cook when hosting friends or bringing a dish to a friends?
Most of my friends ask for my meatloaf or baked mac and cheese but I much prefer going to a local farm stand and making a spread of meats, cheeses, fresh veggies and fruit. In terms of actual cooking, I find that there is nothing more satisfying and comforting than a perfectly roasted chicken cooked on top of some veggies! My favorite recipe is the simple roasted chicken from Barbara Kafka’s “Roasting.”

What is your least favorite food? Favorite food?
Hate: Liver
Love: Authentic Japanese, especially Asian-style salmon belly

Describe your most spectacular kitchen disaster.
One of my first experiments in the kitchen was trying to make candles out of crayons when I was younger. I left it too long and it exploded, leaving me in a rainbow kitchen.