By Carly DeFilippo

Last week, more than 250 members of the New York community came together to support STREETS International, a Hoi An, Vietnam-based nonprofit organization that trains underprivileged young men and women to succeed in their region’s growing 5-star hospitality industry.

ICE students cooked alongside alumni of the program, Le Thi Thuy and Nguyen Than Linh, preparing traditional dishes served in the STREETS Restaurant and Cafe in Hoi An. It was Le and Nguyen’s first time in the United States, an opportunity to spend two weeks exploring the city’s culinary industry, culminating with their appearance at the annual benefit, held at the Astor Center. For two students who couldn’t speak a word of English just two years ago, Le and Nguyen presented the dishes and culture of Vietnam with exceptional poise and enthusiasm.

STREETS was founded by Dr. Neil Bermas and his partner Sondra Stewart in 2009. Today, their 18-month training program for disadvantaged Vietnamese youth is hosted at four locations in Hoi An: The STREETS Restaurant and Cafe, a training center, and two single-sex dorm houses.

ICE President Rick Smilow and Chef Floyd Cardoz (North End Grill)

As for the dishes served at the fundraiser, a range of celebrated New York restaurants provided unique tastings. The line-up included August, Blue Smoke, North End Grill, Nightingale 9, Rosa Mexicano, Kuma Inn, Edi & the Wolf, Num Pang and The Meatball Shop.

Thanks to the help of STREETS’ many benefactors, including local culinary leaders such as Howard Greenstone (Rosa Mexicano), Phillip Baltz (Baltz & Company), Mark Maynard Parisi (Blue Smoke), and ICE President Rick Smilow, the event was a rousing success. It costs $1,800 for one student to complete the training program, and the benefit raised more than $125,000 for the organization.

ICE alum and TV personality Gail Simmons, Dr. Neal Bermas, and students from STREETS International

Thank you to all the members of the ICE community who came out to support this incredible cause. As Dr. Bermas mentioned in his speech, we couldn’t be more proud to be part of such a generous industry.

Whether it’s aiding victims in the wake of Hurricane Sandy or supporting the day-to-day efforts of City Harvest, ICE has long been committed to contributing to the larger New York Community. But there are causes further afield that are also near and dear to our hearts, perhaps none so much as Streets International. Founded by former Culinary Management instructor Neal Bermas, this unique non-profit culinary training program teaches impoverished young Vietnamese men and women the life and professional skills they need to be employed in a 5-star culinary or hospitality setting.

This week, we were thrilled to welcome Neal and Streets alumni Le Thi Thuy and Nguyen Than Linh to our teaching kitchens, where they engaged in a cultural culinary exchange with our chef instructors and students. In the morning, Le and Nguyen joined Chef Lorrie Reynoso’s Culinary Arts class, tackling an eight recipe lesson on the regional cuisines of Northwest Italy.

Le Thi Thuy, Nguyen Than Linh, and Chef Lorrie Reynoso’s Culinary Arts class.

Over four hours they learned to prepare wild boar ragu, fresh hand-cut pappardelle, and braised shrimp-stuffed calamari. From there, they moved on to giant veal chops stuffed with Fontina cheese, which were then breaded, pan-fried and finished in the oven with white truffle butter. Finishing off the rich menu, the students prepared a creamy gorgonzola risotto and sfogliata di radicchi (a Ligurian tart bursting with radicchio, spinach, raisins, oil cured olives and anchovies in puff pastry). Needless to say, these flavors were a far cry from the street food of Vietnam. The class concluded, as it always does at ICE, with a communal tasting and critique of the day’s work.

Le Thi Thuy, Nguyen Than Linh, and ICE Dean of Students, Andy Gold.

In the afternoon, the tables turned, as ICE students attended a cooking demo where they learned to make traditional Vietnamese rice pancakes (Bánh xèo) and winter melon soup. As Neal explained, Streets International is more than a school, it is also one of the most popular restaurants in Hoi An, Vietnam, seated at the heart of a blossoming tourism industry. In addition to culinary and hospitality skills, students are trained in English language and “life skills”, a foundation for communal living and working with others. At the end of their 18-month program, 100% of Streets students find work in 5-star establishments, as there are more jobs for highly trained locals than Streets can teach on an annual basis.

Bánh xèo, a traditional Vietnamese rice pancake.

From the look of Le and Nguyen, two of Streets’ most talented graduates, you would never know the hardship and poverty in which they were raised. They now lead tours of Vietnamese markets for curious tourists and help manage the Streets Restaurant and Cafe. Next Wednesday, May 1st, the two will present traditional dishes at the annual Streets International NYC Benefit, which will also feature more than a dozen local chefs, such as Floyd Cardoz and Kenny Callaghan. Buy your tickets here: http://bit.ly/Zz9XEV.

By Carly DeFilippo

This Thanksgiving, ICE has partnered with a number of charitable organizations to serve less fortunate members of our New York City community. We would like to thank our students and staff who generously gave of their time to make these programs a success.

Culinary students joined forces with the Partnership for the Homeless and Chef George Duran to provide a traditional holiday meal for more 50 homeless men and women.

Our Special Events team donated kitchen space to By Any Meals, a five borough food drive that will provide hot meals to at least 500 New Yorkers in need.

Students also helped photographer Zoe Adlersberg roast turkeys for Hurricane Sandy victims. The turkeys will be served at two local restaurants in the Rockaways, providing 600 meals to families devastated by the storm. If you would like to donate to this ongoing initiative to feed hurricane victims, please click here.

We wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of our students, staff, chefs and the rest of the ICE community.

BlueStar, the manufacturer of professional cooking equipment and the provider of stoves and ovens to ICE’s 12th floor recreational classrooms, recently teamed up with Chef Marcus Samuelsson to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure via its Susan G. Komen Greater NYC Race for the Cure. As part of the event, BlueStar is auctioning a pink 30-inch gas range valued at $4,700 and VIP dinner for six at Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, one of New York’s hottest restaurants. Award-winning chef and ICE Advisory Council member Samuelsson will personally cook a four-course meal for the winner and their guests (dates and times to be mutually agreed upon). And, when they’re ready to cook at home, they’ll also be able to use their new BlueStar eight-piece cookware set, valued at $595. It’s an amazing prize from both BlueStar and Samuelsson, two of ICE’s closest partners in the culinary industry.

To bid, go directly onto eBay’s Giving Works site here.

The auction ends on August 30th, and 100% of the proceeds will be contributed to the charity. The company will provide free shipping. If pink is not your color, you can bid on the range and select any one of BlueStar’s 190 colors, at no extra charge, and still support the cause.