The biannual job fair has steadily grown into a not-to-be-missed networking reception for current students and alumni. Yesterday, ICE’s Career Fair brought together employers from virtually every niche of the food and hospitality industry, including restaurant groups, catering, hotel, resorts and much more.

Some of the exhibitors who were in attendance include: Abigail Kirsch Culinary Productions, The Breslin & The John Dory, Blue Hill/Blue Hill at Stone Barns, BR Guest Hospitality, Club Med, Culintro, Dinex Group, Good Food Jobs, Hillstone Restaurant Group, James Beard Foundation, Patina Restaurant Group, Sur La Table, Union Square Hospitality Group, and others. More…

Three years ago, I crammed for the New York Food Handler’s Certificate. The potential illnesses in particular left a lasting impression on me — how was I ever going to eat again? For months, I only ate home-cooked meals — overcooked, dry chicken, salads so over-washed that they were broken and wilted and many, many bowls of cereal.

It took a long time to start eating out again. Even 3 years later, I stare down the cashier to see if he handles my food with the same dirty hands he uses to take my cash, I go through a box of disposable gloves over two days and tie my hair in a bun so tight that I have a headache when I let it loose. I try not to think about all of the diseases I can get from my food. Yes, I will always send back a pink chicken, but I still love my eggs sunny side up. If I think about it too much, I can’t finish my meals.

For the past few weeks, I have been reintroduced to the world of unsanitary conditions and foodborne illnesses via preparing for the ServSafe exam. Yesterday, my alarm went off in the middle of a nightmare. I had been dreaming about catching mice when I heard something tapping. When I looked over, I saw a pink lobster jumping across the floor. Then my alarm went off and I was scared awake. It was only an hour later, when we started covering rodent infestation in class, that I realized I had a dream about a mice infestation and an unsafe runaway lobster. Although we’ve finished reviewing all of the chapters and ServSafe videos, I expect that for the next few weeks I will continue to have dreams about jumping pink lobsters. More…

ICE’s Culinary Management program hosts a one-of-a-kind series of lectures called Meet the Culinary Entrepreneurs, during which a wide range of successful culinary business leaders and luminaries share their expertise with students and guests. On May 19, Union Square Hospitality Group’s President of the Core Restaurant Division Paul Bolles-Beaven met with a packed room of students eager to hear about the growth and success of Danny Meyer’s restaurant empire.

For over two decades, Bolles-Beaven has worked for Union Square Hospitality Group, whose acclaimed restaurants include Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, Blue Smoke and Maialino, as well as recent James Beard Award–Winners Eleven Madison Park and The Modern. He was a founding employee of Union Square Cafe in 1985. He started as a waiter, and ultimately rose through the ranks of the organization to bartender, Bar Manager, Wine Director, Service Director, Manager, General Manager, and Managing Partner. In 2003, when the company created a corporate office to oversee operations of their expanding businesses, Paul was promoted to Chief People Officer. In this capacity, he was responsible for recruiting, training, and motivating one of the nation’s most acclaimed hospitality teams. More…

ICE’s biannual Career Fair and Networking Reception was yesterday afternoon. A part of ICE’s extensive Career Services, the event was a chance for all ICE students and alumni to speak to businesses and potential employers about job opportunities. ICE hosted representatives from over 20 restaurants, caterers, foodservice companies, hotels and other food businesses who were here to meet potential hires and future chefs and managers of tomorrow. I was struck by how many ICE alumni (probably one third of the exhibitors) made it back to be a part of the recruiting teams. When students are able to see that the person they’re chatting with was an ICE student not so long ago, it really gives them a sense that such success is attainable for them as well.

The event, which took over the sixth floor, was a veritable marketplace for those looking for entry-level positions and externships out there in the field, as well as a hub of hiring activity for seasoned alumni looking for new opportunities. Some of the most respected names in New York’s food world were on hand to meet job seekers and explain more about their companies and what they look for in candidates. Big national and international restaurant and hospitality groups, such as The Dinex Group, Union Square Hospitality Group, Club Med and Hillstone, recruited alongside catering companies and contract food service firms like Abigail Kirsch, FLIK, and Restaurant Associates. More…