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Aside from offering a slate of expertly-crafted in-person classes, a robust online campus (which now includes associate degree programs) and a ever-growing selection of continuing education classes, ICE is also commemorating its 50th anniversary this year.

The celebrations for this historic milestone have already begun: at the beginning of the year, we announced ICE's 50 distinguished alumni, who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the culinary and hospitality industries. Additionally, ICE is also celebrating 50 years by soon offering five student scholarships worth up to $25,000 each, each honoring a decade of the school’s history.

The revelry will continue at ICE LA's annual commencement, held on May 12 at the Beckman Auditorium on the California Institute of Technology campus. The ceremony honors this year's graduates with their diplomas, their recognition and sage words of advice from two venerable speakers.

Meet ICE LA's Commencement Speakers

This year, ICE LA is honored to host two renowned chefs at the ceremony as our alumni and guest speakers, both of whom have close ties to the Los Angeles culinary community. Our alumni speaker is Chef Steve Samson, chef and owner of acclaimed LA restaurant Rossoblu and our guest speaker is Chef Curtis Stone, known for his TV appearances and as the chef and owner of the Michelin-starred Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant.

Chef Steve Samson

Chef Steve is not only an ICE Culinary Arts graduate, but also one of our 50 distinguished alumni. Since opening in 2017, his restaurant Rossoblu's contemporary art-lined walls have become a much-beloved staple in LA's Fashion District. The eatery, which serves cuisine inspired by Chef Steve's childhood spent in both LA and in Bologna, Italy, has earned myriad awards: it was a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand pick from 2019 to 2023, has frequently been coined one of the city's top restaurants across media outlets and was named #10 in the last edition of the 101 Best Restaurants in LA by legendary former LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold.

Outside of Rossoblu, Chef Steve's southern California restaurant roots run deep: his first restaurant was Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa, which netted him multiple awards, including "Rising Star Southern California" from StarChefs in 2010. After years slinging high-end pizza to the diners of Orange County, Chef Steve brought his talents to LA proper with the opening of Italian restaurant Sotto in 2011. It was a singular, starchy success. Sotto immediately garnered praise across LA, named one of LA best restaurants year after year, including five mentions in Jonathan Gold's year-end list before the restaurant closed in 2019. Chef Steve also opened Superfine Pizza in 2018, which, to no one's surprise, served inventive slices that earned spots in several "Best Pizza in LA" lists and in many a hungry Angeleno's stomach.

Chef Steve has made numerous TV appearances as a judge, including on two episodes of "Hell's Kitchen" and one episode of "Top Chef All Stars."

Chef Curtis Stone

ICE LA's guest speaker, Curtis Stone, is also no stranger to the screen.

Oft-called a "celebrity chef," Chef Curtis is perhaps most widely known for his appearances as the host of "Top Chef Masters" and "Take Home Chef," a contestant on "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" and as a judge on "MasterChef Australia," "Top Chef Junior" and, most recently, "Crime Scene Kitchen" on FOX.

Though his TV career has been illustrious, Chef Curtis' first love has always been hospitality. He began his kitchen career at 18 in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia and soon moved to Europe to study under eminent chef Marco Pierre White, where he trained for eight years. Upon opening his first restaurant Maude in Beverly Hills in 2014, Chef Curtis immediately joined the ranks of the tastemakers defining the city's restaurant scene. Eater LA named Maude restaurant of the year, it was a semifinalist for the 2015 James Beard Foundation's "Best New Restaurant" award and TIME magazine proclaimed it one of the best new restaurants in the world. The intimate 24-seat restaurant served a nine-course tasting menu curated by Chef Curtis and Chef de Cuisine Osiel Gastelum, . The restaurant's homey ambiance and spectacular food earned it a Michelin star in 2019, which the restaurant maintained until its closure in September 2024. It has since been reimagined as The Pie Room by Curtis Stone, a bakery in the same space.

Chef Curtis is also the chef and owner of Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant in Hollywood, which he opened in 2016 in partnership with his brother Luke Stone. The copper-tinged and chandelier-bedecked restaurant offers a menu focused on fire-based cooking and a separate butcher shop front, where customers can purchase premium cuts of meat. Gwen won a Michelin star in 2022, which it has retained since.

Both chefs bring decades of expertise to this year's commencement ceremony — an apt fit for the 50th anniversary of the . We are so excited to welcome them to the commencement stage to hear the reflective advice they offer the next generation of culinary professionals.