51³Ô¹Ï

On November 11 to 14, the 7th Annual Chocolate Show was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th Street in Manhattan, and was attended by a record 30,000 people. The 51³Ô¹Ï (ICE) was an important and winning participant in the show.

Student Competition
One aspect of the show was a student-plated dessert competition, sponsored by Grand Marnier. The team from ICE, led by Chef-Instructor Michelle Tampakis won the four-school competition, which included a $1500 scholarship prize. ICE's entry was called "Pair of Chocolate and Pear." The components of the dish were chocolate ganache glaze, poached and caramelized pears, Viennese Rehrucken cake, hazelnut nougatine, and a pear orange sauce with Grand Marnier. The student team included Amy Soloman, Kat Whitehead and Dirk Peters.

The Fashion Show
The event kicked off with a chocolate fashion show and party the evening of November 10. Proceeds of the glamorous event benefited Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA).

Two of the models strutting down the runway wore chocolate outfits made by ICE chef-instructors. The "Dowager Empress" costume was designed and constructed by Chef-Instructors Michelle Tampakis, Faith Drobbin and Chad Pagano. Adjunct Chef-Instructor Heather Carlucci designed and constructed "Chocolate Moose," which appeared on news clips on WNBC-TV throughout the weekend.

Show Demonstration Sessions
The Chocolate Show ran a series of one-hour demonstrations featuring leading pastry chefs and authors in their two on-site mini theaters. Six of the 48 demonstrations involved ICE chef-instructors or alumni, including alumnae Claudia Fleming (Amuse), Deborah Snyder (Lever House), and Nicole Kaplan (Eleven Madison Park), and Chef-Instructors Toba Garrett, Michelle Tampakis and Nick Malgieri.

Supernatural Brownie Sales
What do you get when you mix 1000 eggs, 180 pounds of chocolate, 260 pounds of sugar and 130 pounds of butter and some great baking skills? This year for ICE at the Chocolate Show, that meant selling $4500 worth of Supernatural Brownies at its booth. Developed by Nick Malgieri, ICE's Director of Pastry & Baking, the Supernatural Brownie is considered – at least by those who have tasted it – one of the most delicious brownie recipes in America.

51³Ô¹Ï ICE

The 51³Ô¹Ï (ICE®) is New York City's award-winning center for culinary education. Founded in 1975 by Peter Kump, the school offers highly regarded 8- to 12-month career training programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Culinary Management and Hospitality Management. With an intensive curriculum, dedicated Chef Instructors, a strong record in externship placements and a clear entrepreneurial focus, ICE is widely regarded as a great pathway to begin or continue a culinary career. ICE also runs the largest program of hands-on recreational cooking classes and wine education courses in the country, with more than 26,000 enthusiasts taking any of the 1,500 classes offered each year. In 2008, ICE was named the International Association of Culinary Professionals' (IACP) Culinary School of the Year and a School of Distinction by the ACCSCT in 2006. ICE's 42,000 square-foot facility is open seven days and nights a week, 350 days a year and is located at 50 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. More information can be found at www.iceculinary.com.