Institute of Culinary Education - NY & LA

Enter: a red, white and blue confetti cake that brings both. This lemon-almond layer cake pairs fresh berries with cream cheese frosting and a full coating of sprinkles. The result feels nostalgic but elevated. The kind of centerpiece that earns its place on the table. Yes, it takes effort. But the payoff is clear: clean layers, bright color, balanced flavor and a finish that looks as good as it tastes.

When the award-winning series premieres its fifth and final season on June 25, viewers will once again tune in for its drama and pathos — high-strung personalities, emotionally volatile relationships and stress-inducing dinner services. For culinary professionals, however, the show’s appeal centers as much on industry hot takes as it does histrionic hijinx. Cooking and Crying Since its debut, The Bear has been much more than a show about cooking.

Raise your hand if you know the name Lou Rand Hogan. Don’t worry if your hands are in your lap. You’d only be outnumbered in a room of gay culinary historians. That’s because Lou Rand Hogan was what is often referred to as “before his time.” In 1965, he wrote the first openly queer cookbook published in the United States.

As a kid, she had volunteered to bring dessert to school events, and she loved decorating cakes and experimenting with flavors. It was instinctive, which is why it was also easy to return to. “I realized cooking was my happy place,” she says. Still, it took time to take that “happy place” seriously.

In reality, many culinary students begin with little (or no) professional cooking experience. Some are home cooks looking to turn their passion into a profession. Others are career changers ready for something new. Some have never stepped inside a professional kitchen before their first class. That’s because culinary school isn’t designed for finished chefs. It’s designed to teach foundational techniques, build confidence and prepare students for the structure and pace of professional kitchens.

Across my 20-year career opening, operating and consulting on more than 30 food and beverage concepts in the U.S. and abroad, the tools used to power the industry have changed dramatically. For example, when I opened the restaurant 5 Ninth in 2004, our tech stack fit on a few Micros terminals and a reservations book.

Summer corn doesn't need much help. At its peak, it's sweet, juicy and one of the season's greatest pleasures. But when farmers markets overflow and the harvest is abundant, fermentation offers a simple solution, simultaneously preserving and transforming flavor. In this recipe, fresh corn ferments alongside rosemary, thyme, leeks and black pepper, and develops a gentle tang and herbaceous complexity over several days.

But the link between soccer and cooking runs deeper than game-day traditions. Whether preparing for a World Cup match or a packed Saturday-night service, athletes and culinary professionals depend on a lot of the same skills: preparation, teamwork, leadership, adaptability and the capacity to perform under pressure. Mise en Place = Match Day Cristiano Ronaldo once said, “Talent without working hard is nothing.” Long before kickoff, elite players put in the work.

Like most employers, restaurant operators craft detailed job descriptions and create interview checklists. However, they often ask prospective employees the wrong questions, screen for the wrong skills and prioritize criteria that don’t actually predict success. So while the process feels organized, it’s often misguided, leaving employers surprised when the hire doesn’t work out.

Ten years ago, few non-culinarians knew what fermentation was. Today, it’s everywhere: on menus, in product lines and across social media. Still, its use remained surface-level in many restaurant kitchens, a technique applied for novelty more than purpose. In recent years, that’s started to change. As chefs deepen their understanding of how flavor works — from aroma to ingredient behavior — fermentation is becoming less of a trend and more of a tool.