Rising Stars: Summer 2014 Edition

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- International Culinary Center (ICC) has released the latest list of rising chef graduates worldwide, spanning Mexico to Mumbai.  With 15,000+ alumni from 84 countries, ICC is a globally leading cooking school, with programs in New York, California and Italy; notable alumni include chefs Bobby Flay, Christina Tosi, David Chang, Dan Barber and Hooni Kim. Nearly 20% of its students come from outside the U.S.—twice the percentage from five years ago. ICC's programs blend Total Immersion training with culinary entrepreneurship to help students succeed. International grads include:

Elena Reygadas (Culinary '01): A Mexico City native, Reygadas trained at ICC before working in leading London kitchens. In 2011, she headed home to open Rosetta, a modern restaurant grounded in Mexican traditions. Now Chef/Owner of Rosetta and Panaderia Rosetta, she was recently named Veuve Clicquot's "Best Female Chef in Latin America."

Sandy Yoon (Culinary '09): Korean-born Yoon studied at ICC before becoming a line cook at NYC's Spice Market. Just four years later, she is Executive Chef of MERCATO by Jean-Georges, one of the most-talked-about restaurants in Shanghai. Yoon recently won "Best Chef Award" for That's Shanghai Magazine's Food and Drink Awards 2014.

Pierre Lamielle (Culinary '08): From Calgary, Canada, Lamielle was a 2014 winner of Chopped Canada. Part chef/part illustrator, Lamielle's cookbooks, including Kitchen Scraps, led to two wins for the "Best Illustrated Cookbook in the World" at the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards.

Didem Senol (Culinary '02): A pioneer of Istanbul's locavore movement, Chef Senol serves up intricate Turkish dishes at her popular restaurants, Lokanta Maya and Gram. Named Time Out Istanbul's "Best Chef" in 2010, she published her book Aegean Flavors earlier this year.

Jason Licker (Pastry '99): Licker won Iron Chef Thailand in 2014 and is now Executive Pastry Chef at Ku De Ta in Bangkok. ICC grad Noppon Bunnak (Cake '13) won the same championship in 2013.

Aditi Handa (Bread '12): With the help of ICC's chef-instructors, Handa developed hundreds of bread recipes for The Baker's Dozen, an establishment of artisanal breads without preservatives. It was named "Best New Bakery" by Mumbai Mirror, and Handa has since opened two additional locations.

Budding talents looking to fast-track their culinary career can learn more about ICC at www.internationalculinarycenter.com.

For inquiries, contact Chloe Mata Crane ([email protected]) or Meredith Sidman ([email protected]).

SOURCE International Culinary Center