The Institute of Culinary Education Recreational Program Showcases BlueStar Cooking Equipment

NEW YORK, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is proud to announce that BlueStar is the exclusive provider of stoves and ovens for ICE's 12th floor recreational kitchen classrooms. BlueStar is a pioneer and manufacturer of high quality, reliable, custom-made cooking equipment.

ICE Director of Education Richard Simpson said, "The quality and durability of the BlueStar line is amazing. The ranges and ovens are ideal for our wide variety of classes and we are proud to showcase them in our kitchens." Independent studies have shown that BlueStar outperforms leading high-performance stoves when tested for boiling, simmering, deep frying, stir-frying and searing. The new BlueStar equipment at ICE includes seven 30-inch four-burner ranges and three 36-inch six-burner cooktops, all at 22,000 BTUs, as well as two double wall ovens.

"BlueStar represents power, performance and distinction for the home chef," said BlueStar President Mike Trapp. "It's great that so many passionate students and chefs at ICE will get the opportunity to experience BlueStar's performance for themselves."

ICE's 12th floor demonstration kitchen, now equipped with BlueStar, has hosted chefs such as Red Rooster's Marcus Samuelsson, Modernist Cuisine's Nathan Myrhvold and ICE alum Marc Murphy, among many other culinary luminaries and chefs. It frequently hosts media events and serves as a set of shows like Top Chef, Next Food Network Star and Celebrity Apprentice.

"BlueStar was developed for people who love to cook and so was ICE," said ICE President Rick Smilow. "Its durability will become evident with ICE's 1,500 classes and hundreds of special events ICE hosts on the 12th floor each year," Smilow added.

ICE and BlueStar also plan to collaborate on special events, education and cause-related marketing initiatives in the years to come.

About ICE

The Institute of Culinary Education (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 13-month career training programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Culinary Management and Hospitality Management. ICE also runs one of the largest programs of recreational cooking classes 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. More information can be found at www.iceculinary.com

About BlueStar

BlueStar™ — Genuine Restaurant Ranges for the Home™ — manufactures high-performance gas ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, vent hoods, and cookware for the residential market. The company's unique open burner system produces 22,000 BTU of cooking power, resulting in shorter cooking times and an even simmer. Each BlueStar range is hand-crafted in Reading, Pennsylvania and features burners that can be custom configured at the time of order. Most BlueStar models are available in 190 colors, at no extra charge. For more information, please visit www.bluestarcooking.com.

SOURCE The Institute of Culinary Education