Elite Italiano Adventure @ The International Culinary Center

«When you use sh*tty wine, your risotto will be sh*tty.» — Chef Cesare
So, there you go.

Very cool Unilocal event, I loved this one! Learning to cook from an Italian man first hand? Um yes! Loved it. I would die to have their pantry at my fingertips. It’s like 3x the size of my apartment.
I really appreciated the tour of the school and the happy hour afterwards. The nibbles and bites were great and everyone seemed so happy to have us there! Thank you Culinary Center! :)

This is one of the most unique events in NYC. Chef Caesar is humorous and very knowledgeable about cooking. He made Risotto for the audience. The camera filmed live cooking show but was not as clear as it should be.
Nevertheless, we got to sample the risotto and it was creamy, fresh and delicious. The event showcased the schools, its pioneering Italian cooking program and the classrooms. I wish I could go to the school! They even send you to Italy for intensive training!
We ended the event with light dinner fare and wine on the rooftop of the building. It was a true success!

Jane, Jando and the rest of the team — outstanding. Again. I almost dare you to throw an event that doesn’t deserve five stars. But do it on a night when I don’t attend.
The ICC staff was great. I arrived late and they swiftly took my coat and ushered me to the classroom. I’ve never been in a cooking classroom with the camera over the cooking station and it was great! Especially as I was way in the back but I could still see everything.
Chef Cesare was great. While it was a bit of a challenge to understand him (and I speak minimal Italian!), I was able to get the gist. He cooks like my family — no measurements. His jokes were endearing and the rosemary in his pocket — awesome.
Touring the facility was as cool as the class. All those incredible «soon to be famous» chefs making pastries, bread, meals… I almost wanted to sneak in and learn from them!
The reception on the top floor was just wonderful. I never expected that much food (how outstanding was that sausage?) and the drinks. What a classy and top notch event.
And ICC — than you for hosting us Unilocalers. We really do appreciate it.
See y’all at L’Ecole with our free drink certs?

This is one of my favorite restaurants to begin with. Having the chance to see things happen behind the scenes was a no-​brainer! The food was amazing (as always) and it was nice to see other enthusiastic Unilocalers!
The presentation was so engaging and interesting, I loved the demo by the dean of this highly acclaimed culinary school. It was so interesting being able to see the classes in session while we had a private tour of the school.
This was my first Unilocal Elite event and I had a blast– can’t wait to go to another!

International Culinary Center took VIP treatment to a new level at this elite event!
First of all, the concept of this event was so unique and cool there’s no way it could have been anything less than a knockout. Props to Jane K. for creating a fabulous collaboration.
We were welcomed to the International Culinary Center with trays of prosecco, plates of shaved meats and a private seminar on how to create the perfect risotto, courtesy of the Dean of the italian school. We each got to sample a plate of the risotto and it was delicious. The facility is state of the art with projection screens, live camera feed, and incredible audio. Learning in this classroom has got to be attention grabbing! After the demo, we were ushered through the rest of the school and got to see students hard at work learning the arts of bread making, pastry, and culinary arts. Our outstanding tour culminated in a private party with a massive spread of delectable appetizers and wine.
The staff at International Culinary Center were incredible hosts and left a lasting positive impression of their facility. I thoroughly enjoyed the gift bags we got to take home and can’t wait to check out L’ecole with the free drink coupons we received.
I loved getting to experience something I would never be able to outside of this opportunity (unless I decide to switch careers and become a world class chef!) It was such a unique event, I’m SO grateful I got to be a part of it!

Ah, it’s so nice to enjoy an evening respecting the Italian culture without having to hear words like «Snookie» or «Jersey» or even «grenade» get tossed around.
Out of almost 500 people who RSVP’d, only 80 were able to be selected to partake in this extraordinary Unilocal Elite event at the International Culinary Center. I guess that wine gift basket with spa passes and a personal slave I sent to Jane K. last week worked…
Upon arriving to the Center, we were checked in and offered to have our coats hung up. I hastily rid myself of the giant piece of polyester off my back and handed it to the sweet coat check girl. Lawd knows, I did not want to drag it around all night especially when I would need my hands free for nomming. I then followed the crowd into the mini-​auditorium room where I was immediately offered a glass of Prosecco. Don’t mind if I do! After claiming my seat two rows behind the kitchen island, I headed to the back of the room where a lovely block of meats was set up for our enjoyment. All were different kinds of Italian cuts and I happily sampled each one. My favorite by far was the prosciutto; it was so sweet yet satisfyingly salty and seemed to practically dissolve on my tongue like an acid strip.
After snatching another glass of Prosecco, I settled down in my seat next to my comrades and waited for the festivities to begin. The audience gave a loud and welcoming applause when Chef Cesare Casella was introduced to us. He started talking to us about his background, his love of Italian cooking (for he is in fact a *real* Italian) and what he would be preparing for the evening. He announced he would be cooking a Risotto Primavera using artichokes, asparagus, and peas! I wish we had had a recipe card to take home because I honestly don’t know any of the proper measurements he used in his dish… but that’s ok. A few minutes in and I was pretty much rendered dumb and useless by the intoxicating smell that was invading our nostrils relentlessly.
*cue drooling*
At one point I thought to myself FINALLY, I am actually watching a master chef cook something in front of me and I am actually going to EAT it (unlike at home when there’s usually a television screen in the way and I somehow end up with a broken nose). Thank God I sat in the second row with bodies in front of me otherwise I might have lunged at Chef Cesare and stolen his pan of risotto and high tailed it.
We were all passed little individual plates of risotto that had been cooked by the chef’s team in the back. I should have just stolen Cesare’s pan for myself but whatever, too many witnesses. The risotto was so creamy and delicious. The delicate cuts of artichoke, slices of asparagus, and earthy peas made the flavors dance to life in my mouth. After lots of swallowing, sighing and sounds of enjoyment throughout the room, Chef Cesare allowed his audience to ask questions before we went on with the evening.
After a quick lesson on how to properly cut and prepare an artichoke, we were led on a tour of the facility. I got to see all of the classrooms that the students slave away in hopes of becoming master chefs one day. We were then led to a wall of all hand molds of famous chefs that had attended the center such as David Chang (baby daddy of the Momofuku empire) and Bobby Flay. On a side note, I learned that my hands are tiny compared to Anthony Bourdain’s. You know what they say about big hands!
Once our tour was completed, we were led to the 5^th floor where a bountiful spread of antipasto awaited for us in a reception room. I was able to sample a delicious seafood salad, sausage bites, roasted tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, mixed nuts, bean salad, and some high quality Parmigiano-​Reggiano cheese. I broke off a huge slab of that wedge and nibbled on that for a good part of an hour. This was the good stuff– the stuff that high end restaurants feel squirmish about giving me 7^th helpings on when I ask for more grated cheese on my pasta.
After tons of picture taking and becoming an honorary Asian for a good thirty minutes, it was time to head home. I was able to score one the few remaining gift bags before I left which came with a fresh baguette, biscotti, a pamphlet on the center, and a certificate for free drinks for two at L’Ecole. I know where my next date night is!
I am beyond excited to try out Chef Cesare’s restaurant Salumeria Rosi and of course, L’Ecole soon. After a taste I need to come back for more! I tried to take as many pictures as possible to help those of you who couldn’t come visualize the experience… or make you jealous, whichever you want to believe. I’m sure they accomplished both.
Major homage, sacrifices, and praises must be paid to the lovely Jane K. and the rest of the Unilocal crew who set up this incredible night for us as well as Chef Cesare and the team at the International Culinary Center! Says the Unilocaler who wishes she could be 100% Italian but is sadly only 75%, grazie mille!

I’m so glad I got to experience this amazing Unilocal Elite event!
Jaimin S. and I love cooking shows so it was fantastic to be at a real demonstration and smell/​taste the food the chef was cooking. Chef Cesare prepared a risotto with asparagus and peas and it was delicious. He was pretty fun to watch too, with his little jokes and all.
We took a tour of the building and saw the students in action. It was nice to daydream about going to the school and making amazing food. The event ended with antipasti and wine on the top floor… the bean antipasti was amazing! I think it was mixed beans, capers, lime juice, and raisins… YUM!
Thanks to the Unilocal team & ICC for organizing such a great event! :-)

My favorite Unilocal Elite event so far — thanks so much to Jane K. for the opportunity!
Loved watching Chef Cesare prepare the articoke and asparagus risotto. The experience was both educational and entertaining; the audience appreciated the Chef’s Italian accent and humor. The tour and the mingling later on was great fun as well, and just when we thought it couldn’t get better, we were all sent home with the bright orange gift bags. I felt giddy all night carrying around that baguette that was approximately the size of my arm.

Bravo! The International Culinary Center held a fabulous fun food filled evening for us.
Starting off the night with bites of salumi and prosecco, there was a cooking demonstration from Chef Cesare Casella of a vegetable risotto w/​artichokes, asparagus, and peas. I learned alot of tips from cutting asparagus to cooking risotto and loved the addition of butter, two kinds of Italian cheese to enhance the creaminess of the risotto. The finished product was delicious.
We toured the kitchens and witnessed the savory and cake and pastry sections. State of the art kitchens and lovely cakes and chocolates were delightful– Love me some kitchens. The Iternational Culinary Center is top-​shelf culinary school for the study of Italian cusine.
After the tour– Italian foods from eggplant caponata to potato baccala were generously available for tasting along with various wines. A chance to meet up with fellow Unilocal Elite community members and a fabulous night of food and mingling.

10 stars… I can do that right?
This event brought back memories of when I was in college studying Hospitality Management having to take culinary/​baking/​pastry classes. Only it made me feel bad that I couldn’t afford to attend this school, wahhh…
The first part of the event, we had a live cooking demo. Now I know how it feels to be in an audience of a cooking show. Chef Cesare was preparing primavera risotto. He showed us step by step and explained what we should/shouldn’t do while making it. It smelled great even though he was just cooking onions… they give off a wonderful aroma. We ended up trying a small sample… can I have some more pleassse… LOL
After that, we had a tour of the school, from the 2^nd floor and it ended on the 5^th floor where we sampled some of their creations. My favorite was the seafood salad.
Thank You Jane and the ICC for setting this up!!!

This was a little different from the other events that I have partaken in, and I knew it was going to be great.
From the minute you walked in you were greeted with Prosecco and Charcuterie from Salumeria Rossi, which as a Sicilian can never get tired of.
When I saw that Cesare was going to be the chef, I knew I had to be their. I sat in the front row so I wouldn’t miss anything, and there were also cameras video taping and showing it on the big screen which was nice.
Cesare showed us how to make a dish from his region in Tuscana, which is every Italians favorite… Risotto. He did a great job of explaining every detail and was super funny. After we all got a sample which other chefs made behind the scenes.
After the the demo we took a tour around the whole cooking school and they showed us all the different types of classes and interesting facts about the school and its programs.
From there we had a reception on the top floor with more wine and food, where Unilocalers could eat, mingle and talked about all the different things that the loved about the night. I met some new people and also caught up with some friends.
Thanks again to Unilocal,Jane and all the people that made this happen. It was an awesome time and I loved every minute of it.

I have to admit, as a Unilocal Elite, I’ve been MIA for a while. But this event brought me back!!! I haven’t had this much fun since the good ol’ days of Unilocal ’08! Meetin, eatin’ and minglin’.
The previous reviews already explained everything, so I’m just going to use this as a forum for shout outs: Radford T, Athena C (and mom), Juan T, Peter K (who I’ve apparently met over and over again), Rich W (Daddy Unilocal!), Sally W, and caught Emily C last minute before we left for Booze and Cookies!
Of course, it’s always good to see Jane and Jando!
I love Unilocal.
P. S. WHAT was that wonderful cheese?!? I took a whole block of it and shared with strangers. Yeah I’m classy.

This event was not only informative, decadent, and luxurious but also made for an incredible double-​Yelp-​date! I woke up this morning all smiles, reminiscing already about my perfect evening:
Let’s start with the cooking class. This class seriously doubled as evening entertainment; Chef Cesare was hilarious in addition to being informative. It probably had something to do with the beautiful, thick Italian accent and incredible analogies he made throughout the evening. He kept us laughing and on our toes as he showed us how to make a true risotto primavera from scratch. And all this while sipping on prosecco, munching on yummy crostini with various charceuterie, and getting a taste of the finished risotto product? Incredible.
After the class we toured the Culinary Center, which was fascinating, and ended up on the 5^th floor for some delicious wines and antipasti. These ended up being so delicious and filling that we had no need to eat dinner afterwards. We shmoozed with fellow Unilocalers and a few of the chefs who were also present, and then went to L’Ecole for cocktails using our gift-​cards that we received after the event.
I think yesterday will go down in history as my favorite Monday of all time.

Chef Cesare please adopt me so I can live at the ICC and eat your food allll the time!
I was initially wait-​listed but am SO grateful I was able to go because it was one of the most memorable YEE ever. Chef Cesare is good humored and reminds me of an Italian Santa with sprigs of herbs in his shirt pocket.
The entire time I felt like I was on Oprah. Not only are you going to be enjoying free wine and amazing Italian food while watching a demo, you also get to take home some home made biscotti… AND loaf of bread… ANDDDDDD free drinks at L’Ecole!
Lovelovelove. Thanks Unilocal,ICC and Jane K. for an amazing night!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow!
Jane continues to impress and outdo herself with what she is able to pull off. I mean, a demonstration and a tour of the International Culinary Center? We were actually treated to a small lecture about risotto from the Dean of Italian Studies while he cooked the risotto in front of us. And he was such a character, very funny, and came complete with a thick Italian accent. Afterwards we were given a tour of the school, and saw many student chefs in various kitchens cooking and baking.
At the end of the tour, there was a table of food laid out for us to sample, and the amount of food on the plates never seemed to diminish no matter how ravenously we took food from the table. Every single thing was absolutely delicious as expected. There was also champagne and wine to quench our thirst.
After all that, each of us were given a bag of goodies to leave the event with.
This was an amazing, amazing event. It definitely ranked as one of the best events I had ever been to, if not the best. And the fact that I got to experience this event with some good friends made it all the sweeter.

Hector pretty much summed it up. Great evening from start (prosecco and salumi) to finish (gift bags with fresh bread). And Cesare taught me how to make divine spring vegetable risotto as well as how to properly cut an artichoke.
Part of me envied all of the students in the classroom kitchens, decked out in their chef whites, busy icing cakes or chopping and seasoning. Totally fantasized about dropping out of med school in order to go to culinary school. (I’m already planning on it for a third career).
Thanks Unilocal for a fabulous event!

One of the most unique Unilocal events I have ever been to till date.
Who doesn’t want a Master Chef cook some of his renowned dishes right in front of your eyes. The event was organized on the second floor of the Culinary center. The Chef cooked Risotto right in front of the audience. The Chef explained all the intricacies of the ingredients used in making Risotto. The Chef made the cooking look so simple and elegant and was also cracking some funny quotes in between his cooking. As soon the chef finished cooking everybody was offered to taste small sampling of the Risotto.
After the interactive cooking session got over the audience were divided into different groups for the tour of the Culinary Center. Every group had an assigned tour guide.
We were taken to different floors of the school. There were cooking classes going on where students were making bakery items (Cakes and Cookies) and food. It was fun to see students working hard to dish out some nice food.
The tour ended with all the Unilocalers walking into the hall on top floor overlooking Broadway. We were treated with food and some really nice wines after the tour. Thanks to Culinary Center for hosting such a nice event and not to mention giving all of us awesome goody bags.
Thanks to Jane K and team for organizing such a unique event.

Tonight, I got some fingerless gloves that say « Unilocal Life» on the knuckles. I will never take them off.
BOOM.

Ciao Bella!
How do you say «This event was AWESOME» in Italian?
Let’s see:
Step 1: Walk in, grab some meat, bread, and a glass of sparkling wine.
Step 2: We grabbed a seat and saw a video to ICC’s intense Italian study program and their impressive list of alumni (David Chang, Bobby Flay, Dan Barber, etc). Ummm… who wouldn’t want to study in Italy for 18 weeks?!
Step 3: Celebrity chef Cesare Casella of Salumeria Rosi (and of Anthony Bourdain fame) did a cooking demo making asparagus/​artichoke risotto.
Step4: We got to eat a sample of the risotto.
Step 5: We received a tour of their 5-​floor school and got to look in on a few classes.
Step 6: There was a private reception for us on the top floor with anti-​pasta and a few wines.
Step 7: Everyone received a gift bag with fresh baked bread, biscotti, information on the school, and a certificate for free drinks at L’Ecole.
Special thank you to Jane K and to International Culinary Center for being such great hosts.