International Culinary Center, the cooking school with locations in New York, California, and Italy, has launched an Advanced Chef Training slate of courses to help today's professionals hone their skills. 

Known for its fast-track culinary training, ICC marked its 30th anniversary this year with commencement at NYC's Carnegie Hall featuring graduate Bobby Flay (Culinary '84) as the keynote.

"We see this as a graduate school for professionals, mirroring the Total Immersion training and original curriculum we are known for," says ICC founder and CEO Dorothy Cann Hamilton. "Our alumni and other professionals tell us they like to stay absolutely current, as well as give their staff the opportunity to grow their own skill set. These new programs pinpoint the trending topics shaping the industry today."

Advanced Chef Training offerings are highly specialized courses addressing growing areas of business and are intended for industry professionals with culinary experience. Courses include:

• Culinary Technology for Professional Development: Offers an expert guide to modern methods, incorporating science and technology into the kitchen (two days or evenings).
• Trends in Baking: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Dairy-Free, and More: Focuses on new diets and eating habits (two  evenings).
• "Up Your Game" Intensive: An immersive session aimed to bring charcuterie in-house, learn modern techniques, and elevate the artistry of desserts (three days). Students who partake in this intensive are offered a one-night apprenticeship in a noteworthy NYC restaurant. ICC has been offering such training on a contract basis and is now opening it up to individuals.
• Custom Training for Groups: An experience available to foodservice companies ranging from hospitality to hospitals, country clubs to caterers, and supermarkets to school meal providers, with customized sessions across techniques in Culinary, Bread, Pastry, and Wine categories. ICC has provided these services in the past, but is now expanding its operations. Chef Brooks Hart from Cape Breton Community College, who came to ICC as part of a custom training group earlier this year, comments, "In my 22 years of cooking and teaching, I've never been presented with such a perfect opportunity to learn and grow as an industry with fellow chefs."

Another ICC course is aimed at those looking to launch a business from the ground up. Formerly called Restaurant Management, the Culinary Entrepreneurship program has been broadened to encompass different types of food businesses, reflecting the interest of the students. 

The course, held on nights and weekends, teaches the ins and outs of starting and scaling a food-related business with instructors from Cornell School of Hospitality, Union Square Hospitality Group, 'Wichcraft, and more.