The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is renowned for launching thousands of culinary careers, and its 2025 career fairs are key events for students and graduates to network with employers.
In both New York City and Los Angeles, ICE’s career fairs bring together aspiring culinary professionals and top industry employers ranging from fine-dining restaurants to luxury hotels.
Below is a rundown of all ICE career fair events in 2025 – including those that have already taken place and those on the horizon – complete with dates, status, participating employer types, registration details, and special features.
2025 ICE Career Fairs at a Glance- Spring 2025 Career Fairs Recap
- New York Campus – Spring 2025 Career Fair (Occurred)
- Los Angeles Campus – Spring 2025 Career Fair (Occurred)
- Upcoming Career Fairs in 2025
- New York Campus – Fall 2025 Career Fair (Upcoming)
- Los Angeles Campus – Late 2025 Career Events (Upcoming)
- Employers and Opportunities: Who Attends ICE Career Fairs?
- Registration and Preparation for Career Fairs
- Networking and Special Features
- Conclusion
2025 ICE Career Fairs at a Glance
- Spring 2025 Career Fair – New York Campus: Held on 22 January 2025 (Occurred).
- Spring 2025 Career Fair – Los Angeles Campus: Held on 12 February 2025 (Occurred).
- Fall 2025 Career Fair – New York Campus: Upcoming in late 2025 (Date to be announced).
- Late 2025 Career Event – Los Angeles Campus: Upcoming in 2025 (Additional recruitment events expected; dates TBA).
Each of these events is designed exclusively for ICE students and alumni, providing them with direct access to employers for externship and job opportunities.
Below, we delve into each fair’s details and what participants can expect.
Spring 2025 Career Fairs Recap
Spring 2025 brought exciting opportunities for ICE students across both coasts. With major career fairs held at the New York and Los Angeles campuses, students and alumni connected directly with top-tier employers, securing interviews, externships, and valuable industry contacts for their next professional steps.
New York Campus – Spring 2025 Career Fair (Occurred)
ICE New York kicked off the year with its Spring 2025 Career Fair in late January. The event took place at ICE’s downtown NYC campus and saw a strong turnout of current students and recent alumni eager to jumpstart their careers.
Attendees, clad in crisp chef uniforms or business-casual attire, circulated through employer booths with resumes in hand. ICE’s career services team had advised students to come prepared with around 20 copies of their résumé and to research the companies in advance. This preparation paid off as students and grads engaged in face-to-face conversations with hiring managers from many of New York’s top food businesses.
The NYC Spring fair featured dozens of employers representing a cross-section of the hospitality industry. Recruiters from celebrated restaurant groups, pastry shops, boutique catering companies, and major hotel chains were in attendance.
Notably, many participating recruiters were ICE alumni themselves – successful chefs and entrepreneurs who returned to scout new talent for their kitchens and food ventures. This created an encouraging atmosphere where students could network not only with potential bosses but also with alumni mentors.
By the end of the fair, attendees had learned about specific job openings and many secured leads for externships and job interviews on the spot. The Spring 2025 NYC Career Fair was, in summary, a bustling success that connected the ICE community with some of the industry’s leading employers.
Los Angeles Campus – Spring 2025 Career Fair (Occurred)
Following New York, ICE’s Los Angeles campus held its Spring 2025 Career Fair in mid-February. Taking place at ICE’s Pasadena facility, this fair mirrored the objectives of the New York event while catering to the West Coast culinary scene.
Dozens of California-based employers turned up, ranging from trendy Los Angeles restaurants and food trucks to upscale resorts and event catering companies. Students in LA had been looking forward to this opportunity, as ICE’s career fairs are biannual in New York and complemented by frequent recruitment events in Los Angeles.
The Spring fair gave LA students a dedicated day to meet recruiters in person on campus, in addition to smaller networking sessions that ICE LA hosts throughout the year.
ICE Los Angeles’s event had a vibrant mix of companies. Attendees could chat with hiring managers from farm-to-table restaurants, Hollywood hotel kitchens, artisanal bakeries, and even cruise line recruiters seeking culinary staff – reflecting the broad spectrum of culinary careers available.
Like the NYC fair, several alumni-owned businesses were present, underscoring ICE’s extensive network in the industry. Students circulated among tables, exchanging information and resumes, and learning about what different employers seek in new hires. The atmosphere was both professional and upbeat, with some employers conducting informal preliminary interviews on the spot.
This fair also incorporated digital elements – a few employers who couldn’t attend in person joined via virtual info sessions, aligning with ICE LA’s practice of hosting online recruiting events when needed.
By the end of the day, ICE’s Los Angeles students had built new connections and many lined up follow-ups, making the Spring 2025 fair a valuable stepping stone into the local culinary job market.
Upcoming Career Fairs in 2025
With the success of the spring events, ICE students can look forward to even more opportunities to connect with employers in the second half of the year.
Both the New York and Los Angeles campuses are gearing up to host additional career fairs and recruitment events, giving students and alumni fresh chances to build their networks and land exciting culinary roles.
New York Campus – Fall 2025 Career Fair (Upcoming)
ICE New York’s career services team is already preparing for the Fall 2025 Career Fair, which is expected to take place in the latter part of 2025 (typically in the autumn, with the exact date to be announced). Historically, ICE’s New York campus hosts two major career fairs each year (biannual), one in the spring and one in the fall.
Following the successful January event, the fall fair will offer another chance for students graduating later in the year – as well as alumni seeking new opportunities – to meet a new roster of employers. Students can anticipate a similar format: an on-campus fair likely held in a large teaching kitchen or event space, packed with booths from a wide range of hospitality employers.
Given past trends, ICE will invite a fresh mix of restaurants, hotels, and food businesses, including many that may not have recruited in the spring.
The Fall 2025 fair will be an upcoming opportunity for students to network, and ICE will likely send out registration details and an employer list as the date approaches, so attendees can research and prepare in advance.
If you’re an ICE New York student or alum, keep an eye on your email and the ICE events page for the official announcement of the date and participating companies – this will be another not-to-miss event to launch your culinary career.
Los Angeles Campus – Late 2025 Career Events (Upcoming)
While the Los Angeles campus may not follow the exact biannual schedule of New York, it continues to offer frequent recruiting events throughout the year.
After the Spring 2025 fair, ICE Los Angeles is expected to host additional career placement events later in 2025. These might take the form of another in-person career fair in the second half of the year or a series of smaller on-campus recruitment days and virtual info sessions with employers.
Los Angeles’s culinary and hospitality industry is ever-evolving, so ICE’s career services often bring in recruiters on a rolling basis – for instance, inviting seasonal employers (like holiday catering companies or new restaurant openings) for targeted hiring sessions. Students at ICE LA can anticipate at least one more major career event in 2025, likely in the latter half of the year.
Details will be announced by the campus as opportunities arise. In the meantime, LA students are encouraged to take advantage of any networking receptions or guest speaker events on campus (for example, visits from notable chefs or restaurateurs) which often coincide with recruitment efforts. These engagements complement the formal career fairs by broadening students’ exposure to industry leaders.
As with New York, all upcoming Los Angeles recruitment events will be communicated by ICE’s career services, so students should stay tuned for announcements and be prepared to register when the time comes.
Employers and Opportunities: Who Attends ICE Career Fairs?
At ICE career fairs, students can meet a vast array of employers from across the food and hospitality spectrum. The school prides itself on leveraging its extensive industry network to draw in leading companies and esteemed culinary professionals.
Employers at these events have included celebrated fine-dining restaurants, Michelin-starred establishments, and large restaurant groups with multiple concepts.
But it’s not just restaurants – the scope of recruitment is broad. Over the years, ICE has expanded its career fairs to feature:
- Hotels and Resorts: Luxury hotel chains and resort properties often attend, seeking talent for their kitchens, pastry departments, and food & beverage operations.
- Catering and Event Companies: High-end catering services, event production companies, and banquet venues come looking for chefs and culinary staff for catering operations.
- Cruise Lines and Travel Dining: Recruiters from cruise ship lines and travel hospitality firms sometimes participate, offering unique opportunities for graduates to cook while seeing the world.
- Food Companies and Culinary Brands: From gourmet food markets to specialty food producers and retail food brands, a variety of food companies join to hire culinary-trained staff for roles beyond the traditional kitchen.
- Alumni-Founded Businesses: Many employers are ICE alumni who have started their own restaurants, bakeries, or catering outfits, coming back to hire the next generation. This creates an inspiring environment where students meet entrepreneurs who were once in their shoes.
- Consulting & Media: In some cases, culinary consulting firms, hospitality groups, or even food media companies have appeared, demonstrating the diverse career paths available.
These employers collectively represent virtually every sector of the food and hospitality industry, from kitchen positions to management roles.
The benefit for students is twofold: not only can they discover open positions and externships, they also gain insight into different corners of the industry. An aspiring pastry chef might chat with a boutique chocolatier, while a future restaurant owner might meet seasoned managers from a major hotel – all in one room.
ICE career fairs are as much about exploration and learning as they are about job hunting. Employers, for their part, are enthusiastic because they know ICE produces graduates with strong fundamental skills and a passion for the craft.
Registration and Preparation for Career Fairs
Both students and employers need to plan ahead to get the most out of ICE’s career fairs.
Students and Alumni
For students and alumni, ICE typically requires advance registration for these events.
Announcements are sent out via email and posted on ICE’s official website events page when a career fair is upcoming, along with a registration link (often through an online form or Eventbrite).
Because these fairs are exclusive to the ICE community, an RSVP is necessary – in fact, the events can reach capacity. (For example, a past NYC fair’s registration filled all available slots, with late registrants being placed on a waiting list.)
It’s advisable for interested students to sign up as early as possible once registration opens. There is usually no cost to attend for ICE students/alumni; the main requirement is to be proactive and timely in registering.
In the lead-up to each fair, ICE’s Career Services provides ample support to help students put their best foot forward. They offer one-on-one advising and even host “career fair prep” workshops in advance of the event.
In these sessions, students can get their resumes reviewed, practice their elevator pitches, and receive guidance on professional etiquette. ICE advisors often remind attendees to dress in either their pristine chef whites or appropriate business attire, and to bring plenty of printed resumes.
By preparing in this manner, students can approach employer tables with confidence. The school emphasizes that the career fair isn’t a casual browse – it’s essentially a series of mini job interviews and networking moments, so preparation is key.
Employers
On the employer side, participation in ICE career fairs is typically by invitation or through direct coordination with ICE’s Career Services department. ICE maintains relationships with a vast network of industry employers and alumni, inviting a curated mix of companies that align with the skills of ICE graduates.
However, new employers interested in recruiting from ICE are welcome to reach out to the school. ICE encourages prospective hiring partners to contact the Career Services offices (via dedicated emails for each campus) to inquire about joining a career fair or other recruitment opportunities.
Employers can get in touch with the New York campus at [email protected] or the Los Angeles campus at [email protected]. Upon connecting, they may receive details on upcoming fairs, guidelines for participation, and information on how to post job listings to ICE’s internal job board.
Notably, ICE does not charge employers to attend these fairs – the goal is to maximize opportunities for students – but space is usually limited. Thus, employers are encouraged to confirm their attendance early. Some employers also opt to host on-site interviews or skills demos as part of the fair; ICE works with them to accommodate any special setup (for instance, a tasting of a product or a quick cooking test for candidates can sometimes be arranged).
Networking and Special Features
ICE’s career fairs are more than just recruitment drives; they double as valuable networking events. Students get to meet peers from other programs, exchange experiences, and even collaborate – you’ll often see pastry students chatting with culinary arts students about potential joint projects.
The fairs sometimes include networking receptions or informal mixers after the main event, giving everyone a chance to mingle in a relaxed setting. In past years, ICE has hosted a brief reception with refreshments at the close of the fair, so that students, alumni, and employers can continue conversations beyond the initial meet-and-greet.
Additionally, in the days surrounding the career fairs, ICE often schedules related activities: for example, a notable alumnus or industry leader might give a talk or demo on campus that week, capitalizing on the presence of employers and alumni visitors. These can feel like mini-keynote sessions that inspire the attendees.
While the 2025 spring fairs were primarily focused on the career expo itself, ICE did have prominent chefs on campus that same week (such as Chef Douglas Keane visiting ICE–LA) which added to the buzz and learning opportunities for students.
Another modern feature is the inclusion of virtual options when necessary. ICE learned from recent years that having a hybrid element can broaden the reach of career events. The Los Angeles campus, in particular, has been innovative in hosting online recruitment webinars and virtual career fairs for employers who are out of town or when scheduling an in-person event isn’t feasible.
In 2025, the primary format of the fairs was in-person (reflecting the hands-on nature of culinary hiring), but some employers did take advantage of technology – for instance, conducting follow-up Zoom interviews or collecting digital resumes via QR codes at their tables.
This blend of traditional and modern recruiting means ICE students can engage with companies even beyond those physically present.
Conclusion
In summary, the ICE Career Fairs of 2025 – in both New York and Los Angeles – are pivotal events designed to bridge culinary talent with the hospitality industry.
From the bustling spring fairs that have already energized the campuses, to the much-anticipated fall/winter events yet to come, ICE continues to provide its students and alumni with unparalleled access to employment opportunities.
These fairs feature a rich variety of employers (restaurants, hotels, resorts, catering companies, cruise lines, food enterprises and more) and offer special touches like networking receptions and prep workshops to enhance the experience.
The formula of mixing top-tier industry recruiters with enthusiastic, well-prepared students has proven successful: not only do many attendees land jobs or externships, but they also build professional relationships that can last a lifetime.
