The Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America
Lifetime membership in an exclusive club—that’s what awaits you as a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. Our 43,000-strong network of alumni can testify to the exceptional value of a CIA education. With your CIA degree in hand, you don’t just have a foot in the door—you have thousands of feet in the door. The list of celebrated CIA alumni is as diverse as it is extensive. John Besh, Cat Cora, Duff Goldman, Susan Feniger, Johnny Iuzzini, Roy Yamaguchi, Sherry Yard—these are just a small sampling of our many alumni leaders. They’ve found success doing what they love. They fully embraced the idea that Food is Life. Now it’s your turn.
Going Home is a Breeze The soft island breezes and fragrant smells of the island of Nevis were never far from Michael Henville’s mind when he was up north attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. “I never really acclimated to the northern climate, but the CIA made such an impact in my life I would do all four years over again in a heartbeat,” says Michael. Now back … [Read more...]
When it comes to talking wine, Chain Bridge Cellars Wine Consultant Diane McMartin ’11 has the floor. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America’s Accelerated Wine and Beverage Certificate Program (AWBP), Diane loves to use what she learned to recommend the perfect wine. “My favorite kind of customer,” says Diane, “is the one saying ‘I’m making this recipe and need to find a … [Read more...]
As you travel five miles down a dirt road in Southern Utah, you’re seemingly lost in a vast, majestic desert. Surrounded by flat-topped mesas, towering plateaus, and creosote bushes, the area appears at once stark and barren yet, at the same time, stunning and vibrant. Here, tucked away from view behind a large rock escarpment, sit an oasis of refined beauty. Amangiri is a 34-room five-star … [Read more...]
Chef Johnny Hernandez is living proof that you can come home again. He grew up in San Antonio, where his father, a Mexican migrant worker with a second grade education, had a restaurant. An entrepreneur even as a child, Johnny would take breakfast tacos from his dad’s restaurant and sell or barter them at school. Recognizing Johnny’s spirit and drive, his father urged him to get the best … [Read more...]
It’s the philosophy of Tim Prosinski ’94, foodservice director at the Berlin Public Schools in Connecticut, that if schools are committed to teaching kids the right way to apply math and science, they should teach them the right way to eat. In his estimation, it’s just as important. After years in the hotel and restaurant business, Tim made the change to school food ostensibly because … [Read more...]
Imagine having to describe and identify six wines, including grape type, country, region of origin, vintage, and quality level, within 25 minutes. This is only one part of the challenge facing those who wish to sit for the Master Sommelier diploma examination. The practical and theory portions are equally difficult. In the service practical, seasoned Master Sommeliers role-play guests in a … [Read more...]
When Stephen Robertson '72, owner of Hells Canyon Winery in Idaho, told his daughter Bijou "making wine is all about being able to taste, and to really taste you have to learn to cook," she took his words to heart. She arrived at the CIA armed with a desire to learn all she could about food and wine. She attended Michael Weiss's and Steven Kolpan's wine classes simultaneously so as to not miss any … [Read more...]
Dave Peacock has a secret the whole time he was studying baking and pastry at the CIA; working at Todd English's Olives in Washington, DC; and leading the baking and pastry start-up at the Sofitel, also in DC. He was, in truth, a "basement brewer." He would make chocolate in class with Chef Peter Greweling and learn the fine art of bread baking from Chef Richard Coppedge. He would spend long … [Read more...]
Like many CIA freshmen, Eddie Ledesma arrived on campus with aspirations of becoming an executive chef. But after returning from externship, he discovered his true passion. "The restaurant classes, the wines course, the bachelor's courses...they all really helped foster a love for the front of the house." So after graduating from the BPS program, Eddie joined The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, FL as … [Read more...]
It was while studying in the CIA's library that Charles LaMonica '79 first began to recognize that Sally Lewis '79 was his soul mate. And while he won't divulge exactly what he said standing there among the books that caught her attention and won her heart, he will reveal that Sally has been the partner of a lifetime—in and out of the kitchen. After graduating and getting married, the two … [Read more...]
