mise en place issue 55 getting better with age
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ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
No. 55, March 2011
Getting Better With AgeJoan, Then and Now...
Getting Better with AgeFoodservice meets the Boomers
6 Kopf: The Trip of a LifetimeA student’s journey to wine country
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Inside the CMC ExamA close-up look at the CMC exam and summit
16The Aging PalateThe experience of taste as we age
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(Left to Right) CiA fACuLty Lou Jones, CoRky CLARk ‘71, kAthy MeRget, shiRLey Cheng, JeAn MoRRis, gReg ZifChAk ‘80, And Lynne eddy
Across the PlazaFollowing the Presidential Trail | Opening New
Career Doors | Kudos | The Wisconsin Cheese Tour
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Education for LifeWith Age Comes Character | How WOF Changed My World
Book Shelf | Hiring the Best
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Gifts at WorkHobart and the CIA…in the Mix | Why Give? Giving’s Impact
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Class NotesAlumni Council Corner | Class Notes | In Memoriam
32
29
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While preparing this edition of mise en place, I realized two very important
things. First, how great it is that high-quality foodservice is making real
inroads in the healthcare/senior care industry. And second, aging ain’t what
it used to be. In fact, seniors are finding that, at least when it comes to food,
things can get better with age.
For the first time in our nation’s history, the senior population will outnumber
other generations. And Baby Boomers are redefining what it means to be
“old.” It’s clear when you hear them say, “60 is the new 40,” that their aging
bodies don’t necessarily reflect their still-young psyches. As the front edge
of the Boomer bubble officially hits retirement age in 2011, the healthcare/
senior care industry is feeling the approach and preparing. Providers know
that as a group, Boomers are more active, informed, and sophisticated than
previous generations of retirees. They’ve known a lifetime of exposure to
world cuisines, fine wines, and international travel. And because they are
Internet savvy, they know more about their medical conditions and proposed
treatments than any generation before them.
Businesses began anticipating the inevitable “senior boom” years ago, but
now, everyone has accelerated the pace. It is no different in the foodservice
industry. More and more experienced chefs are heading to the kitchens of
hospitals, retirement communities, and senior centers. They are succeeding
in developing inventive, flavorful, healthy meals in often challenging
environments, and to hear them talk about it, the work is incredibly satisfying
and creative. This
edition of mise en place
will take a look at
how foodservice is
meeting the complex
dietary needs and
culinary demands of a
population that wants
its food to get better as
they age!
Nancy Cocola, Editor
n_cocola@culinary.edu
mise en place® No. 55, March 2011
Nancy W. Cocola, Editor
Leslie Jennings, Designer
Contributing WritersMark Ainsworth ’86
John Fischer ’88
Shelly Loveland
Andrea Morris
Tama Murphy
Brigid Ransom
Felicia Zammit
Editorial BoardDr. Tim Ryan ’77 President
Nancy Harvin Vice President for Advancement
Mark Ainsworth ’86
Brad Barnes ’87
Sue Cussen
Ron DeSantis ’81
Heather Kolakowski ’02
Chet Koulik
Chris Loss ’93
Francisco Migoya
Douglass Miller ’89
Tama Murphy
Anthony Nogales ’88
Jen Stack ’03
Mission Mise en place is the college magazine for alumni and friends of The Culinary Institute of America, and reflects its principles and core values. Its mission is to foster a mutually beneficial and enduring relationship between the CIA, its alumni, and friends by:
Providing information of interest about the college, its alumni, faculty, and students.
Presenting substantive, balanced, and accurate coverage of major issues and events concern-ing the college as well as highlighting alumni leadership and contributions to the foodser-vice industry. Creating a forum to help alumni network and build community.
©2011 The Culinary Institute of America All rights reserved.
Photography: Keith Ferris, Eve Heyah, Andrea Morris, and Anne Rettig
nAnCy At Age 17
mise en place no.55, March 2011 5
CIA Library Goes to “Pot-tery”An exciting new exhibit was unveiled
at the Conrad N. Hilton Library on the
Hyde Park campus. Entitled “In the Style
of...American Pottery in the British Studio
Tradition,” it will run from October 15,
2010–May 31, 2011. The work on display
chronicles the evolution of a movement
in contemporary American dinnerware
and decorative ceramics that began in the
first half of the twentieth century with the
“father of British studio pottery,” Bernard
Leach. It includes functional pottery
created by individual potters as well as
decorative fine art ceramics inspired by
contemporary American art movements.
Be sure to stop by the library’s Tober
Exhibit Room, Monday–Friday from
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Prix Fixe Has Perfect PitchThe CIA’s Singing Society, Prix Fixe, has
been hitting just the right notes around the
Hyde Park campus. The 14-member group
has been raising its collective voice at such
events as home soccer games, the Board of
Trustees annual meeting, Octoberfest, Stars
and Stripes July celebration, and a Student
Government Association-sponsored concert
in Farquharson Hall. “We’re trying to
branch out and put together some specialty
groups like a barbershop quartet and a
girl group,” says Derek Smith, president of
the society. “We’d like to contribute to the
school in any way we can, like helping to
entertain at admissions recruiting events.”
Derek suggests that anyone who wants to
get in touch should contact the Student
Activities Office at 845-451-1400.
ALuMni CounCiL MeMebeR JiM binneR—And his bRiCk
You Make Us Better— One Brick at a TimeThis year, you’ve responded to our
Brick Campaign in greater numbers
than ever before! Every brick purchased
supported the Alumni Scholarship Fund—
helping future students pursue their
culinary passions through an excellent
education. Bricks are personalized to
your specifications and are a great way
to acknowledge yourself, a friend, family,
faculty, or the memory of someone
you hold dear. Your brick will have a
permanent place adorning the walls of
the Student Recreation Center—a hub of
activity on the Hyde Park campus.
Call 845-451-1401 or order online atwww.ciaalumninetwork.com.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com6
Getting Better With AgeFoodservice Meets the Boomers
By Nancy Cocola
In 1978the motto of the U.S. government’s Administration on Aging was “Older Americans and
the Family.” In 2010, the motto was “Age Strong! Live Long!” The difference in tone,
language, approach, expectation, and pure energy is striking, and it mirrors a changing
attitude towards aging. In the year 2011, the first of the Baby Boomer generation will
turn 65 and be eligible to be called “senior citizens.” They are considered retirement
material. But there is no doubt that this up-and-coming senior generation sees its “old
age” in a completely different light than generations that have preceded it. They feel
younger than their birth certificates attest, they are more physically active, and they
have very high expectations of the “autumn” of their lives.
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By the sheer force of its numbers—76 million American children were
born between 1945 and 1964—the Baby Boomers are a demographic
wave that reshaped society as it passed through. Almost from
“conception,” Boomers were fodder for marketers, setting them apart
and reinforcing their identity as powerful, special, and different.
From toys to music, from fashion to social change, Boomers had
a voice that was listened to. The culinary arena was no different.
Raised on convenience foods cleverly marketed to their homemaker
mothers in the ’50s, things like TV dinners and boxed macaroni were
commonplace and innovative. But that changed as the Boomers found
their guru in Julia Child. In 1963, her WGBH television show The
French Chef opened up a world of food unlike any other Americans
had seen before. The oldest Baby Boomers were 18 back then and
they watched, rapt, as Child brought new flavors and demystified the
heretofore daunting French cuisine. Suddenly there was the possibility
that everyone could cook!
Since then, Baby Boomers have seen food as part pleasure and part
mission. They were the first to accept, demand, and buy foods from
around the world. Remember, the shelves of stores were not always
stocked with Epoisses, Comte, Brie, Taleggio, and Morbier cheeses.
They were not always bulging with fine French, Italian, Australian,
and Argentine wines. And they have not always offered up exotic
spices, grains, and condiments until they were as common as ketchup
and mustard. It is the willingness of the Boomer generation to try
new things, as well as their collective buying power, that changed the
culinary landscape.
Now as they are aging up, they are creating yet another imperative.
In 1963, there were 17 million people age 65 and over. In 2009,
there were 39.6 million people age 65 and over (about 13% of
the population). And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is
conservatively projected that in 2030 there will be 72.1 million people
in that demographic group (almost 20% of the U.S. population). These
staggering numbers mean that Baby Boomers are going to define and
shape what it means to be a senior citizen for years to come. Already
deeply influenced by the demands of this growing demographic,
foodservice sees still more change on the horizon. Two major segments
of the foodservice industry that will be most directly affected are
healthcare and senior living. For the purposes of this article we
will divide them into hospitals and adult communities—including
independent living, assisted living, or non-acute nursing care.
Hospitals— Where Dining Means HealingRemember lying in the hospital bed and hearing the squeaky wheels
of the food cart as it stopped in front of every room on its halting trek
down the hall? As it approached your door you might have found
yourself hungry and salivating. But once you removed the warming
dome from the plate, your hunger evaporated. None of what was on
that plate had the remotest resemblance to the lemon chicken with
new potatoes and string beans you had so scrupulously requested
on the paper menu the night before. “Grey” was the predominant
impression the food gave. Take heart. Those days are gone. A new era
has dawned in hospital food.
Just ask Richard Jarmusz ’79, executive chef at the Fletcher Allen
Health Care Medical Center in Burlington, VT. “Eating well is a
major part of the healing process,” Richard explains. “And there is
lots of potential for improvement in hospital foodservice.” That is
why almost six years ago he began plans to make a major overhaul at
Fletcher. Serving 1.6 million meals a year to both patients and visitors,
it is the largest healthcare facility in Vermont. How is it possible to
customize and improve the quality of foodservice on that large a scale?
At Fletcher, that meant a marriage of technology, training, culinary
skill, financial buy-in from the institution, and creativity.
Going to a room service model at Fletcher required everyone—from
the operator who takes the patients’ requests to the chefs creating
the meals to the doctors writing dietary orders to the dietitians
who guarantee a well-balanced meal—to believe that patients would
www.ciaalumninetwork.com8
ultimately benefit from undertaking such a complex system. Richard
also had to prove that it was a financial “go” for the institution. His
hypothesis, which was quickly borne out, was that the cost of creating
a restaurant-style menu and serving it on-demand would be defrayed
by savings on the food itself. Institutions like hospitals are notorious
for food waste. Patients will often not eat food that gets cold waiting at
the bedside for them to return from a test or looks so unappealing that
their flimsy appetite isn’t prompted to eat. “Turns out, even though it is
more labor intensive to prepare food à la minute, we remain budget-
neutral,” Richard explained.
That’s good news. But the cost of the complex computer systems
that track everything from a patient’s dietary restrictions to pending
medical tests to current medications can be prohibitive. Fletcher
agreed to be a Beta test site for the computer company that developed
the program. That meant being a “show and tell” site, where potential
clients were brought into Fletcher to see the system in action. The
upside? The system came at a reduced cost to the hospital.
When a patient calls to order a meal, a trained nutrition assistant
guides him or her through the process, suggesting different options
should a patient’s selection fall outside his or her individual dietary
prescription. After that process of “negotiating” an appealing meal
with the patient is over, it’s “order up!” Once prepared and on the
tray, the meal is tagged electronically. After eight minutes, a beeper
will go off, alerting the kitchen staff. And whether there are other
trays ready for distribution or not, that tray is headed to the patient’s
room. From order to service it takes only 35 minutes. According to
Priscilla Nuwash ’74, director of quality process improvement at the
Poudre Valley Health System, their room service motto is “10 minutes
or 10 orders,” whichever comes first. Believing firmly in the idea that
patients must eat well to get well, Priscilla’s team has even gone to the
lengths of heading to the store to satisfy an ailing patient’s craving if
that is the only thing that will tempt them to eat.
Another challenge facing hospitals when they make the change to
restaurant-style foodservice is educating the existing kitchen staff.
The actual kitchen at Fletcher had to be redesigned to eliminate the
tray line and function more like a restaurant kitchen with stations. In
the past, the tray line meant bulk cooking. Now, at Fletcher, workers
are asked to cook to order. Richard had his cooks own the process
by asking them to develop recipes. He takes them to restaurants with
open kitchens so they could watch cooks on the brigade line. And in
the end, buy-in from the cooks helped make it a success.
In addition, Fletcher is working to reduce costs, appeal to the Baby
Boomers’ more sophisticated palate, and address health issues through
its rooftop garden. With a part-time gardener on hand, the 45' x 60'
garden affords opportunity to teach people about garden-to-plate
dining. Staffers are encouraged to use their break time to get out and
work in the garden and familiarize themselves with the produce and
herbs. Items grown there can offer fresh notes to dishes being sent to
the rooms. Of course, Fletcher buys most of its produce and 98% of its
beef from local Vermont farmers.
To address the salt/sugar/fat conundrum, Fletcher produces food using
the healthful Mediterranean-style. In addition, Richard and his team
have just started a program to produce their own fresh chicken, beef,
and vegetable base broths. They process chickens themselves so they
can use the bones for stock. This enables them to more successfully
control the salt content in all of the dishes they prepare.
It is clear that this trend in hospital dining is widespread. Hospitals
across the country, and foodservice companies like Aramark, have
been initiating innovative approaches in the institutions they serve for
some time now. They know that patients and their families recognize
good food. Expectations are increasingly high for chefs to produce
healthy, flavorful, and visually appealing food to sustain patients
during their stay. By allowing patients to choose their meals, chefs are
giving them back a sense of control in an otherwise infantilizing, often
depersonalizing, environment. This control, and the accompanying
nourishing appeal of the meals being presented to patients, is how
dining is essential to the healing process.
Adult Communities— Where Dining is the Activity du JourThey used to be called health care facilities, nursing homes, and
senior citizens apartments. Now they are called adult communities or
continuing care communities. But not only have the names changed,
the entire approach to servicing the growing population of Americans
over the age of 65 has undergone an overhaul. Once built on a medical
model, they are now fashioned on a residential framework.
Life in an adult community is not so far off for Baby Boomers. Their
kids are grown, their friends may have moved away, they no longer
wish to maintain the lawn and make all the meals, and they crave
the time to enjoy travel, dining, culture, and, most of all, people.
While many people in their 60s and early 70s are still working,
adult communities offer the opportunity to free them of the grinding
responsibilities of home ownership.
Seniors can opt to buy into free-standing adult communities comprised
of independent-living houses and apartments or a Continuing Care
Retirement Community (CCRC), where a variety of accommodations
are available as the individual’s needs for assistance increase. In
both types of communities, the approach to seniors has begun to
change and will continue doing so under the critical eye of the Baby
Boomer. They are demanding the autonomy, self-determination, and
intellectual stimulation they have always enjoyed. They want activities,
ambiance, accommodations, and food that mirror their current lives.
For some, university-linked facilities are a popular alternative. There,
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active older adults have access to the stimulation of campus facilities,
classes, film, and theater performances. But there is no doubt that
one of the primary differentiators for seniors as they compare living
options is the quality of the dining services.
According to Jon Benson, director for culinary operations North
America at Hyatt Hotels, “When seniors move into one of our
communities, the lovely trappings and sophisticated accommodations
are a draw. But after a few weeks, that fades to the background and
food becomes a huge focus of pleasure, social life, and good health.”
Don Clawson, assistant vice president of food and beverage for Vi
Living (formerly Classic Residence by Hyatt), explains, “The Baby
Boomer isn’t living with us quite yet. Our current residents traveled to
Europe, the Caribbean, and Russia, but weren’t focused on the food
and didn’t bring it back with them. But Baby Boomers are bringing
home world cuisines. It’s become a passion and a cultural attribute,
and we are getting ready for them so when they arrive at our doors we
can meet their expectations and preferences.”
What exactly does that mean? First, it means that adult communities
are luring restaurant chefs to their kitchens. They have the expertise
to cook any type of cuisine while using healthy cooking techniques.
Second, it means any new construction is anticipating the Boomers’
interest in the chef as “artist” and food as his “flavor palette.” Gone are
the big auditorium-style dining rooms, where everyone got offered one
or two choices. Today, communities are building a variety of venues to
meet the moods of their residents. Interested in a romantic dinner for
two? A beautiful dining room with European table linens and blown
glass goblets awaits you. Want a quick sandwich after a dip in the pool
and a sauna? The light fare of the café beckons. Having a quick drink
with out-of-town friends before heading out for the evening? The bar is
stocked for every preference. Interested in how your food is prepared?
Open kitchens are part of the plan. Chefs are offering cooking classes
and emerging from behind the stove to meet with residents.
Menu options are a big part of meeting residents’ expectations. Todd
Ohle ’95, food and beverage director at The Cypress of Raleigh in
North Carolina, recognizes the challenge of meeting the expectation
of what he calls “a captive audience.” When people are dining with
you between one and three times a day, keeping meals new and fresh
is the challenge. While some older seniors are interested in having the
same comfort items on the menu, the growing culture of “younger”
seniors wants variety. To better prepare this increasingly demanding
public, two approaches have been taken.
First, care facilities, like hospitals, are hiring restaurant chefs. Second,
they are training their existing chefs in order to provide opportunities
for them to take a leadership and innovative role in providing food in
adult communities.
For Vi Living, a relationship with the CIA has been an important
component of maintaining a leadership role in the adult community
arena. Vi wants its chefs to create nutrient-dense food to enhance
the lives of residents in their various communities. Indeed, they
are creating dining experiences they like to call “stealth health.”
According to Clawson, “We want our restaurant-quality menus
sifted through the CIA’s healthy cooking lens. We operate within the
philosophy of classically caring cuisine, which means cooking with
lower amounts of fat, sugar, and salt while applying healthy cooking
techniques.” Vi has contracted with the CIA for seven classes so that
every head chef in their facilities goes through the Certified Executive
Chef training—enabling them to increase their knowledge of world
flavors, taste profiling, and flavor dynamics. Beyond that, Vi and
many other adult communities are requiring that their chefs become
Certified Dietary Managers. This helps them understand the language
spoken by nutritionists and dietitians, with whom they collaborate
daily to shape delicious meals around the needs of residents.
Once again, foodservice is playing a pivotal role in shaping and
meeting the expectations of an important segment of our population.
A new generation of chefs is going to be at the forefront of ensuring
that as Baby Boomers enter their golden years, they will dine
deliciously, snack sumptuously, and enjoy the benefits of healthy food
prepared expertly. Boomers should be confident in the fact that as they
age, their food options will only get better and better.
sourbitter
salty
sweet
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The Aging Palate
Your Tongue Ages Too!
All of us enjoy good food; it is one of the most pleasurable parts of our
lives. From the moment we are born, we seek out the tastes that make
us feel good. As children, we have strong opinions about food but have
trouble articulating our sensitivity to new tastes, textures, and colors.
As adults our palate matures and ages, and we learn to appreciate new
and unusual flavors that we may have shied away from as kids. In our
golden years, we struggle with weight, medication, special diets, and
food restrictions that inhibit our enjoyment of food. As this particular
demographic of older citizens’ increases in numbers, it is important
to understand their dietary needs, food preferences, and the changing
nature of their palates.
All Tongues Are DifferentThe number of taste buds someone has varies from person to person
for no discernible reason. These small taste receptors on the tongue,
known as papillae, have the ability to perceive sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
and umami—a heretofore relatively unknown taste sensation originally
identified in Japan. This fifth taste is often described as a meaty
sensation or savory taste, commonly found in aged and fermented
food, tomatoes, and beef. For centuries, chefs have added tomato paste
to the drippings of a roast to make the sauce. We now understand that
combining these two umami-rich ingredients adds to the overall flavor
of the dish.
Sensitivity to taste is derived from the number of taste buds on the
tongue. An “average taster,” comprising most of the population, has
about 5,000. Those with only 2,000–3,000 are considered “non-
tasters,” whereas some “super tasters”—two-thirds of whom are
women—are endowed with more than 10,000, and are, by far, the
most sensitive to taste and flavor.
Thousands of years ago, when we lived in tribal groups, the men
were hunters, while the women gathered and foraged for food. Game
was scarce and the catch would be shared equally with the entire
group. Fruits, nuts, and wild grains, which made up the majority
of the calories, were collected by the women. With their highly
developed sense of taste, they became the first line of defense against
rotten and poisonous foods.
Aging Taste BudsUntil middle age, taste buds have the ability to regenerate every
couple of weeks. After the age of 40, this rate of regeneration
decreases and our ability to taste is compromised. Our tongue and
taste buds age along with the rest of our body.
With this in mind, the key to cooking for this age group is more,
not less, flavor. For years, chefs had an all-or-nothing approach to
seasoning, reaching for the fat, salt, and sugar to make food taste
good. Gradually they have learned to manipulate and coax these
delicate flavors out of the food by using a variety of ingredients,
By Mark Ainsworth ’86, PC III/CEC
We lose the ability to taste, starting first with sweet, then salty, followed by bitter, and lastly sour. PLUS, age means loss of nerve endings that register heat and spice.
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mise en place no.55, March 2011 11
cooking techniques, and spices. For example, applying the right
amount of heat to a food can transform its flavor and texture in what is
referred to as the maillard reaction. Coffee, chocolate, bread, chicken,
and beer are just a few of the foods and beverages that benefit from
this type of browning and rich flavor development.
Taste and Aroma = FlavorAlthough very efficient in detecting the four basic tastes, taste buds are
unable to distinguish a food’s flavor. To understand this, hold your nose
closed and eat a piece of candy. The flavor you perceive should be
sweet, sour, salty, or bitter—nothing else. Now release your nose. What
you will taste is the candy’s flavor. This delicate interaction of aroma
and taste can be used to stimulate appetite. One successful approach
to increase sales of appetizers is to have a server walk around the
dining room with a pan of sautéed onions and garlic. The same
technique works for dessert. The aroma of chocolate or apples and
cinnamon might just be enough to entice an undecided customer. This
is a perfect way to entice seniors to eat healthy food—an occupation
they often forego because food has stopped tasting as good.
Contrast and BalanceContrasting flavors and texture is another method to master flavor
development without the use of extra fat and salt. The reason most
people enjoy a hot dog with relish, ketchup, and mustard is contrasts. A
hot dog contains meat, salt, spices, 25% fat, and smoke. The sweet and
sour effect of the condiments contrasts the flavor by cutting through
the fat to create a powerful combination. Understanding that opposite
flavors act to heighten the overall success of the dish is an important
point to remember when preparing food for seniors. Sauces, dips,
relishes, chutneys, pickles, and fruits can all be served with a myriad
of center-of-the-plate offerings to increase the flavor profile and give
the customer additional choices that are perceived as valuable add-
ons. Developing dishes with contrasting cooking methods in mind is
another technique for successful flavor development. Serving a grilled
steak with grilled vegetables and grilled potatoes is not as effective as
contrasting the grilled steak with boiled potatoes, braised vegetable,
and fried shallots or onions. Following this through with a variety of
sauces allows for a complex, well-engineered dining experience.
SodiumInterestingly, sodium is the only mineral we crave and is critical for
the regulation of our body’s fluids. Historically, salt was difficult to
obtain and was a valuable commodity. Without salt in the ancient
kitchen, proteins including meats, fish, and cheese were highly
perishable. Today, the majority of the sodium we eat comes from
processed and fast foods. The Center for Disease Control daily
guidelines for a healthy person are 2,300 mg of salt a day, and 1,500
mg or less if you are in any of the following groups:
• Over 40 years of age
• If you are African American
• If you have high blood pressure
Additionally, it is interesting to note that one teaspoon of table
salt equals 2,400 mg of sodium, which is already 100 mg over the
recommended daily allowance. The majority of Americans consume
more than twice this amount daily.
Most professional kitchens use kosher salt, which is free of additives
like sodium, silicoaluminate, dextrose, and iodine. Its large crystals
make it easy to use because the flat sides of each grain adhere to food
surfaces and absorb liquid. Although all salt is marine-based, sea salt
is evaporated from the sea and takes on the mineral-rich flavor of the
water from which it is collected.
Seasoning with Salt for Low-Sodium DietsSea salt can effectively be used for low-sodium diets by adding it to
the food at the very end of plating. Foods contain natural amounts
of sodium so it is important to use nutritional analysis programs in
developing accurate low-sodium dishes. Once this analysis is done, the
trick to restricted sodium cooking is to measure any remaining salt
and using it to finish the dish. An immediate burst of textured sea salt
makes a strong flavor statement to the consumer who is accustomed to
having the salt buried in the food. Chefs may find it difficult to cook
with no added salt, but this technique of applying it last is an accurate
and effective way to season food and make it appealing.
Make the Flavors CountThe world pantry encompasses highly flavored healthy foods that can
be used to create wonderful tasting dishes. Herbs, spices, citrus, and
vinegars are all flavorful and low in calories and sodium. Fresh foods,
legumes and grains, lean meats, and fish contain the most nutrients
and are colorful and delicious.
It should be noted that not all senior citizens have diminished
sensitivity to taste. Many people are blessed with acute taste receptors
that last a lifetime. However, chefs and food professionals have a
responsibility to understand their customers’ needs regardless of their
age. With the population living many years longer than our ancestors,
it behooves us to preserve this trend by providing great-tasting, well-
balanced, and, above all, healthful food.
Mark Ainsworth is a CIA professor in culinary arts.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com12
CaliforniaIn California, winemakers from
Santa Barbara up to Sonoma
definitely knew the science
behind the wines. Nearly all of them hold degrees from the University
of California, Davis and seem as comfortable in a lab coat as in
jeans. We were given a firsthand look into this scientific approach
at Domaine Carneros, the gorgeous California outpost of Taittinger
Champagne. Known for sparkling wine, the winery also produces a
number of very noteworthy Pinot Noirs. Founding winemaker Eileen
Crane took us through a tasting of a number of partially vinified musts
( juices) to explore the way the flavor of the juice evolves as it ferments.
We then met with TJ Evans, head of still wine production, to discuss
the differences inherent in creating sparkling and still wines.
After a tour of the winery, we sat down at a long table set with two
wine glasses at each spot and three pairs of bottles of red wine. Upon
closer examination, the bottles did not bear the retail label, but rather
codes like “M+TH” and “Stemmed.” We were being prepared for a
side-by-side tasting of Pinot Noirs made identically except for one
detail in each one. The “M+TH,” meaning “medium plus toasted
heads,” referred to a slightly higher level of toasting on the barrel
than the one labeled simply “M” for “Medium.” But the difference
was remarkable. TJ explained that he and his team do this kind of
comparison for every different vineyard they work with, choosing the
treatment that best suits each block of grapes.
Impressed with Domaine Carneros and all of the other wineries we
visited in California, we boarded a very early flight to Italy, excited to
see the country that has so influenced American food and wine.
ItalyMy first and lasting impression
of Italy was the way every
cobblestone, sloping hill, and
bell tower seemed to sag under the weight of history. Yet the Italian
people could not be more up-to-date and vibrant—zooming through
the narrow and winding streets on Vespas and drinking espresso with
grappa at all hours of the day. I was in heaven.
Our first stop was in Friuli, a picturesque region so close to the Alps
that we heard nearly as much German as Italian. It was here that we
first realized our good fortune—mushroom season was in full throttle.
At lunch with the dark-humored Roberto Pighin of Pighin Winery,
we began with charcuterie, but it was “all porcinis” from there. We
enjoyed mushrooms in soup that was garnished with pheasant mousse;
mushrooms stuffed into a single giant raviolo with local wild berries;
and mushrooms simply grilled and served with cheeses of the region.
What to drink with this bounty? Of course there was the regional
favorite, Pinot Grigio, but there was also a grape I was unfamiliar
with called Refosco, which was blended with Merlot and Cabernet
Sauvignon. The wine was of medium weight with currant and warm
spice notes that were the perfect antidote to the rainy drizzle that
persisted throughout the day and were the perfect accompaniment to
the porcini!
But not even the barrage of delicious mushrooms could compare to
what we found at Michele Chiarlo winery in Barolo. While gazing
over the rolling hills, painted with patches of vineyards separated
by neat rows of hazelnut trees, we were so enamored that we found
ourselves wondering about the logistics of moving here to live.
Kopf: The Trip of a LifetimeBy Andrea Morris
When I was told that I had won the storied Kopf Scholarship, I was overcome with excitement. I’d heard from faculty members and past winners about the amazing people I’d meet, places I’d see, and food and wine I’d experience over the six-week trip to California, Italy, and France, but nothing could prepare me for what was in store.
13
Looking to dine, we stepped into a tiny café, where the dining room
air was thick with the unmistakable aroma of white truffles. No one
needed a menu to know what they were ordering. One server brought
out seven bowls of noodles tinted gold by egg yolks, then presented
a tray holding two fist-sized white truffles and a shaver. She proudly
went from bowl to bowl, shaving several ounces of truffle on each,
only to circle around a second time for good measure. Though
we were in Barolo, we drank the lighter white Soave, so as not to
overpower the one-of-a-kind
delicacy before us.
FranceThe transition from Italy to
France was less dramatic than
from California to Italy, and yet,
there were differences. Whereas most of the restaurants in Italy served
regional Italian cuisine, in France, especially Paris and some less
cosmopolitan areas, we found everything from sushi bars to shish-
kebab stands mixed in with the traditional brasseries and cafés.
This mix of traditional and modern translated into the winemaking
process as well. As we drove down RN74—the famed route through
the vineyards in Beaune, Burgundy—and passed the brick walled clos
and stone archway marking the entrance to the Chevalier-Montrachet
vineyard, I began to believe that nothing had changed here for
centuries. But Burgundy is surprisingly progressive and is one of the
leading regions using biodynamic methods in the vineyard. This
technique goes beyond organic by following the cycles of the moon
and by creating a self-sustaining ecosystem within a cultivated area.
In that same vein, at Maison Louis Jadot in Beaune we saw that in
addition to growing their grapes sustainably, the winemakers designed
their winery with an eye to feng shui. Their grand cru vats are
arranged in a circle in the center of the winery below a round opening
in the roof, which head winemakers Jacques Lardiere and Frederic
Barnier believe promotes positive energy during the fermentation
process. They are also building a special barrel room for aging their
top wines, which is shaped like the oval silhouette of a barrel, to
channel and circulate the wine’s energy as it ages.
But all of this attention to energy flow is for nothing if the wine does
not deliver. Luckily, a barrel tasting of twenty of the 2009 vintage
wines put any doubts to rest. So good were they that it made the
necessary spitting seem like a shame. Perhaps even more impressive
were the decidedly old-fashioned cellars where a share of each vintage
has been saved. It seemed disrespectful to speak above a whisper
as we walked through the cobwebbed chambers, spotting famous
appellations and bottles from as far back as the mid-nineteenth
century. With no frills and no seeming order to the placement of
different piles of bottles, it was the opposite of modern—save for the
extremely high-tech security system! Visiting the highly conceptual
winery and then the unchanged wine cellars summed up the way that
France, or at least French wine, has come into modern times; with
one foot firmly rooted in its rich past and the other stepping towards
technology and sustainability.
And with that, our adventure was over. With the French fuel strike
looming, we felt as though we were fleeing the country before all
flights were grounded. Naturally, we celebrated the end of our journey
with Champagne and tried to convince ourselves that we could go
back to living our normal lives as students and recent graduates. The
lessons I learned about food, wine, and culture will stay with me
forever, as will a yearning for sparkling wine, fresh Alba truffles, and
aged Burgundy.
Andrea Morris is a CIA bachelor’s degree student.
AndReA (fAR Right) hARvesting gRApes in nApAthe Cobweb-fiLLed CeLLARs At MAison Louis JAdot in beAune
www.ciaalumninetwork.com14
Following the Presidential TrailThe work of a college president is often very challenging
and difficult. So when there are opportunities to celebrate
accomplishments, anniversaries, and new partnerships that
advance the college, it’s always a delight. At the end of 2010,
President Ryan had a number of such opportunities.
Hyde Park Hosts SingaporeIn anticipation and celebration of the CIA’s historic partnership
with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Dr. Tan Chin
Tiong, president of SIT; Tan Chek Ming, deputy president of
operations; and Tan Gan Hup, manager of the corporate &
planning team; visited our Hyde Park campus in November 2010.
Students in Singapore now have the opportunity to earn a CIA
Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree in culinary arts
management—the only degree of its kind in Asia from a U.S.-based
culinary college. The first class of students began the program
in the CIA’s spectacular new 30,000-square-foot facility on the
campus of Temasek Polytechnic in January. While in Hyde Park,
the group toured our facilities, met with Tim and cabinet members,
and enjoyed a celebratory lunch in Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici.
Greystone Turns FifteenAugust 2010 marked the fifteenth anniversary of the opening
of our Greystone campus. During Tim’s visit in September, a
small celebratory dinner was held that included many of the staff
that has been with the college since 1995. Together, they have
watched our California campus grow from one that only offered
short continuing education classes to our current model that
includes two AOS degree programs and an accelerated wine and
beverage program. Looking through old pictures, Tim took time to
reminisce with the original team about the trials and tribulations of
getting Greystone up and running. Among those challenges were
the tremendous rainfall and flooding of St. Helena that year. Note
the old sign in the picture.
Marine Corps Celebrates The CIA hosted a special birthday celebration for the U.S. Marines
here at the Hyde Park campus that marked the 235th anniversary
of the Corps. The ceremony, which included eight Marines who are
currently enrolled in the college’s ProChef® Certification Program,
as well as numerous veterans from the other four branches of the
U.S. Military—many of whom are enrolled CIA students—was
stirring. The formal ceremony involved a videotaped message from
the U.S. Marines Commandant and the singing of the National
Anthem by the college’s singing group Prix Fixe. Marine tradition
has it that every Marine, no matter where he or she is stationed,
gets a piece of birthday cake on the Corps’ birthday. The presiding
major explained that the cake is cut with a saber to remind
everyone that, “Marines are warriors.” In this picture, the major
is cutting a cake decorated with the Marine Corps logo that was
prepared by our pastry chefs. The ceremony concluded with the
promotion of a Marine officer.
mise en place no.55, March 2011 15
Preparing our students for the real
world and making sure they have the
education to take a leadership role
on every culinary-related front—these
are two of the primary standards for
curricular decisions at the CIA. So it
is no small wonder that, in preparation
for the increased demand for trained
chefs in healthcare facilities and senior
retirement communities, Lecturing
Instructor in Business Management
Lynne Eddy, MS, RD, FADA conceived
of the first Foodservice Management
in Health Care course ever offered at
the CIA.
The 15-week course will feature a mix
of classroom discussion, readings,
facility tours, guest speakers, and
extended on-site visits to pre-approved
hospitals. With an eye toward preparing
students to be competent entry-level
managers in health care facilities, the
course is structured so that each student
will be exposed to:
Tours: Two site visits will bookend the
course—the first, to Vassar Brothers
Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY,
and the second, to Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center in New York
City. They will introduce students to
the workings of foodservice and patient
care in both general and specialized
hospitals.
Guest Speakers: An array of
guest speakers will bring front-line
experience and expertise to share with
students. Jo Anne Brown and JoAnne
Carlin from Vi Living will help define
the nature of high-end independent
and assisted living facilities. Michael
D’Agnes, CEO of Raritan Bay Medical
Center, will discuss current health
care reform and its effect on hospitals.
Herb Decato from Aladdin equipment
Opening New Career Doorswill discuss advanced meal delivery systems. Kevin
Ronayne and Stephanie Seymor, both of Saratoga
Hospital, will discuss group purchasing, being part of a
food consortium, recycling, and other green initiatives
that affect foodservice in a hospital. And finally, from
Vineyard Commons Senior Center, a 55+ luxury
independent living facility, executive chef Chris Diesing
’02 will discuss how restaurants can be modified to meet
the needs of seniors. Vineyard’s Executive Director Bill
Burson will discuss continuum of care.
Capstone Project: For the course capstone project,
teams of two students each will visit, observe, and
participate in the foodservice departments at one of four
local hospitals—Vassar, Northern Dutchess, St. Francis,
or Kingston. They will prepare both a lengthy written
report and presentation to the class regarding what they
have learned at that site. The students will:
• Create a thorough exploration and
discussion of the organizational chart of the
foodservice department and all departments
that interface with it.
• Report and review their facility’s menu
cycle and foodservice style.
• Identify the food delivery system that the
facility uses and compare it with alternative
systems available in the industry today.
• Recommend how to enhance food delivery
at their site.
• Identify the role of the dietitian and
understand how nutritional screening is
used for patient/customer counseling,
education, and discharge planning.
• Identify the Continuous Quality
Improvement (CQI) Plan for foodservice
and describe the way data is collected.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the
Joint Commission on the Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations ( JCAHO)
standards.
• Summarize the top three priorities they
would have as a manager to improve the
foodservice at their facility and the next
steps to be taken.
On hand at each of these thorough
presentations will be the vice presidents for
each of the four hospitals so that, in the spirit
of shared information and collaboration, they
can get a sense of what other local hospitals
are doing in the area of foodservice.
Throughout the course, emphasis will be
placed on understanding the customer/
patient experience. With hospital patients
having increasingly high expectations of the
taste, quality, and presentation of their food,
career opportunities in this field make this
course timely and relevant.
If you would like more information about this
exciting and innovative course, please contact
Lynne Eddy at l_eddy@culinary.edu.
students Listen intentLy As expeRts At vAssAR hospitAL shARe CRitiCAL infoRMAtion
www.ciaalumninetwork.com16
With a hint of reverence and a wish not to disturb, I tiptoed my
way into the kitchens to watch four of the 12 chefs taking the
Certified Master Chef® (CMC) exam at the CIA. I wasn’t the only
one who was fascinated and drawn to watch what is considered
one of the ultimate tests of a chef’s professional chops. Family
and friends of the candidates, CIA visitors, and our own students
could be found with their noses pressed against the windows that
opened into the kitchens. Watching. Waiting. Anxious. Excited.
The criteria to qualify for entrance in the American Culinary
Federation’s top culinary certification are very specific. Each
candidate must have:
• Certified Executive Chef or Certified Culinary Educator
credentials
• Letters of recommendation from two CMCs
• The practical skills to perform to the highest standards
• A foundation of quality experience and education in advanced
courses
• Completed coursework in management, cost management,
sanitation, food safety, and wines within the last five years
• The physical and mental preparation to perform for eight days
under extreme pressure
• $4,000–$6,000 for fees, travel, housing, etc.
Once chefs get over these hurdles, the exam itself is eight days of
exacting performance, unrelenting pressure, immense physical
demand, and nonstop judging.
The 12 intrepid candidates could not “cram for the test” but
rather had to come prepared with a pantry of experience and a
store of finely honed skills that would take them through each of
the grueling test days. The Wednesday before the actual exam,
each candidate received an e-mail communication with the
protein selected for the first exam segment—Healthy Cooking.
By Thursday they had to return a menu, ingredient list, and
nutritional analysis—which was reviewed and verified by a
registered dietitian and the CMC exam administrator. Friday was
earmarked for the Healthy Cooking orientation and the drawing
for the Buffet Catering proteins. Finally, the first day of cooking
began and the week’s schedule looked like this:
• Saturday: Healthy Cooking
• Monday: Buffet Catering
• Tuesday: Classical Cuisine
• Wednesday: Freestyle Cooking
• Thursday: Global Cuisine
• Friday: Baking and Pastry
• Saturday: Continental and Market Basket
With days spent cooking and nights spent prepping ingredient lists
for events two days ahead, there was little time for anything else.
In the kitchen, the chefs and their apprentices worked with
a singular focus that was stunning. According to the CIA’s
Associate Dean of Culinary Education Brad Barnes ’87, CMC,
the apprentices—all CIA students—were selected using a vetting
Inside the CMC Exam By Nancy Cocola
the JudgesRobeRt MAnCuso ‘90 bRiAn beLAnd ‘94
mise en place no.55, March 2011 17
It was probably the hardest thing I’ve done—mentally, emotionally, and physically—in the culinary profession. It was such an intense exam. Brian Beland ’94
process. As one young apprentice flew by me to grab a bit of olive oil
from the shelf, I asked him if it was nerve-wracking to assist his chef
during the exam. “No,” he exclaimed. “I wouldn’t say nerve-wracking,
I’d say exciting—the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
That day, one of the floor judges was Culinary Director at Cargill
Stephen Giunta ’83, CMC. He explained what he was evaluating as
he moved silently from station to station in the kitchens. Teamwork,
with the apprentices, other chefs, and even the pot washers (also
selected CIA students), was observed. Sanitation, as it related to cross-
contamination and timing of products in and out of refrigeration, got
a hard look. Mise en place, including planning with the apprentice,
organization of service ware, and even the order and location of
items stored in the refrigerator as it pertained to preparation, was
scrutinized. Craftsmanship was analyzed from the standpoint of
technique, level of fabrication, and utilization of product.
Once the dishes were prepared, the plates went before the panel of
CMC tasting judges who, along with other CMCs, included CIA
faculty and alumni: Victor Gielisse, Fritz H. Sonnenschmidt, Brad
Barnes, Adam Busby, Stephen Giunta, Thomas Griffiths ’80,
David Megenis ’80, Kenneth Arnone ’92, Rudy Speckamp, Derin
Moore ’80, Noble Masi, and Thomas Vaccaro ’85. All judges rotated
between floor evaluation and tastings.
The grading system is complex and exacting. Each day, after the
tasting and floor evaluations were compiled, candidates were told their
the suMMitbRiAn beLAnd ‘94
fate. When it came down to the final day, seven candidates remained
standing. What awaited them was a two-part marathon of cooking.
At the end of all the preparation, cooking, tasting, and stress, five
new CMCs were named. Among them were three CIA grads: Brian
Beland ’94, executive chef at Country Club of Detroit in Grosse
Pointe Farms, MI; Daniel Dumont ’90, vice president of culinary/
corporate chef for Ocean Properties LTD in
Portsmouth, NH; and Robert Mancuso ’90,
executive chef at The Country Club in Chestnut
Hill, MA. In addition, Richard Rosendale,
executive chef The Greenbrier in White Sulphur
Springs, WV; and Brian Sode, executive chef at
The Bears Club in Jupiter, FL, made the grade.
As they donned their white CMC jackets, the chefs
joined the ranks of a rarified group who, with their
inclusion, now number only 66 chefs in the entire
United States. Proud family and friends, relieved
candidates, and delighted judges welcomed
the new CMCs to the fold. The time for silent
tiptoeing was over—noisy jubilation filled
the room.
CMC SummitPlanned to coincide with the CMC Exam, the CIA hosted the inaugural
CMC Summit. Under the leadership of Victor Gielesse, CIA associate
vice president of business development, 25 Certified Master Chefs
and Certified Master Pastry Chefs gathered for a day of discussion and
planning they hoped would help to define the role of the CMC program.
With almost half of the country’s CMCs together in a room, it was
possible to address key issues that affect the current status and future
viability of the CMC program.
Some of the key topics discussed were:
• Unifying the voice of the CMC group
• Exploring the CMC’s relevance and role in the ACF
• Defining the role of CMC as coach mentors
• Investigating how to make the ACF-CMC brand sustainable and
viable over the long term
• Utilizing the entrepreneurial spirit of the current CMCs
• Refocusing, optimizing, and understanding food presentation
techniques
• Helping to define direction of current taste and food trends
• Creating synergy with the ACF to share resources
This first-ever summit was a landmark for U.S. CMCs. Future meetings,
subcommittee groups, and projects are in the offing and the group
anticipates that they will be able to further enhance the value and
function of the CMCs throughout the foodservice industry.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com18
Women Take ChampionshipThe CIA Women’s Cross Country team took first place at the
Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Cross
Country Championships! Not only did the team come in first, but
of our seven runners, six women finished in the top 12 out of 53
competitors. Jackie DeGrandpre took first place, cruising through
the 5K course a full minute ahead of her nearest competitor. In
second was the CIA’s Brittany Ronan. An additional honor was
given to CIA Head Coach Lowell Fisher, who was selected as the
2010 Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Coach of the
Year. Kudos to all.
The Birth of a Nation In conjunction with the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin
American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, Chef Iliana
de la Vega presented a lecture entitled The Culinary Birth of a Nation.
She explored watershed moments in Mexican gastronomy that gave
rise to the country’s unique culinary identity—an identity that had the
United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) put on its World Heritage List. Iliana took the group on
a culinary journey from the time of the conquistadors and Mexico’s
colonization by Spain to the modern era of independence and the
revolution of 1910. In addition, she treated all participants to a
demonstration of dishes plucked from Mexico’s colonial era—mole
poblano and chiles en nogada.
Taking Care of Terra MadreBeing selected as a delegate to the Terra Madre Summit in Torino,
Italy is an honor, and Professor in Liberal Arts Rich Vergili was
delighted to have been chosen. The Terra Madre is an international
conference that gathers sustainable food producers, farmers, cooks,
educators, and activists from around the world. They share stories and
traditions, as well as their innovative solutions for keeping small-scale
agriculture and sustainable food production alive. With one in six
people in the world being food insecure, the delegates from over 150
countries focused on a few key issues: creating a youth movement,
mechanisms for feeding people in need, and continuing their support
of those active solutions already in progress across the globe. Rich
presented at the Sustainable Education breakout session.
Luke Bergman Strikes GoldYou may remember Luke from last year’s Bocuse d’Or USA
competition at the CIA, where he came in second. Part of his prize
was the opportunity to compete at the Académie Culinaire de France
Trophée Passion in Paris last October. And compete he did—Luke,
the sous chef at The Modern restaurant in New York City, took the
KUDOS
mise en place no.55, March 2011 19
gold! The event was chaired by Thierry Marx, leader of the Mandarin
Oriental in Paris. Thanks to the unique and personal touch that he
brought to his dishes—a Prodemar™ turbot with three different sauces
and a dessert using Valrhona, Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, and
biscuits—Luke beat out 10 other candidates from Argentina, Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Spain, France, Great Britain, Mauritius,
and Mexico.
Three Stars for AlineaThe Michelin guide has turned its critical eye on the windy city of
Chicago. In its inaugural edition, it awarded stars to 23 restaurants,
with only two of them garnering the coveted three-star rating. Alinea,
the much-touted restaurant owned by Grant Achatz ’94, was awarded
that recognition. Upon hearing the news, Grant said, “To me it’s a
lifelong dream. I grew up in this business listening to Thomas (Keller)
and Charlie (Trotter) wax poetic about the greatness of three-star
restaurants in the world. And it was like, man, if these people, my
mentors, hold it that dear, it becomes your goal as a chef. That said, I
was worried.” Congratulations, Grant!
CIA Sweeps Culinary Arts AwardsThe Société Culinaire Philanthropique’s 142nd Salon of Culinary
Art and Exhibition held during the International Hotel/Motel &
Restaurant Show in New York was the CIA’s time to shine. The
combined efforts of 10 CIA faculty members assisted by 30 students
created a green-themed entry. The food was prepared using local,
indigenous, sustainable ingredients from the Hudson Valley. And
the green theme even extended to the magnificent display. From the
table materials to the use of a live tree, everything was created in an
environmentally conscious way.
The peanut-shaped table on which the food was presented was
fashioned out of compostable, recyclable, and reusable material—
recycled corrugated cardboard. A ticker-tape-style trim edged its
way around the table and sported theme-related messages. From a
remarkable bakery display that included a forest floor scene made
completely from bread to a chocolate display that drew inspiration
from the driftwood found on the banks of the Hudson River abutting
the Hyde Park campus, creativity was abundant.
The effort, cohesiveness of theme, and absolutely exquisite execution
resulted in the CIA sweeping the awards. They included:
Chef John Reilly ’88 won Best in Show, Fish Platter
Chef David Kamen ’88 won Best in Show, Meat Platter
Chef Hans Welker won Best in Show, Bakery Display
Chef David Bruno ’88 won Gold for fish
Chef Howie Velie won Gold for vegetarian
Chef Kate Cavotti won Gold for wedding cake
Chef Peter Greweling won Gold for chocolate work
Chef Joseph Utera won Gold for centerpiece
putting the finishing touChes on dispLAy CenteRpieCe
www.ciaalumninetwork.com20
By Shelly Loveland
Last summer, CIA faculty development took a decidedly cheesy turn. It was during the July 2010 break when more than a dozen chef-instructors, front-of-the-house
faculty, and staff from the Hyde Park campus flew to Wiscon-sin for a private, no-holds-barred culinary tour of producers of the state’s most famous food.
The educational event was spearheaded and hosted by Sara
Hill ’77, the culinary manager for cheese education at the Wis-consin Milk Marketing Board in Madison, WI. For four heav-enly days, the participants toured producers and dairy farms, sampled the area’s restaurants, and ate altogether too much cheese. This is their story.
Why did you go on the Wisconsin Milk Board tour?Bruce Lavender ’82: To educate myself about the Wisconsin cheese industry and artisanal cheeses.
Lynne Gigliotti ’87: Because I have had a lifelong love affair with cheese. The more I know, the more I can convey to my students—that, and I want my third husband to be made of cheese!
Doug Miller ’89: To see cheese making and get a better understanding of how to make cheese.
Tama Murphy: In Continuing Education, we do a lot of cheese lectures in both the classes for professionals and the food enthusiast programs. And, I am a cheese-a-holic…
John Kowalski ’77: I went to learn more about cheese mak-ing and the equipment used, and to see the cheese being aged in caves as it should be.
Heather Kolakowski ’02: In the American Bounty Restau-rant, where I am the front-of-the-house instructor, we offer a cheese course tableside. I wanted to learn more about cheese production so I could bring that knowledge back to the students. Plus, I love cheese.
John Fischer ’88: Because I wrote a book about cheese and everybody would have made fun of me if I didn’t go. Okay, it’s because I wanted to learn more about cheese making in America, and to see operations of different sizes. Also, I desperately wanted to meet the makers (I love me those Gin-griches!) of my favorite cheese, Pleasant Ridge Reserve.
The Wisconsin Cheese TourOr, How CIA Instructors Spent Their Summer Vacation
mise en place no.55, March 2011 21
Take Your Own TourIf you would like to sample some of Wisconsin’s best for yourself, here are the stops from “CIA Faculty
Wisconsin Cheese Tour 2010”:
Bleu Mont Dairy
Blue Spoon Café
Carr Valley Cheese
Chalet Cheese
Edelweiss Creamery
Fromagination
Hook’s Cheese Company
Quivey’s Grove
Roelli Cheese Haus
Roth Kase
Sardine restaurant
Sassy Cow Creamery
Sprecher Brewing Company
Uplands Cheese Company
Wollersheim Winery
Just remember to pace yourself!
How did this trip impact you professionally? Fischer: I am deeply thankful for having had the opportunity to meet the people who are making some of the best cheeses in the country right now. Although I’m not currently teaching the subject of cheese, I have a more profound understanding of what makes cheeses different, and what the most important details of production are.
Miller: I lecture about cheese every block and the trip gave me a more in-depth perspective and broader knowledge base on cheese. What really impacted me is that cheese making is a labor of love. It is not a financially lucrative business and it is a lot of hard work.
Gigliotti: This trip reinforced my love of cheese as the star, not just an ingredient. I can share my new knowledge of the cheese-making process with my students and hopefully incorporate it into the Garde Manger and Cuisines of the Mediterranean courses.
Kolakowski: I make sure we offer the Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Dairy on our cart, as I thought it was one of the best cheeses we tasted. And I use the video Sara gave us in lecture to show the students how cheese is made.
Murphy: There was lots of information we can incorporate into our lectures and course materials. Although other countries have out-standing cheeses, it was very educational to learn about the breadth and depth of cheese styles and types that are produced in the U.S. And, of course, Wisconsin is a major contributor to that industry.
Kowalski: We make fresh cheese on day 10 in the Garde Manger course. Now I will be able to give the students more first-hand, in-depth information on how cheese is handled. Since the trip, I have begun to use cheese more, especially the artisanal ones made in the U.S.
Lavender: I think what impacted me most was the sheer quality and expert craftsmanship I found with Wisconsin cheese. I have already brought pieces of this trip into my classroom.
Is there a particular fact or figure that impressed you?Murphy: That Wisconsin produces more than 25% of all the cheese in the U.S.!
Miller: That it takes about 10 pounds of milk to yield one pound of cheese.
Kowalski: The volume of cheese that is produced on a farm. Plus the fact that the price of milk has not changed in 30 years, so in order to make money you need to become bigger, but that means
you also get more in debt.
Gigliotti: The sheer amount of artisanal and farmstead cheese mak-ers in Wisconsin. No wonder they consider themselves cheese heads!
Fischer: Well, I couldn’t believe how little cheese Little Willi makes. But I think that the general truism “10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese” will stick with me.
Kolakowski: Ninety percent of the milk from Wisconsin cows is used to make cheese. And Wisconsin produces nearly 26% of all domestic cheese.
Lavender: The cheese maker who ran his factory at off-hours to save money on his electric bill. The rotational grazing practices that Uplands employs. The ingenuity of using an underground bunker to age cheese.
Any anecdotes or “ah-ha” moments?Miller: It is interesting how much milk and cheese is a part of the Wisconsin culture. Everyone eats cheese in the state.
Kolakowski: I love my Wisconsin cheese beer cozy that I won when we had the cheese trivia game on the bus the last day!
Murphy: All the cheese makers are passionate about their product; however, from a business per-spective, they all have their own unique strategy and approach. Some are concerned with organic and sustainable products; others are charged with and appreciate mass manufacturing for global markets. They also show great respect and support for the other cheese manufacturers, dairy farmers, and cheese stores.
Fischer: Walking into the smear-washing room for Limburger at Chalet Cheese Co-op was actually a “NUH-UH” moment. I’ve never encountered a smell that intense and overpowering in my life...and I’m not sure I ever want to smell it again.
Kowalski: John Fischer in a hair net. I have pictures.
Gigliotti: My “ah-ha” moment was realizing how much cheese one single person can consume in one day!
To learn more about Wisconsin cheese, visit the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board at www.eatwisconsincheese.com.
Shelly Loveland is a writer/editor in the CIA’s Marketing Department.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com22
We all know that getting older
isn’t all bad—the accumulation
of knowledge, wisdom, and
experience more than make up for
that lost extra step on the tennis
or basketball court. Well, age has
its benefits in other areas as well,
especially in the worlds of wine and
cheese. I would be remiss if I failed
to mention, though, that older wines
and cheeses are not automatically
better than younger versions;
it’s a matter of personal taste.
Their relative scarceness bestows
commodity status on many bottles
of mature Bordeaux and wheels
of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
And some people won’t ever enjoy
these foodstuffs if their tastes lean
towards fresh and clean flavors. But
let’s see what goes on inside the
bottle and within the rind as time
goes by that gives them character
and makes them worth a try.
WineThere are potentially three elements that are part of the wine’s
flavor profile and also act as preservatives: acid, alcohol, and
tannin.
Acid helps to keep the wine from oxidizing; think of lemon juice
on apple slices. Different acids abound in wine, depending on how
it’s made, but malic acid dominates. It is one of the acids in sour
apples, and is sometimes controlled with the use of malolactic
(ML) fermentation, which tames the tartness but also reduces the
preservational potential. This fermentation can occur naturally,
but is usually induced in all red wines and some whites, like the
Chardonnay.
Alcohol helps to create the body of a wine, which translates into
the weight of the wine on one’s
palate and the wine’s viscosity.
Alcohol has also been used as a
preservative for hundreds of years,
and it still does the trick in a bottle
of wine. You may not have realized
it, but Port, Sherry, and Madeira
are all fortified wines, meaning
that alcohol is added during the
winemaking process. Historically,
they added alcohol to ensure that
the wines would be able to survive
a long sea voyage in decent shape.
Tannins are complex polyphenolic
compounds found in the skins,
seeds, and stems of a grape, and
are responsible for the mouthfeel
of a wine—especially the drying
sensation you get from a young,
dark red wine. They also preserve
wine, and as they slowly break
down (actually, polymerize) with
time, they become part of the wine’s
bouquet—the complex and deep
aromas that develop with age.
So why does any of this matter? Almost all of the wine made on
this planet is meant for immediate consumption, with a small
percentage being considered “ageable.” Americans buy a lot
of wine that could be aged, partly because we feel comfortable
purchasing wines with high ratings from Wine Spectator magazine
and Robert Parker. The most highly rated wines tend to be more
expensive and more age-worthy. We also like to drink these wines
because young wines have brighter, fresher fruit flavors, and are
cleaner tasting. Alternatively, aged wines may have lost the blush
of youth, but the tannins have softened and the bouquets have
developed to their full potential.
So, young wines are more affordable and fresher tasting, aged
wines (because of their rarity) are higher-priced and more
With Age Comes Character By John Fischer ’88
mise en place no.55, March 2011 23
subtle in their presentation. As you may
have guessed, Americans prefer fresh and
affordable. Aged wines should be suitably
stored, but how many of us have that? Not
me…I have a wine basement, not a cellar.
If you have decided to go with an aged
bottle of wine, you might be wondering
what to serve with it. Remember, well-
aged wines have lost the brashness of
youth and acquired a subtle complexity
of aroma and texture. The food should be
selected with that in mind.
I have read in many places and heard
from a lot of fellow professionals that
the choice to pair with an old Bordeaux
is simply roasted chicken. The idea
is for the dish not to upstage, but
rather to serve as a frame for,
the art that sits in the glass. You
can take that basic principle
and run with it, choosing to
serve a simple white fish,
veal, or pork as the main
protein. You should avoid
strongly flavored or piquant
accompaniments. I would
not recommend chipotle
chicken wings for that ’90
Latour in your
cellar! You could
also serve an
aged wine with
a relatively
subtle cheese,
which leads
us to…
Old & Cheesy
With the
domestication of
dairy animals a few
thousand years ago,
farmers ended
up with more
milk than their
families could
ever drink. Cheese—once discovered—could keep those vital calories
viable for a longer time than fresh milk. Making cheese was a means
of preserving and extending the milk.
Now, milk fresh from the udder has an enormous amount of living
bacteria in it, almost all of which is beneficial. They are referred to
as starter bacteria, in that they are in the milk when you start making
the cheese. These bacteria produce a great number of chemical
compounds as they respire, and some of them are enzymes that
can eventually break down fat and protein molecules into smaller,
aromatic compounds. This happens over time, which explains why
young cheeses are rather bland, and older ones can get downright
“funky.” It also explains why cheese from raw milk is prized—
pasteurization kills off bacteria so there are fewer left to do the job of
flavor making.
One other factor that changes a cheese’s flavor over time is
moisture loss. Just as a sauce will get more intense as it’s reduced,
the evaporation of water from a wheel of Gruyère leads to a more
concentrated flavor. So the aging of cheese runs in the opposite
direction from that of wine—the cheese will gain power as it matures.
This also means that accompaniments for older cheeses need to
be able to keep up. Whereas the natural choice of wine for fresh
goat cheese would be a crisp Sancerre, a spoonful of Stilton begs
for a glass of vintage Port. Even the crackers and bread served
with aged cheese should have more character; raisin-nut bread can
be a good choice, as well as crackers made with darker flours like
pumpernickel. This is one place to avoid powerful, young tannic
red wines, as much as that might seem the natural direction to
head. This is the job for sweet wines, in that the rich mouthfeel and
sweetness of a Sauterne or Tokai Aszu can calm the power of an aged
cheese’s flavor, and also provide a sweet contrast to the saltiness of,
say, Roquefort.
So even though it would have made for a happy ending to see
the perfectly aged Sbrinz walking into the sunset with a ’90 Clos
Vougeot, it would be doing them both a disservice. Instead, make
a meal out of it and serve the aged Vougeot with a simply roasted
Pintade, and the mature Sbrinz for dessert with a sweet Vendange
Tardive Gewürztraminer from Alsace. Everybody, especially you,
will be happy.
John Fischer is associate professor in hospitality and service management at
the CIA.
Because
white wine
has little or
no tannin in
it (tannins
reside with
the color
compounds in the
grape’s skin), whites tend
not to get better with age.
There are a few exceptions,
such as Grand Cru Chablis,
some German Rieslings,
and the best white sweet
wines like Sauterne—all
of which have high
acidity and great
complexity. But most
whites are meant
for near-immediate
consumption and
few will get better
beyond their fifth year
in the bottle. Raw-milk cheeses are available in the United States, but
they must be aged for a minimum
of 60 days.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com24
How the Worlds of Flavor: Japan Changed My World
This year it was all about Japan. And the most riveting part of the
Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival at the Greystone
campus was prefaced with a daring disclaimer—“It’s not something that
can be taught.” As a student, I’ve heard those words before, or at least
some variant of them, from people who insist that they are singular in
their craft. Usually that phrase
is posed as either a challenge or
a rebuke. But when a chef whose
Michelin-starred restaurant has
a lineage fit for a crest speaks
those words, they are heavy and
hammer into the very core of my
culinary passion.
Mashahiro Kurisu is the chef and
director of Tankuma Kitamise,
whose one-star Michelin
restaurant in Kyoto specializes
in kaiseki. He also has a
location in Tokyo. At this year’s
conference, Chef Kurisu gave
an impassioned demonstration
of kaiseki; a highly formalized
meal that is anchored in its
artistic tribute to nature and the
“24 seasons” of Japan. Since the
1700s, kaiseki has evolved from
an exquisite tea ceremony to an
unrivaled culinary adventure.
The use of flawlessly fresh
and local ingredients woos
diners into an almost spiritual
experience, where both food and
art share the plate perfectly.
During the demo, every part of me was fully engaged. I was surprised
that this was the first time I was being introduced to the practice
of kaiseki, but as the demo continued I realized why. Unlike the
“sushification” that has fully circled the globe, kaiseki remains
strategically aloof from Westernized culinary culture. Inspired by the
indomitable spirit of the Japanese, kaiseki is a culinary heirloom and
the practice of it remains exclusive to them. It is a mysterious art that
they will proudly showcase, but never share—and rightfully so.
Chef Kurisu did something truly mystical. By contrasting the trendy,
cutting edge mores of the conference’s host state of California against
the richly traditional and conventional philosophy of kaiseki, Kurisu
tempered both culinary and cultural extremes in a way no one
expected. And presenting that to a group that is not easily wowed—
the gatekeepers of all things food—his demo was a wild success. The
Ventura Center at Greystone
was pin-drop quiet as he
methodically plated the lobster,
the quintessential symbol
for long life and celebration
in Japan. In this case, it also
served as a representation of
the Golden Gate Bridge. In a
lighthearted move, a skillfully
cut piece of vegetable, which
seemed like an outlier on the
plate, was used to symbolize
Alcatraz Island. The chef
continued to employ different
ingredients to depict key
components of life on the
West Coast. It was humbling
to watch him do two things
at once without compromise.
The manner in which he fused
two cultures, which are worlds
apart, into the idiom of kaiseki
emboldened and humbled me.
Seeing food come alive in a
way that told a story of human
experience, and hearing his
remarks on the significance
of plating, redefined my
perception of what it really
means to serve food. According to Chef Kurisu, that’s exactly the goal.
“In kaiseki you need to tell a big story,” he explained.
I always knew plating was important and an invaluable aspect of
what we are taught here as rising culinary professionals at the CIA,
but what I saw wasn’t simply plating. It was technical ingenuity with
the palate as client. I’m certain that the next time I serve food I will
remember the lessons of Chef Kurisu and the valued traditions of
kaiseki, even if that plate is “only” a popular lamb burger from K-16.
Brigid Ransom is a CIA student.
By Brigid K. Ransome
mise en place no.55, March 2011 25
Book ShelfMy Sweet MexicoBy Fany Gerson ’98
While there are
countless cookbooks
about Mexican food,
very little has been
written about the vast
and varied world of
Mexican desserts.
In My Sweet Mexico,
Mexican native
and New York resident
Fany Gerson explores the history behind
the familiar landmark Mexican staples. She explains the
significance of unfamiliar ingredients and provides modern twists
on old favorites. You’ll enjoy recipes for such delights as chestnut
flan, sweet fried masa cakes, dead man’s bread, cheesecake with
spice quince, mango bread pudding with tamarind sauce, and
hibiscus ice pops. Delicioso!
The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Easy Artisan BreadBy Yvonne Ruperti ’95
Did you know that the
earliest cookbooks didn’t
have bread recipes listed
in them because they
were protected by
special bread guilds?
Well, the secret is out
and made easy to
follow with this delightful book
for the aspiring baker in your life. The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Easy Artisan Bread provides everything you need to
know to make delicious bread from scratch. It has more than 80 recipes
for boules, bagels, sandwich breads, focaccia, rolls, and more. Also
included is a primer on flours, sweeteners, leaveners, and other essential
bread-baking ingredients. Illustrations help the baking beginner
envision each step along the way.
Cooking for OneBy Mark Erickson ’77
and Lisa Erickson ’79
Cooking for one can be
simple and easy. Chefs
Mark and Lisa Erickson
apply their passion for
food and professional
experience to create
the satisfying,
healthy, flavorful
meals shared in
this book. They
offer simple, practical strategies and
techniques for shopping and menu planning that will
help you get the most from the ingredients you buy. You’ll find recipes
for easy-to-prepare desserts, pizzas, and savory soufflés, as well as
global dishes such as Asian-inspired fish and noodle recipes, Indian
curry, and Vietnamese salad rolls. Cooking for one will soon become
cooking for fun.
Exploring Wine, 3rd EditionBy Steve Kolpan,
Brian Smith, and
Michael Weiss
Completely revised
and updated, this
new edition of
the critically
acclaimed guide
features more
comprehensive
coverage of the
wine regions of
the world, grape varietals,
winemaking, purchasing, tasting, service, and
pairing. The expanded food and wine pairing section explains
why particular wines and foods pair well with each other. The
book includes informative charts, tables, maps, and beautiful
full-color photographs. Expanded, revised, and better than
ever, Exploring Wine is a comprehensive resource and ideal
companion for wine lovers and students alike.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com26
Hiring the Best Interviewing Candidates in a Buyer’s Market
Today’s economy has produced a “buyer’s market” for employers
who have open positions. On the surface, this looks like a good
problem to have. After all, you can get more for your money!
However, with the market saturated with talented people looking
for jobs, the hiring process can be daunting.
Preparation is the key to selecting the candidate who will best
meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s strategic opportunities.
Ultimately, you want to surround yourself with passionate
employees who provide the best products and services for your
customers and maximize profits for your business. So in the
interviewing process, you
want to be on the lookout
for people who have the
right combination of “can
do” and “will do.”
“Can do” factors include
the knowledge, skills, and
experience the candidate
brings to the table. The
“will do” qualities relate
to the individual’s desire,
willingness, and attitude
towards performing the
job. You want people
who are both technically
capable of doing the job
and enthusiastic about the
position; otherwise, you
are potentially hiring a
problem employee.
Preparing for the Interview Your ability to get the
most out of the interview
process depends on how
prepared you are. Some
managers just “wing it”—
but this is dangerous. First
of all, it is disrespectful
to the candidate. And it certainly does a disservice to you and
your organization. A bad hiring decision can be very costly; both
in terms of the time, money, and energy you invest in recruiting,
training, and managing that person, as well as the potential for
reduced morale of other staff and unhappy customers.
So prepare for that all-important interview! Here are some
key steps:
1. Thoroughly read the job description and hiring criteria. What
knowledge, skills, and abilities are necessary to be successful in
the position?
2. Review all paperwork the
candidate has submitted,
including résumé, cover letter,
and application. Make notes
where you’d like clarification,
such as gaps in job history,
interesting job titles, and
inconsistent career focus.
3. Establish a structure for
the interview. Develop a list
of standard questions you
will ask every candidate.
This ensures consistency
and fairness in the decision-
making process and helps
you focus on what is truly
important for success in
the position.
4. Schedule a time and place
for the interview. Make sure
you allocate enough time
and that there will be no
interruptions.
Let the Interviews BeginNow you’re ready to start
the actual interviews. There
are generally three parts:
the introduction (or warm-
By Tama Murphy, CHE, CCP, CMP, CCSP
mise en place no.55, March 2011 27
up), information gathering, and the closing. The warm-up helps put
the candidate at ease. As part of your introduction, make sure you
convey what your role is and how it relates to the position that’s open.
Explain what your organization does and how the job fits into the
goals and objectives. The introduction should be insightful but brief;
after all, you want to spend the majority of the time learning about the
applicant.
Questions, QuestionsThe heart of the interview is information gathering. Since this phase
of the interview is critical to your decision-making process, you
need to make every question count—and that means if a question has
no strategic significance, don’t bother asking it. It’s also vital that
all questions you ask be legal and not offend the individual. Equal
Employment Opportunity laws prohibit discrimination against
applicants on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, disability, or
national origin. So the best way to avoid legal pitfalls is to ask only
questions that are job-related and will help you assess a candidate’s
qualifications, skills, and things like maturity level and willingness to
accept responsibility.
Using a structured approach for the interview ensures consistency
and allows you to compare candidates against the same criteria. It’s
also helpful in maintaining control of the interview if the candidate
is chatty or likes to go off on tangents. Apply the same method of
questioning to all applicants and use open-ended questions to probe
for “who, what, when, where, why, and how” answers. Here are a few
examples:
• Tell me a little about yourself.
• What do you know about our organization and why do you want to
work here?
• What is appealing about this position? What skills and strengths can
you bring to it?
• Tell me about your favorite boss. What attributes do you hope your
new manager will have?
• What aspect of your work life are you most passionate about?
• What skills do you bring to this job that will make you successful?
• Who and what have motivated you in the past?
• Why did you leave your last position?
• What are you most proud of in your career?
• Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. How did you handle
it? What did you learn from it?
• Tell me about an important decision you made.
• Can you give me an example of how you handled a workplace
conflict in the past?
• Tell me about a time you pulled a team together to produce solid
results.
• What skills would you like to improve?
If the answer you’re given to a question doesn’t elicit the information
you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to continue probing. For example,
if the candidate states that he saved the company money on a project,
ask how much and how those savings were achieved.
Wrap It UpAt the end of the interview, give the prospect a chance to ask
questions—remember, he or she is interviewing you, too. You’ll find
that these questions are very revealing, as well as a good way of
determining if the applicant is truly interested in the position or just
needs a job.
A good technique for closing the interview is to summarize. By
repeating the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and reasons for
wanting the job, you let him or her know you are a good listener
and care about hiring the most qualified person for the position.
This also gives the candidate the opportunity to clear up any
misunderstandings.
In addition, make the applicant aware of the next step in the interview
process. Will there be another interview? Are there additional forms
or tests that need to be taken? Besides being a courtesy, discussing
the next step also emphasizes the importance of the hiring decision to
your business.
End the interview on a formal note by standing and shaking the
individual’s hand and thanking him or her. This lets the candidate
know the session is formally ended and gives the signal that it’s time
to leave.
Document, Decide, and You’re DoneThere’s one last step that’s critical to making your hiring decision
a good one: document your interview findings. Documenting the
interview provides proof that your decision was based on legitimate
criteria and not factors that can be construed as discriminatory. Most
important, by using a standard form that is completed after each
interview, you’ll have ready access to the details about each candidate
when it’s final decision time. This is especially helpful when you have
a lot of candidates to choose from. Remember that buyer’s market?
By objectively comparing everyone’s documented skills, abilities, and
qualifications, you ensure that you’re selecting the best candidate for
the position—and your organization’s future.
Tama Murphy is director of certification and training at The Culinary Institute
of America and is a certified culinary professional and certified culinary sales
professional. Feel free to contact her at t_murphy@culinary.edu.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com28
Aramark • Sodexo
Delaware North Companies
Belize Tourism Board
Campbell Soup Company
Pinnacle Entertainment
Runaway Bay Heart Training Center
U.S. Air Force • U.S. Marine Corps
Their Chefs are ProChefs. Are Yours?
The competition is here to stay—and that means you need culinary
professionals on your team who can take on any challenge the industry serves up.
So how do you prepare your chefs to lead? In two words: ProChef® Certification.
ProChef develops and tests their skills at three industry-recognized levels of
excellence. Your chefs will gain a new perspective on the culinary arts—and you’ll
grow the talent you need to be the best.
ProChef Certification—The Standard for Excellence
www.ciaprochef.com/prochef1-888-367-7131
mise en place no.55, March 2011 29
Hobart and the CIA…in the MixWhen you think of something “getting better with age,” you might
imagine great wine or a wonderfully aromatic cheese. Most likely
you haven’t thought about a kitchen full of foodservice equipment.
However, Hobart Corporation has, indeed, gotten better with age.
With over 110 years of experience providing equipment and service
to the foodservice and food retail industries, Hobart has earned a
reputation as a leader in delivering products designed and built to the
highest possible standards of performance, quality, and durability. It’s
a reputation that has withstood the test of time.
One of Hobart’s biggest markets is the healthcare sector, which has
provided the company with tremendous opportunity for growth.
“For the past nine years, I have had the pleasure of working closely
with both the acute and long-term care components of the healthcare
industry,” says Dick Hynes, director of consultant services and
healthcare for Hobart. “The changes in this market segment are
constant and will continue as the new National Healthcare Program
is implemented. More and more chefs are finding the healthcare
market a great venue for them to develop new menus with great eye
appeal, nutritional value, and great taste. To be able to participate in
this transition, even in a small way, has been very rewarding to me.”
Hobart provides facilities with traditional ware washing, refrigeration,
and food machines such as ovens
and food processors—all vital
equipment needed to service
hundreds of people every day.
Hobart’s role in helping the CIA
provide students with the world’s
best culinary education began
more than 30 years ago, and
continues to this day. Mr. Hynes
explains, “From my first cold call
those many years ago, I knew this
was an organization with which
Hobart needed to be working
closely. There was, and is, an aura
about the place. The quality of
the students prepared by the CIA
is superb. There was no question
that we needed to partner closely
with the college.”
Walk into any of the kitchens in
any of our three campuses and
you’ll see the familiar Hobart
logo showcased on the many products they have provided. “A strong
working relationship between the two entities just makes good sense,”
says Mr. Hynes. “We have always believed that part of the culinary
working environment at the CIA should include providing the students
opportunities to work on the best state-of-the-art equipment, and we
do our best to make that a reality.” Jim DeJoy, manager of Gift-In-
Kind for the CIA, echoes those sentiments. “Working with Hobart has
been a win-win for both parties. We’ve had the opportunity to have
their quality products in our teaching kitchens, while giving Hobart
the opportunity to get their products in front of thousands of future
customers each day. What the students use in the classroom are what
students want after they graduate. It’s been a pleasure working with
Hobart and we look forward to building on that relationship.”
Most recently Hobart worked very closely with the CIA on the new
San Antonio campus. Mr. Hynes states, “Over the years, we’ve had the
opportunity to work with some amazing people at the CIA. I only see
our relationship becoming stronger in the coming years, as we work
together on some exciting new projects.” It is a relationship that is
getting better with age.
Felicia Zammit is a CIA advancement officer.
By Felicia Zammit
hobARts At woRk in CiA kitChens
www.ciaalumninetwork.com30
Why Give?
Candice (Malk) Wolk ’96
Member, CIA Society of Fellows
What Motivates You to Give?I have always believed that for me, it is a luxury to say, “I am
having a bad day.” I can say it because you know tomorrow or
the day after will be better. For millions of people that luxury
doesn’t exist.
What Makes Giving Meaningful?When I graduated from the CIA there were days when I would
pass a homeless person and, although I may have only had a
couple of dollars on me, I gave it to them. I could always work
more, earn more, save more, and withdraw more. None of those
statements could be said for them. The most meaningful thing
for me about giving is knowing I can help. I think there are so
many ways to make a difference, whether by volunteering your
time, thinking of ways to improve existing programs, or giving
financially.
How Do You Give?I try to give both my time and philanthropically to several
different causes. Although I no longer cook professionally, I give
back in ways that reflect my love for food and the industry. I
have been involved with the largest Massachusetts organic farm
that grows the produce used in many of the food shelter kitchens
around Boston. I have helped support a nutritional cookbook with
recipes built on sustainable nutritional values that can be prepared
in low-income housing situations, where sometimes the only tools
for food preparation are a bathroom sink and a microwave. And
I have helped to host private dinners with celebrity chefs, where
100% of the proceeds go to the homeless. Most recently, my
husband Howard and I became members of the CIA Society of
Fellows. For our anniversary, Howard gave a gift in my name to
support the Chefs in Community Service organization at the CIA.
mise en place no.55, March 2011 31
Christian S. E. HanrahanTeaching Assistant–Jones Dairy Farm Kitchen, AOS in Culinary Arts ’09, BPS in Culinary Arts Management ’11 (anticipated)
RecipientJones Dairy Farm Scholarship
The BeginningI grew up as the oldest of eight children in a food-centric family,
and my fondest memories have always included substantial
amounts of food. During high school, I worked in the kitchens of
the Legal Sea Foods restaurant chain. I loved the heat and action
of a professional kitchen, so attending The Culinary Institute of
America was a natural next step for me.
College Highlight The highlight of my time at the CIA was working as a teaching
assistant (TA) in the Quantity Food Production class in the Jones
Dairy Farm Kitchen. Working there was one of the greatest
educational experiences of my life and the coolest job I ever had.
It presented unique challenges such as the 100% turnover of staff
every three weeks and the pressure of producing 400–600 meals
in a one-hour lunch period—that’s six meals a second! The high
expectation of employee performance thrilled me and was a
reaffirmation of why I chose culinary arts as my profession.
Outside Interest/HobbiesI enjoy hiking and camping, and am an Eagle Scout. Becoming
an Eagle Scout taught me to always be prepared—sounds just
like mise en place—and to value what I have. My passion really
is food, learning about everything from cheese to charcuterie. I
consider myself a Scotch and Whisky connoisseur, my favorite
being 16-year-old Lagavulin single malt. I also enjoy playing video
games—I always find time for that!
Hopes for the FutureMy professional goal is to eventually found and operate a
restaurant in the Greater Boston area. I think Boston is in the early
stages of blossoming into its own as a restaurant destination city.
The ImpactReceiving the Jones Dairy Farm Scholarship is a blessing and
basically covered the expenses of my BPS degree. Without it, I
would have had to work at least 35 hours a week, and now I can
dedicate that time to my studies.
Giving’s Impact
32
’69 John P. Christman retired
from Hy-Vee Grocery in
Kansas City, MO.
’71 Michael Devine retired
from the U.S. Navy Subma-
rine Force. His 31 years of active duty in
various foodservice positions culminated
in his becoming Chief of the Boat for the
USS Alabama. Socrates Inonog is a
consultant for Island Pacific Supermarkets
in Panorama City, CA. He was the first
person to be certified by the American
Culinary Federation as a certified culinary
educator (CCE) back in 1977.
’74 Norman Nuwash and his
wife Priscilla Nuwash ’74
were in the very first class to begin at the
Hyde Park campus. Norman is general
manager of the Fort Collins Country
’51 Benjamin Stanley
Bludnicki graduated from
the CIA’s New Haven campus in January
1951 with a degree in commercial baking.
He worked for one year as a baker, then
changed careers and became a motor
vehicle driver for the U.S. Postal Service.
He retired from that job after 30 years.
’62 Lawrence E. Murphy, Sr.
retired in December 2010
after 48 years in the foodservice industry.
’68 Bill Grella has retired twice!
After 20 years of working in
foodservice, he retired to join the fire
department in Meriden, CT. Recently,
he retired from that job after 25 years
of service. He now works with his local
ambulance company doing medical livery
and would love to get in touch with his
1968 classmates.
Club. Priscilla is director, quality process
improvement at Poudre Valley Health
System.
’75 Raymond Joyner worked
with the Boy Scouts during
the summer of 2010 at a camp in New
Hampshire. He demonstrated how to
make whole wheat bread in a Dutch oven
using charcoal as an energy source.
’77 Michael Lynch was recently
named 2010 ProStart® Teacher
of the Year by the New York State Restau-
rant Association Educational Foundation.
Michael has taught culinary arts in the
New York City schools for 18 years and
was cited for his outstanding connection
with students, which results in their suc-
cessful test scores.
’78 Thomas Ingalls is pit master
for The Barbeque Chef Inc.
He was given the 2010 United States/
World Barbeque Competition Team
Leader Award by the New York State
Buffalo Stampede Barbeque Challenge
Inc., a registered charity and not-for-profit
in New York.
’79 Lisa Drost is currently
the office manager at The
Evergreen School in Seattle, WA. Jeffrey
Alexander Melkonian participated in
a 100-mile cycling event on October 31,
2010 to benefit the Leukemia and Lym-
phoma Foundation’s research arm.
’81 Michael McCaffrey is execu-
tive chef for The Goldminer’s
Daughter Lodge in Alta, UT. He has a
daughter Chelsea and a granddaughter
Keyrstin.
Alumni Council CornerCouncil Welcomes Two New Members
Robert Kabakoff ’86 and Brad LaBel ’97 are the two newest members to join the
Alumni Council. Elected this past October during the CIA’s Annual Meeting, they
joined a group of 17 dedicated volunteers. Led by new Council Chair Dale Miller ’79,
these two alumni will help create programs to support your alumni network of more
than 40,000 members.
Robert is owner and director of culinary operations at White Chocolate Grill, which
has locations in Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; and Naperville, IL. As an active alumni
volunteer, he is a mentor, a host mentor, a Career Fair recruiter, an externship site host,
and an Admissions volunteer. Robert is a member of both the Society of Fellows and the
Society of the Millennium—comprised of those who have provided in their estate for the
CIA. Robert has created two scholarships to benefit students on all three campuses.
As the president of LaBel Foodservice Equipment & Design in New York, Brad develops
new foodservice projects from start to finish. His areas of expertise include designing
restaurants, corporate and school cafeterias, hotel and catering kitchens, and gourmet
grocery stores. Brad is a member of the Society of Fellows and created the Alumni
Marketplace Scholarship to benefit students interested in careers in restaurant design.
Welcome Robert and Brad!
Interested in learning more about the Council? Want to get involved? Please contact the
Alumni Relations Office at 845 451-1401 or alumni@culinary.edu.
mise en place no.55, March 2011 33
Art or Science—It’s Food!Is food art or is it science? Anyone who has plated a culinary
masterpiece or painstakingly followed a baking formula knows it’s
both. And as someone who has made a career of combining the
culinary arts with food science, CIA graduate and food scientist Dr.
Chris Loss ’93 has a unique perspective on the interplay between
the two disciplines—and on why it’s important for busy chefs to
take the time to delve deeper into the science behind their cuisines.
“Understanding the basic scientific principles underlying culinary
methods will allow chefs to be more creative and authentic in their
cooking,” Chris says. “When chefs ask me why it’s important for them
to understand food science, the artist Vincent Van Gogh comes to
mind. By creating his own paints, canvas, and brushes he was able
to give greater depth and meaning to his creations. This deeper
understanding of his medium made him the great artist we all know.
I believe that we in the food industry would also benefit from a more
complete understanding of our medium, the ingredients we use, and
how they interact.”
It was the CIA’s AOS program that first turned Chris on to food
science. And with the encouragement of several instructors, he
headed to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where he earned his
doctorate, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees. In addition to his studies,
he worked for a small contract R&D group as research assistant in
the Department of Food Science at Cornell. With the CIA since 2005,
Chris is now director of menu research and development.
Today, with funding granted through the CIA Menu Research and
Flavor Discovery Initiative and access to Vi Living’s adult residences
provided by CIA Fellow Don Clawson, Chris has embarked on a
research project to characterize and gain insight into the food and
dining preferences of seniors. Data from focus groups will help
guide the development of menu offerings and optimization of dining
ambiance. By taking a science-based approach, the CIA will gain
valuable knowledge, which can then be translated by the foodservice
and hospitality industry into products and services for this rapidly
growing consumer demographic. It is Chris’s contention that
“understanding scientific principles will help chefs better meet their
customers’ needs.”
’82 John Scott Pierce II is chef/
owner of Chateau Country
Caterers, LLC, which was voted #1 cater-
er in Germantown, TN from 2006–2010.
John has a new granddaughter named
Addison.
’85 (Gordon) Scott Philip is
chef/owner of Hurricane Cafe
in Juno Beach, FL. The café was Zagat-
rated “excellent” from 2004–2010 and
“best value” in 2009. In addition, Scott
was named “small businessman of the
year” in 2004 by Palm Beach County.
’87 Stephen Perkins is a culi-
nary arts instructor for The
Culinary Institute of Virginia, which is
part of ECPI College of Technology. In
February 2010, he participated in tryouts
for the Culinary Olympic team. He is
also president of the Virginia Chefs As-
sociation of the ACF. Gary S. Toscano
is assistant director of dining services for
Kirkland Village in Bethlehem, PA. He is
currently studying to become a Certified
Dietary Manager.
’88 Robert Heenan is executive
pastry chef for The Country
Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, AL.
’90 Daniel Dumont and Rob-
ert Mancuso successfully
completed the grueling eight-day exam to
become two of only 66 Certified Master
Chefs in the U.S. The exam was held at
the CIA’s Hyde Park campus.
’91 Dina Altieri is a chef instruc-
tor at Kendall College in
Chicago, IL. She was coach of the 2010
Kendall College ACF Knowledge Bowl
Team National Champions.
’92 Sergeant 1st Class Rene
Marquis is an enlisted aide
for the U.S. Special Operations Com-
mand out of MacDill Air Force Base. He
was part of a two-man team that defend-
ed the Army’s culinary crown and was
subsequently named champions of the
second Freedom Chef Challenge, held
during the 2010 American Culinary Fed-
eration National Convention in Anaheim,
CA. He competed against teams from
the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast
Guard. Robert Masullo, chef/owner of
Masullo in Sacramento, CA, was featured
in the pizza edition of Popular Plates
magazine. Robert is married and has a
two-year-old son. Maureen Timmons is
the director of dining services for North-
eastern University in Boston. She recently
received a “Best Concepts Award” for
Best New Facility from Food Management
magazine.
’93 William Clifford is execu-
tive chef at Portland Harbor
Hotel in Portland, ME. He was one of
three finalists competing for the title of
Maine Lobster Chef of the Year 2010,
sponsored by the Maine Lobster Promo-
tion Council.
’94 Brian Beland success-
fully completed the grueling
eight-day exam to become one of only 66
Certified Master Chefs in the U.S. The
exam was held at the CIA’s Hyde Park
campus. Philip Canapini is executive
chef at the Trump National Golf Club in
Hudson Valley, NY.
’97 Edmund Pike never imag-
ined being a stay-at-home dad
would enable him to use his training and
skills to cook for his four children. He
loves it.
’98 Paul Clark is executive
chef in the first-class lounge
at Philadelphia International Airport
working for FLIK/British Airways.
Scott Jones is executive food and wine
editor for Southern Living magazine in
Birmingham, AL. Romeo Stivaletti is
the executive chef for the Trump orga-
nization. He advised contestants about
culinary situations during a food segment
of NBC’s Apprentice filmed at his Trump
location. David A. Thorne is head chef
for Dega Catering in Knoxville, TN. Prior
to that, he ran a local food delivery busi-
ness in Alaska known as AK Root Sellers
and a local food catering business called
Delicious Dave.
www.ciaalumninetwork.com34
Wendell A. Hall ’51
James Pavana ’54
Bruce S. Taylor ’55
James Dawson III ’68
Morton Gilbert ’68
Malcolm Lawrence Noonan ’71
Terry W. Earl ’72
Nick Cullura ’73
Anthony Timoteo, Jr. ’75
David Jagielski ’81
Ivan Joseph Capowski ’86
Scott Walsack ’86
David Keener ’88
Peter Wildermuth ’90
Dana Michele Vittorio ’95
David R. Lombardo ’98
Andrew Greenberg ’99
Kathleen Weaks ’04
Patrick Humphrey ’05
Marshal Meyer ’05
Samuel J. Montgomery ’07
Brent Collinsworth ’10
In Memoriam
’99 Marc Dunham is director
of culinary arts at the Francis
Tuttle Technology Center in Okalahoma
City, OK. Jason Zeller is executive chef
for The Hamlet Country Club in Delray
Beach, FL, where he was instrumental
in a $10 million renovation that featured
two new restaurants for the facility.
’00 Matthew Kallinikos
opened the Carter Green
Steakhouse at the Island View Casino
Resort in Gulfport, MS, in June 2010. He
has competed and medaled in over 20
ACF events, most recently winning gold
in the June 2010 Culinary Classic. Laura
Ann Nedich Kenya is executive pastry
chef at the Essex Spa and Resort in Essex,
VT. She got married in September 2010.
Jeremy Patrick is owner of Hawg Wild
BBQ at Catfish House in Clarkesville,
GA.
’01 William Abbott is a semi-
retired, self-employed caterer.
He won the 2010 Trapiche Wine Grill-Off
Recipe Competition in Orlando, FL, for
his original chili marinated flank steak
recipe. While at the CIA, he was known
by his group members as “group daddy”
because of his age. Robert Bischak
was married to fellow CIA grad Merry
Lodarek ’03 in September 2010. They
met while attending the CIA, where they
both got their bachelor’s degrees. Merry
works for her family business, Big Apple
Finer Foods in Chicago. Rob works for
Compass Group as executive chef/man-
ager in corporate dining. They also own a
catering business. Ji Cha is the owner of
Chef Ji’s Moon Jar Restaurant in Fort Lee,
NJ. She also works for Sysco Metro NY in
Jersey City, NJ.
’03 Dennis Friedman is chef/
owner of BEZU Restaurant in
Potomac, MD. He recently won the 2010
Mason/Dixon Master Chef Tournament—
a multi-week, single-elimination event
designed to showcase the Baltimore
metropolitan area’s finest chefs and
restaurants. Audrey Jones Spence is
corporate sous chef for Tom Douglas
Restaurants in Seattle, WA. She also was
recently married. Lori Vrazel has won
several awards for her cakes, including a
first place award in the 2009 Food as Art
Competition in Mississippi.
’04 Allegra Eve Angelo is
sommelier/wine director for
Michy’s in Miami, FL. She was named
one of the “7 Best New Sommeliers of
2010” in the October 2010 issue of Wine
& Spirits magazine. Hyun Jung Choi
Texas Hold ’emUnder a big Texas sky, with
delighted friends and family as
witnesses, Samantha Bussman
’09 and Robbie Rensel ’10
exchanged vows at Belle
Rose Maison in Conroe, TX
on May 29, 2010. Samantha
is currently the sous chef at
Houston’s Westlake Country
Club and Robbie is working as
resident chef for Sur La Table at Houston City Center. Astrid Sierra
’08 helped the couple cater the entire affair, which they cooked and
served themselves. Also in attendance was CIA Senior Advancement
Officer Lee Ellen Hayes, who had worked with the couple, prior to
their graduations, on networking for jobs in the Houston area.
recently received his Master’s degree in
Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Man-
agement from Yonsei University in Seoul,
South Korea. He is junior director of the
R&D team at Sunatfood, also in Seoul.
Derek A. Courtney has earned four
ACF bronze medals—two in pastillage and
two in the hot food category. He recently
returned from Mallorca, Spain, where he
worked in Michelin-star Restaurant Buc-
chus as a commis chef. He is currently an
assistant pastry chef at Restaurant Avon-
dale in the Westin Riverfront Resort &
Spa in Avon, CO. Edgar and Christina
(Milian) Torres, who met the first day
of classes at the CIA, have two handsome
boys ages one and three, and recently
opened Zandunga Mexican Bistro in
Austin, TX. Their sous chef is Nathan
Powers ’04.
’05 Kayla Roche is executive
chef for The Golden Door in
Escondido, CA. Jason Seidel is cook
at BC’s Kitchen in Lake St. Louis, MO,
which is owned by Bill Cardwell ’71.
Jason is the proud parent of two children.
’07 Sewha Chang is pastry chef
at Great Performances in New
York City.
’08 Jonathan Haynes is chef
at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua
in Maui. In May 2010, Jonathan married
Rise Namiki ’09, who also works at the
Ritz-Carlton along with many other CIA
grads. John Jednak is chef at the Lamy
Station Café, a 1950s train dining car out
of Lamy, NM. Dennis Pitchford is ex-
ecutive business development chef for the
Lincoln, Merrychef, and Merco brands of
Manitowoc Foodservice. Blake Shepler
is owner/executive chef of Roasted
Mobile Bistro and Catering. Visit www.
roasted-houston.com to see what he’s up
to. Ross Warhol took a leave of absence
from his position as executive chef at the
Atheneum Hotel in Chautauqua, NY to
take on a 13-month internship under Chef
Ferran Adrià at El Bulli in Roses, Spain.
Ross met Chef Albert Adrià at the World
Pastry Forum in 2009, and was offered
the position for the 2010 season.
’10 Jasmine Diaz is the chef at
White Horse Village, a retire-
ment community in Newtown Square,
PA. She keeps the residents entertained,
engaged, and educated with her craft
beer-making demonstrations and tastings.
35
Where in the World is the CiA?help us AnsWer thAt question
Take a picture of yourself with
your CIA gear in places of interest
around the world and send them
to us. The most interesting photos
will be included in our June 2011
edition of mise en place that will
focus on where CIA alums are
working worldwide. Be sure to take hi-resolution(300dpi) pictures and send them via e-mail to alumni@culinary.edu.
senioR AdvAnCeMent offiCeR pAtty hAMiLton CARRying A CiA tote neAR the pARthenon in Athens, gReeCe.
Oh, and don’t forget to write a caption
for your pictures so we know who is
in it and exactly where it was taken!
Don’t have any CIA-branded gear?
Head online to get hats, t-shirts,
pants, sweatshirts, and all sorts of
great CIA stuff. Gear is available at
the Barnes & Noble Craig Claiborne
Bookstore at the Hyde Park campus.
Visit http://ciachef.bncollege.com.
Looking for CIA at Greystone gear?
Just visit www.ciastore.com and ask
for a 20% discount.
The Culinary Institute of America Alumni Relations 1946 Campus Drive Hyde Park, NY 12538-1499
Join us at a once-in-a-lifetime event to
CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE at
The Culinary Institute of America 2011 Leadership Awards Gala
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:30 p.m. Reception | 7:30 p.m. Dinner
The New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square
Honorees
Paul Bocuse, Chef of the Century
Daniel Boulud, Chef of the Year
Jerome Bocuse ’92, Alumnus of the Year
Michael Chiarello ’82, Alumnus of the Year
Richard E. Marriott, Frances L. Roth Award
Contact Lisa Vanata at 845-905-4279 or l_vanata@culinary.edu to secure your place at a
culinary event like no other!
This event raises scholarship funds for CIA students.
Alumni Relations Admissions Advancement CIA Web Sites Career Services Conrad N. Hilton Library Professional Development General Information 845-451-1401 1-800-285-4627 845-905-4275 ciachef.edu 845-451-1275 845-451-1270 1-800-888-7850 845-452-9600 ciaalumninetwork.com ciagiving.org ciaprochef.com
cia 2011 Leadership awards GaLa
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