mise en place issue 55 getting better with age

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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6

(Left to Right) CiA fACuLty Lou Jones, CoRky CLARk ‘71, kAthy MeRget, shiRLey Cheng, JeAn MoRRis, gReg ZifChAk ‘80, And Lynne eddy

4

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

[email protected]

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


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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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.


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


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.


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 [email protected].

students Listen intentLy As expeRts At vAssAR hospitAL shARe CRitiCAL infoRMAtion


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


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.


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


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


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


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.


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


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.


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


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.


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


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 [email protected].


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


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


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.


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 [email protected].


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.


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 [email protected].

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 [email protected] 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

mise en place issue 55 getting better with age

Documents

edition of mise en place

mission mise en place

retirement age

foodservice industry

lifewith age

senior population

healthcaresenior care

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