Insight from the Inside

A Look at Single-Origin Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Jill Wasilewski
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
B.P.S. Culinary Arts

For culinary students, it is important to know and understand the origins of certain food items in order to be knowledgeable about their quality and uniqueness. These include items such as wine, cheese, olive oil, and coffee, all to which terroir is of utmost importance. Just as wine, cheese, and olive oil are major components in a culinary student’s world, chocolate is a major part of a baking and pastry student’s world. However, it is important for all students to embrace and understand the complexities and unique qualities of single-origin chocolate.

When chocolate was first mass-produced, the only choices a consumer had to make were between white, milk, or dark. Later came bittersweet, semisweet, and unsweetened. Then, in the mid-1980s, chocolate bars began carrying percentages displaying their cocoa content, and it suddenly became trendy in the chocolate world to enjoy the bars with the higher percentages. Now, chocolate is being marketed by the regions in which the cacao beans grew, as single-origin or varietal chocolate.

First, a few key terms one must know to better understand chocolate labeling are as follows. Single origin refers to chocolate made with beans from one specific area—this can be as broad as a “region” or as specific as naming the exact farm from which the beans were harvested (also known as single estate). Single variety means that only one species of cacao bean was used in the chocolate. “Grand cru” is a borrowed wine term, used by Valrhona chocolate company, that is simply another way of saying single origin.

Personally, I find it intriguing to taste and note the diverse nuances in different single-origin chocolates from around the world. However, traditionalists argue that the art of chocolate making is the ability to combine different varieties of chocolate to achieve the most balanced blend. Chocolatiers are challenged to create quality chocolate despite the changes in weather, terrain conditions, local economics, and other components that may affect the beans. For instance, Maurice Bernachon, a famous chocolatier in Lyon, is known for his chocolate blends that use up to 13 different cacao varieties. Also, the well-known John Scharffenberger and his business partner John Steinberg own a small factory in San Francisco in which they independently roast and blend small batches of cacao beans to attain high-quality blends. Single-origin chocolates, therefore, directly counter the talent and artistry required to make superior chocolate blends.

So, chocolate marketed as single origin, while it promotes an awareness of terroir, does not necessarily mean that it was made with the highest-quality varieties of cacao. In fact, the term indicates nothing of cacao quality, only of location. The other side of the argument holds that a single-origin chocolate, especially the ones so specific to name the exact farm on which the beans were harvested, must make the manufacturers proud in the sense that they want to place the specific place the cacao beans came from on the label of their chocolate.

Another dimension of single-origin chocolate is the pairing that usually occurs with organic growing and fair trade practices. According to Transfair USA, a non-profit organization that certifies and standardizes labor laws, approximately 1% of chocolate sold in the United States is made following generally accepted fair labor standards. Single-origin chocolate allows consumers to choose their chocolate based on regions that practice fair labor laws. A few single-origin chocolates are also grown organically. Unfortunately, the cacao pods have a high susceptibility to pests, so organically grown single-origin chocolate is not only difficult, but many times of low quality.

Recently, chocolate has proved that is has just as many dimensions as wine, but its terminology and labeling in the United States is still progressing. Both single-origin and blended chocolates have their pros and cons and should be enjoyed for different reasons. I challenge you to pick up a few single-origin chocolates the next time you visit a specialty foods store and learn to appreciate the differences among them—whether you prefer carefully crafted chocolate blends or not.

Chef Crispo Shares His “Coach” Approach to Teaching

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Will Nardi
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
B.P.S. Culinary Arts

Walking into the Escoffier Restaurant—E-Room as it’s affectionately known on campus—the observer would undoubtedly be taken by surprise to be greeted with décor dating to the Victorian era. However, sitting down for a meal and understanding the philosophy of the restaurant’s kitchen is an experience of wonder. For 16 months Professor Phillip Crispo has been polishing senior culinarians in the Escoffier Restaurant teaching the Advanced Restaurant Cooking class. The cuisine of the restaurant is far from the public’s stiff perception of French cuisine, and it is kept so by an educational philosophy that throws aside the traditions of kitchen management.

The restaurant’s fare is founded upon the fundamentals. Chef Crispo states that “braising is braising, and the action of sautéing is unchanged. The students are taught to make these basic techniques their own, to reinvent the flavor.” They are taught to compound the cuisine, each senior given ownership of their development. The object is to refine technique and develop the soul of cooking, the taste of the dish. Chef Crispo does not allow his students to be satisfied with only knowing “how”. He feels that a leader and a true culinarian must always reinvent “how” they cook by asking “why” they cook—why they add the ingredients they do, and why they structure the plate and the recipe a certain way.

The inquisitive spirit fostered by Chef Crispo in the Escoffier kitchen is founded upon the beliefs and values of its namesake, Auguste Escoffier. He feels that if Escoffier were alive today “he would have been beyond molecular gastronomy.” This philosophy was reinforced to his students just weeks ago in a lecture presented by Ferran Adrià. It is the spirit presented in the Escoffier quote:

“The life of a chef is no idle one; apart from the labor of actual preparation and serving of diverse dishes, his brain must ever be on the alert and his inventive powers always acute. But there is actual and lasting satisfaction…in accomplishing the very best that can be accomplished.”

Utilizing the innovation, the skill, and the dedication of Escoffier, Chef Crispo continues to pursue his culinary styles. Apart from being ProChef-certified at level III, he is also training for his Certified Master Chef exam.

In order to instill these ideals in his students, however, he has begun to innovate beyond the culinary realm. To foster innovation, respect, and professionalism in the classroom, he has changed his title from “Chef” to “Coach” and has begun utilizing a revolutionary kitchen management philosophy by encouraging an environment of shared ownership rather than autocracy—a socialistic, somewhat “utopian” kitchen.

Students in Escoffier are taught to work as a team. They are encouraged to question, but more important, they must find the answer and justify it. The diner at the Escoffier Restaurant must understand that there is no “chef” in the kitchen. It is a team of culinarians who work in unison to present their craft, showcase their skill, and bring to life the art of their flavor development. The students must speak with each other to coordinate plating for a table at the same time, and understand each other’s station to facilitate the presentation of food simultaneously. They are encouraged to find better ways to develop their dishes and earn extra credit for specials they contribute. Each time a change is presented to their “Coach,” he questions them on their thoughts, encouraging the two most important skills of any leader: introspection and critical analysis.

These ideals challenge the traditional kitchen management system and grow out of the application of contemporary management and educational technique. By applying them to the culinary culture, “Coach” Crispo has begun to reinvent kitchen organization for the 21st Century. His legacy at the Escoffier Restaurant and to his students is the demolition of autocratic innovation and the application of kitchen “socialism” within a culture of shared ownership. He has instilled an insatiable appetite for new answers built from the foundations of cuisine and the values of leaders everywhere.

Podcast Reveals "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef"

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Chat with Food Network Star Anne Burrell, Class of 1996, is Newest in Series

Anne Burrell, host of the Food Network's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, talks about her career in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with CIA graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

During the 17-minute podcast, the 1996 CIA graduate provides her "secrets" about how to become a successful restaurant chef. She also shares highlights of her career, from serving as Lydia Bastianich's sous chef to having millions of viewers watching her cook each week on television. Last year, she was awarded Rising Star Chef of the Year by StarChefs.com.

Chef Burrell says there was never any doubt in her mind that she would attend the CIA after having an "epiphany" that she needed to change careers at age 23, and that the culinary world was for her.

"It was the first time I was a straight-A student. It was the first time I was a sponge for knowledge. I couldn't learn enough," Chef Burrell says about her experience as a CIA undergraduate. "I wanted to do so well. I was one of those people who was super-competitive. It was because I wanted to learn so much."

Burrell recorded the podcast while on campus to deliver the commencement speech to graduates in May 2009.

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates Grant Achatz, John Besh, Scott Conant, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Duff Goldman, Johnny Iuzzini, Sara Moulton, Charlie Palmer, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Burrell or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.

The Sustainable Sea - Staying Informed at Culinary School

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Student Contributor: BJ Lieberman
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

We at the CIA are lucky enough to have hosted the 2nd annual Sustainable Seafood Conference earlier this year, during which eight experts from different facets of the seafood industry lectured the CIA student body and answered questions, both from Chef Corky Clark, who was the master of ceremonies for the event, and from the students in attendance.

You would think that such a panel with a common goal of furthering the education on the subject of sustainable seafood would have reached a consensus on a few key issues such as, simply, which fish are indeed sustainable. However, we learned from the discussions and passionate—if not at times lighthearted—disputes that herein lies the problem in serving, supplying, and consuming sustainable seafood: the definition is different for every person and there is as much misinformation floating around (forgive the pun) out there as there is “accurate” information.

The panel was comprised of Roger Burkowitz, Legal Seafoods, Inc.; Chef Rick Moonen ’78, rm seafood; Dr. Chris Moore, NOAA; Chef John Besh ’92, Besh Restaurant Group; Peter Ramsden, M. F. Foley Company, Inc.; Chef Ed Brown ’83, eighty one Restaurant; Claudia Houge, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute; and Karla Ruzicka, USDC Seafood Inspection Program.

Let’s stop for a second. I may have jumped the gun in assuming that everyone knows what sustainable seafood is and why it is important. The first question asked to every member of the panel was what their definition of sustainable seafood was, and although most of the answers were generally similar, my favorite was from Dr. Moore: “With a growing world population, the ocean has a strain on it to sustain more humans than ever before. Seafood is sustainable when we take out fish in a way that does not negatively impact the [ocean] ecosystem or destroy the fish population.” For those who don’t know, fish populations are in peril all over the world. There are estimates that the fish that we consume on a regular basis will be commercially extinct by the year 2048. Some of these endangered fish are well documented, such as Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna amongst an ever-growing and ever-changing list. “The good news is that we can change it,” according to chef Besh. “We have to educate ourselves…sustainability comes down to responsibility.”

If you had to take away only one thing from this fantastic event, it was that the future of sustainable seafood is in our hands as the future chefs of America, and knowledge is our power. Every single panelist mentioned knowledge and education at least three times each during the conference. Unfortunately for us, it is an arduous process to figure this all out for ourselves. But it falls on us to go the extra mile.

The endangerment of the fish population can be attributed to a myriad of different causes. “We could sit down and talk for weeks about [sustainability],” says Chef Moonen. The level of sustainability of each fish population is equally up in the air, subject to interpretation. It seems that every solution has an inherent problem: Aquaculture, or farmed fish, can lead to serious environmental pollutants; limiting a fishing season to only a small number of days a year has all but destroyed the private commercial fishing practice; and importing sustainable commodities from overseas leaves a carbon footprint.

This is why the panelists were all in slight conflict with one another (at one point Chef Moonen subtly pulled out his iPhone to look up information to disprove an argument Mr. Burkowitz had made about the sustainability of cod, and when he showed Mr. Burkowitz what he had found, they both smiled and shrugged). Some chefs prefer to primarily source their seafood from local fisheries to support their local community. Others care primarily about global warming and do not like to import their produce from far away and overseas as these methods may leave a large carbon footprint. Still others will not serve a fish if it is not fished in a responsible manner with limited “by-catch,” or unintended marine life that is caught while fishing for something else. By-catch generally goes to waste. According to Chef Moonen, for every one pound of shrimp caught, there is 15 pounds of by-catch.

It is up to each of us to decide which of these concerns is the most important to us and to our conscience, and to make our decisions that way, instead of what a little pocket reference guide is telling us to serve. Every panel member had different methods for rationalizing what they wanted to sell as wholesalers, serve in their restaurants, and consume as diners. For instance, Chef Brown is a huge supporter of day-boats because they limit their by-catch by using sustainable fishing methods, while Chef Besh likes to keep his seafood as local as possible. When I talked to Mr. Burkowitz over dinner, he told me that he was a huge fan of Vietnamese-farmed tiger shrimp. He boasted about their consistency and responsible farming methods, but he was most excited that they ship them frozen via small boats across the ocean as to limit their carbon footprint. We also have a responsibility to educate the public and our guests at our future establishments about the importance of serving sustainable products and why we choose what we choose to share with them.

It was my original stated goal in this column to share with you what fish to serve and consume at any given time as to maximize our sustainability efforts, but after listening to the panel experts argue amongst themselves on this topic, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be so presumptive as to offer up a list that may be inaccurate or disputed. So instead, I will leave you with a few sites, resources, and words of advice that the panel seems to have agreed are the most reliable on which to base your decision.

•Fish Watch: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch
•Seafish: www.seafish.org
•Seafood Watch: www.seafoodwatch.org
(you can also get this as an iPhone application)

Always ask questions, because your fish monger will have an equal stake in keeping seafood sustainable, or he will have nothing to sell; and always check multiple resources often. “This issue is alive and it is changing even as we sit here,” said Chef Moonen. “It is up to us to stay informed.”

Catching Spain’s Beat with Chef Encabo

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Peter Weltman
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
B.P.S. Culinary Arts

After seven years of fostering a vision, Chef-Instructor Joseba Encabo was granted the ability to take CIA students to his home country of Spain for the Wine and Food Seminar. This was a natural extension of the tireless ambassadorial work that Chef Encabo continues to do for Spain and has done his entire career.

Growing up in the Pais Bascos region of Spain was a major factor in Chef Encabo’s career choice. In a country driven by regional culinary fare, this area boasts perhaps the most coveted traditions of gastronomy in all of Spain. Although he is rightfully biased towards the regional food of his childhood, a trip to the Iberian Peninsula with Chef Encabo is a way to experience Spain like never before. Sure the food plays an important part, but it is truly about so much more…

How did you become such an ambassador for the Spanish culinary world? How have you kept it alive?
Since arriving in the United States, I have continued to defend the authenticity of Spanish cuisine. I make sure to stay in touch with the restaurant industry in Spain and consult different culinarians and friends. I also work closely with the Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior (ICEX).

What defines Spanish cuisine to you?
I look for prime and seasonal quality products with simple preparations. It depends on the area whether it is meat or fish.

What is your philosophy with the international trip to Spain? Further, how do you really get to know a place through food?
This project was suggested seven years ago but was really a lifetime in the making. Finally, two years ago I was able to create the trip. It is as if I am organizing the curriculum for a class but it includes logistics, flights, etc. Remember, this is not only about food. We go ready to act like a Spaniard for three weeks! Of course it includes food and wine, but we are there to learn the culture. I develop the itinerary to match the students, like if there are more bakers or culinary arts majors. This influences where we may go in Spain. I believe the more you share, the more you get. This includes food and hospitality and it is important to give without expecting anything.

Who is doing the best work for Spanish Cuisine that nobody talks about?
Many, including Jesús Ramiro in Valladolid and Iñigo Lavado in Irun. There are also many chefs who prefer to stay local. They have no aspirations to be stars but by no means are they each less of a cook. It is hard to pinpoint because Spain is full of culinarians who breathe food.

What has been your best food and wine experience? Why did it work?
Listening to the music of Paco Diez and eating the food he cooks; drinking wine from the porron while in his wine cave. Paco is a good friend and creates an atmosphere of sharing and love. You can have good wine and food, but with no company, it is crap!

When people leave the Spain trip, what do you aspire for the students to walk away with?
I want them to have an experience that changed their life by experiencing a new culture that they can now identify with. Student reflections are amazing and sometimes make me cry because I am part of these transformational stories. That is the beauty of it.

Every so often you teach Latin Rhythms at the Student Recreation Center on campus. Are you a better dancer or chef?
My father always told me, “Whatever you do, make sure you are the best.” So, to answer your question, both!

Chefs for Community Service: Cooking for a Greater Good

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Tiffany M. Davis
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

We’ve heard it many times before: the best way
to show what you’ve learned is to teach it to others.
In that case, the students in Chefs for Community
Service (CCS) have learned quite a bit. For the past
two weekends, CCS has provided volunteer culinary
service to community organizations in the NYC area.
In doing so, CCS gives these organizations a more
gastronomically exciting experience that enhances
the community work they do, and leaves everyone
involved a bit better for it.

Personal gratification can come from many aspects
of our lives: finishing a busy restaurant’s dinner
service on the line without any major mishaps, getting
a good grade in class, or passing a practical. So, why
community service? Why the selfless act of putting in
long kitchen hours, with equipment and food products
that are vastly different from what we work with here
at the CIA, and for no payment whatsoever other than
personal gratification?

“On a personal level, I simply wanted to be a part
of a helping hand in NYC, since it is home to a lot of
those in need,” says Ethan Oh, current CCS president
and organizer. To that end, he manages both culinary
and baking students who go out once a week to
different locations in the area to cook quantity meals
for crowds ranging from 10 to 300. The community
groups range from faith-based organizations to soup
kitchens to “life rehabilitation centers.” All are nonprofit
organizations focused on giving back to those
who need it the most.

Most recently, CCS cooked a Korean barbecue
for the Rural and Migrant Ministry at St. James
Episcopalian Church in Hyde Park, NY, through an
introduction from the Culinary Christian Fellowship.
The barbecue was the cap on a 3K walk event that
raised money for the ministry. Members of CCS spent
the night before the barbecue prepping potatoes,
onions, and almost twenty pounds of top round for an
expected crowd of 100. The next day, the CCS crew
prepared potato salad as well as enough fixings for the
multitude of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken that
was grilled outside over hot coals.

The main attraction, however, was the Korean
barbecue that had marinated overnight in Oh’s secret
recipe. Throughout the barbecue, guests took every
opportunity to speak with CCS members; one guest
was a 1940s graduate of the American Institute of
Baking and delighted in the memories evoked by
seeing the students running around in their whites.
The event ended up being a great success, with guests
purchasing containers of barbecue and potato salad
to take home; all leftovers were donated to a local
shelter.

The weekend prior to the barbecue, CCS cooked
a Dinner Impossible-type meal that may have rivaled
Robert Irvine’s experiences: they had five hours to
cook a meal from scratch for over 200 residents and
staff at the Bowery Mission in NYC. CCS stepped up
to the task in a joint effort with Chaînes des Rôtisseurs
and pulled off a timely menu of braised chicken with
peppers and onions, rice pilaf, a Mediterranean-style
green salad with Kalamata olives, feta cheese,
tomatoes, and artichoke hearts, topped with a
Parmesan vinaigrette, Raspberry peach cobbler, and
lemon Italian ice with raspberry sauce.

Stacy Landau, Manager of Volunteer Relations at
the Bowery Mission, was ecstatic at the production
and professionalism of CCS members. “You guys
just came in and made things happen, and we are
so grateful,” she said. Clyde Edey, Bowery Mission
chef, agreed. “This was a good thing you did,” he
said as he observed from the sidelines in his own chef
whites and assisted with product procurement. Other
Bowery Mission staff and residents agreed. “Thank
you so much,” was a common refrain as residents
lined up to get their meals, which were vastly different
from what they are served every day. “You guys rock,”
said another member of the kitchen staff, who kindly
washed pots and pans as the meal progressed.

Oh explained the choice of the Bowery Mission
as a community service project: “Bowery Mission
is a fantastic organization and the oldest mission
in NYC. They're dedicated to serving people from
many different walks of life - domestic abuse, neglect,
homelessness, or drug addiction. The soup kitchen is
operated by members of the live-in program.

“The reason why I wanted our group to visit Bowery
was to get our club members to see the different types
of organizations each of us can serve. We've been
volunteering at a place called The Queens Galley in
Kingston the past couple months and that place has
a completely different dynamic from Bowery. I feel
it was important for those who have been to Queens
Galley to see the Bowery Mission to broaden their
perspective on community service. Similarly, those
who went Bowery should join us when we go back to
Queens Galley.”

Podcast Features Leader in Fine Italian Cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Chat with Scott Conant, Class of 1992, is Newest in Series

Scott Conant, a top name among chefs of Italian cuisine in New York City, talks about his career in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with CIA graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

During the 11-minute podcast, the 1992 CIA graduate shares highlights of his professional life, from the mentors who guided his career to earning a James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in America with L'Impero in 2003. Chef Conant is now the owner of Scarpetta in New York City and Miami Beach, FL and the author of two cookbooks, New Italian Cooking and Bold Italian.

What stands out in Conant's memory about his days at the CIA was the professional approach among his classmates and realizing he wasn't the only 18-year-old passionate about food. "There was such a passion that every student had. I always had it, but here it was par for the course," Chef Conant recalled. "Every discussion was about food. Everything was about how to get yourself better; focusing on technique; how to be a professional chef."

Conant recorded the podcast while on campus to judge student presentations from the Marketing and Promoting Food course in the CIA's bachelor's degree program.

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates Grant Achatz, John Besh, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Duff Goldman, Johnny Iuzzini, Sara Moulton, Charlie Palmer, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Conant or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.

Uncorked: The Basics of Wine Part II

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Anuj Rathi
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” - Ernest Hemingway

The “greater range for enjoyment and appreciation” that Hemingway talks about will not be possible if one does not know how to taste wine correctly. In this installment of the two-part series on the basics of wine, I intend to do just that—tell you, in the simplest of words, how to taste red and white wine. The basic steps of tasting any wine are the same—Eyeball, Swirl, Sniff, and Sip. But what differs is what you should look for when you taste white wine versus a red wine.

Having already talked about the serving temperatures and uses of decanting in the last installment, we’ll move on to a few other important things. The general rules about the shape and size of wine glasses are that big is better than small and there should be enough empty space in the glass after the five-ounce pour. This allows for effective swirling of the wine. Red wine glasses should have a bigger bowl that tapers to the rim. This helps focus the wine’s aromas when nosing it.

The first step is to examine a wine’s hue, color, intensity, and clarity. This is done by holding the glass at an angle in front of a piece of white paper or tablecloth. Red wine gets its color from the pigments on the grape skin. But not all wines have the same shade. Wines like Zinfandels and Syrahs will usually be a dark inky purple, whereas most Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses will be a lighter ruby red. In general, the darker the color, the more intense the flavor is. However, a red wine’s color mellows as it ages, often turning into a mahogany. The other thing to check is to see if the wine has any sediment on the bottom. This means that the wine was unfiltered, which is more a style issue, rather than an indication of bad wine. For white wine, the color can range from pale to dark yellows and sometimes it has a tinge of green. The darker yellow usually indicates more oak being used in the wine-making process.

Swirling the wine is probably one of the most important steps in wine tasting. You can do this by holding the stem and making a swirling motion with your hand. It is usually much easier to do when the glass is on the table. The swirling action encourages a release of the wine’s bouquet, or subtle aromas trapped inside the wine. Then put your nose in the bowl of the glass and take a sniff or two. Let the aromas travel through your olfactory system. Be careful not to smell the wine too many times. This can cause an olfactory overload and you will not be able to smell anything new. You should basically smell two different things—the fruit smells and the by-product smells. Fruit smells like cherry, blackberry, plum, etc. come from the grape. The by-product smells, like spices, usually come from the oak. For white wines, you can get buttery aromas for Chardonnay and grassy aromas for Sauvignon Blancs. The other thing you will notice when you swirl the wine is the tears or legs of the wine dripping down the sides of the glass. This phenomenon is due to the fact that alcohol has a lower surface tension than water. We might talk about this in some other article, but the thing to know about it is that it is more prominent in wines with higher alcohol content.

The final step is to taste the wine. Take very small sips of wine and spray them on your palate. This lets you analyze the wine more effectively than if you were just taking a sip, like you would of water. After this, you can either spit the wine if you have many more to taste, or swallow it. As most of us know, volatile molecules constitute about 80% of a food’s flavor experience, compared to 20% from the taste (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami). This holds true with wine too. When you taste the wine, you also have to look for the body and mouth feel. The body refers to the density or viscosity of the wine. You should analyze how long the wine lasts on your palate. Does it have a very short finish? A palate-cleansing effect? Or does it linger for quite a while? Take note of everything you taste—minerals, fruits, floral tastes, and acid levels.

The usual suspects and their common sensory descriptors:
Cabernet Sauvignon—Black currants, Chocolate, Tobacco
Merlot—Black cherries, Plums, Tomatoes
Pinot Noir—Raspberries, Cherries, Truffles
Sangiovese—Herbs, Black cherries, Leather
Tempranillo—Vanilla, Strawberries, Tobacco
Chardonnay—Butter, Apples, Vanilla
Muscat—Honey, Grapes, Limes
Pinot Grigio—White peaches, Pears, Apricots
Riesling—Citrus, Peaches, Honey
Sauvignon Blanc—Limes, Bell peppers, Guavas

The most important thing to do when you taste wines is to be very objective. Avoid using words like yummy, good, bad, tasty, etc. Remember, the more practice you have, the better you will be able to taste wines. Hopefully, this little bit of knowledge will help you to experience what Hemingway experienced when he drank wine.

Uncorked: The Basics of Wine

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Anuj Rathi
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.”
Frank Herbert

I do not know if Herbert enjoyed his red wines as much as I do, but to me, this quote rings very true when it comes to wine knowledge. So what do people mean when they talk about reds, whites, pucker, swirl, tears, full-bodied, and other such terms? Are these words lacking from your vocabulary? If so, this two-part series on wine should provide you with the knowledge you seek.

The first thing people need to know about wine is the distinction between reds and whites. Red wine is made from red grapes and white wine is made from red or white grapes. Yes, white wine can be made from red grapes too. It is the skin that provides the color pigments to the wine. If the crushed grapes are fermented with the skins, the resulting wine will be red, or else it will be white. The skin also has a lot of tannins—bitter polyphenols that result in the dry feeling in the mouth after drinking a red wine. Tannins are also what allow a red wine to age. Most red wines are aged for at least a little bit of time in oak barrels and can be aged even further at home under controlled temperature and humidity.

White wines have a little bit more acidity and that gives it a crisper feel and taste, with a little bit more sweetness and a more delicate flavor and aroma. Red wines are more complex, can have very powerful tastes and aromas, and have a tannic structure to them. Because of the complexity of red wine, it is hard to find inexpensive bottles of good red wine—it is by nature harder to make and therefore tends to cost a little bit more. Rosé wine is made either by allowing skin contact for the first two to three days of maturation to get a little color, or by blending red and white wines. Sparkling wines are wines with significant levels of carbon dioxide in them. They can be made in a few different ways, including the méthode champenoise and carbon dioxide injection. Finally, dessert wines are wines that are much sweeter in taste and generally have a higher alcohol content. There is, however, no standard definition for dessert wines around the world.

How about basic guidelines for pairing wines with food? Like milk (skim, whole, and cream), wines can be distinguished by weight—light-bodied, medium-bodied, and full-bodied. Usually, the higher the alcohol content, the fuller the body of the wine. As a general rule, heavier foods should be paired with heavier wines. Hence, most people say you should drink white wine with seafood and red wine with meat. In a basic sense, this is true. A fresh seafood salad would be completely overpowered by a Sangiovese just like a Pinot Grigio wouldn’t stand up to a New York strip steak. However, there are exceptions to this rule and they include the choice of other components in the dish and also the kind of red or white wine in hand. Also, other reactions, like salt lowering the perception of acidity, should determine the selection of wine. However, sweet dessert wines and fortified wines are on the whole a good pairing with desserts of matching sweetness.

Here are some tips on purchasing wine and approaching new wines. Wine experience is only limiting in that many beginners are wary of wines they have not yet tried. Just keep in mind a few tips. First, try to stay ahead by reading about wines and signing up for newsletters from different purveyors. Also, choose your retailer carefully. Make sure they are taking good care of the wines and storing and handling them properly. Have a good idea of what you want when you go to the store, but also ask for advice. Your personal taste should be the deciding factor in your choice of wines. If possible, taste the wine before you buy it. Finally, always check the bottle you are purchasing. Make sure it is full and doesn’t have any leakage at the top.

What about serving temperatures for wine? White wines are ideally served between 45 and 50°F. Chilling reduces the perception of acidity in crisp wines and bolsters whites with less acid. On the other end, the aromas and flavors intensify as the wine warms. Sparkling wines, including champagnes, should be served at a slightly lower temperature of 40 to 45°F. Red wines are ideally served between 60 and 65°F. Tannins are accentuated at lower temperatures. Since most people store white wines in the refrigerator and red wines at room temperature, I suggest the twenty minute rule. Twenty minutes before the wine needs to be served, put the red wine in the fridge and take the white wine out of the fridge. This, however, is for the home user and a professional would probably choose to employ the use of an ice bucket or something more subtle.

The world of wine is vast—there’s no doubt about it. There is a lot to learn and remember. But the rule of thumb is to always drink wines that you like. If everyone had the same tastes, we would all be drinking the same wine. However, I strongly recommend analyzing each wine you drink. Even if you are drinking at home for enjoyment, analyze the first few sips for your own knowledge and then go on with the casual drinking. The next part in this two-part series will inform you on how to taste red and white wines.

Salt of the Earth

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Shantel Mingo
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

Planet Earth is filled with glorious sights and smells, most of which can be experienced in the kitchen. From the bright colors of fruits to the nutty scent of toasted seeds, we as chefs are firsthand witnesses to Earth’s glory. However, there is one ingredient that is often used in the kitchen that we wouldn’t normally consider glorious or even beautiful. It is small in size, passionate in flavor, yet subtle to the taste. We almost never realize that it is in a dish unless it is absent. When used in proper proportions, it can improve the flavor and body of any sauce, and change the taste of any vegetable from bland to savory. This ingredient is, simply, salt.

It would be wise to say that salt is the foundation of cooking. Margaret Visser, an influential food writer, once said that “Salt is the policeman of taste; it keeps the various flavors of a dish in order and restrains the stronger from tyrannizing over the weaker.” However it would be even wiser to say that salt is the foundation of life.

Without salt, all humans would cease to exist. In practically all internal bodily functions, salt plays an important role. Salt is also used to maintain health sleep patterns, and sugar to acidity ratios. It even supports a healthy libido. In short, without salt, eating, thinking, sleeping, and reproducing would be impossible.

Much like apples, peppers, and salad greens, salt too comes in many different flavors, shapes, and colors—but all salts are not created equally.

Table salt, for example, is one of the most commonly known salts and is used in the average American home. This salt is finely ground for accurate measuring and processed to contain no minerals. However, since 1924, table salt was infused with iodine to prevent goiters, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Kosher salt is, in many ways, similar to table salt in the manner it is produced. The difference is in the time of harvesting during the evaporation process. Kosher salt is produced in such a way as to have a block-like molecular structure, which allows the salt crystals to absorb more liquid. Although it may absorb more, it has less of a salty taste when compared to table salt.

Sea salt, harvested from the evaporation of seawater, ranges in texture from coarse to finely ground. Unlike table salt, sea salt does contain natural minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and iodine. Sea salt also comes in shades of grey, brown, white, pink, and even black. The finest and most expensive type of sea salt—known as fleur de sel (“flower of salt”)—is hand-harvested by scraping the top layer of salt from the salt pans.

Salt truly is one of the great wonders of the world, so wonderful in fact that it has influenced the English language. The word “salary” is derived from the Latin word “sal” which means salt. Roman soldiers were actually paid their wages in salt. This is also where the phrase “a man is not worth his salt”—meaning, “a man is not worthy of his pay”—came about.

So the next time you throw a handful of salt into pasta water, or dip a sushi roll into soy sauce, just stop and behold the glory and beauty of salt. James Beard was absolutely right when he questioned, “Where would we be without salt?”

Nestle Lecture Explores America’s Food Issues

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Lindsay Seagull
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

The view from behind the last row of seats was pretty ideal at a recent, rather crowded installment of The Dooley Lecture Series at the CIA, neighborly knee-jabs notwithstanding. The lecture featured Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, a woman whose list of accomplishments and awards fills a 20-page résumé on her faculty home page. With a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley, Ms. Nestle brought a unique range of expertise to the proceedings. But despite her professorial invocation of words such as “draconian” and a scientific diagram of a melamine molecule (which, honestly, may have gone over a few attendees’ heads), the demeanor of her presentation was otherwise relaxed and conversational.

The topics she covered ranged from the hazards of marketing junk foods to children, the “health halo” effect of specious nutritional advertising, arguments involving the obesity epidemic, and major missing links in the chain of food safety oversight as evidenced by the recent unsolved cases of e. coli outbreaks—essentially encompassing the majority of social and cultural ills associated with Americans’ unhealthy relationship with food. The visual aids of clippings from relevant newspaper and magazine articles were amusing and sufficiently distracting for students whose minds tend to wander during such sessions, and lent topical heft to her discussion, surprising some with the realization that food is actually serious news fodder with uncharacteristically ominous potent. In fact, the issues explored all seemed fraught with dire consequences and impending doom. The speaker did her best not to steer the discussion into lugubrious waters, keeping the tenor light and offering her audience no shortage of productive strategies (such as supporting local agriculture, not buying processed foods, and eating a balanced diet), and addressing the progress, albeit slow-going, of food manufacturers, consumers, and government alike. But despite her efforts, the problems she enumerated—particularly the aforementioned lapses in the FDA’s regulation and maintenance of food safety standards—felt so hopelessly inveterate that all the progressive talk in the world couldn’t save me from a reality-induced depression. A fair amount of time was devoted to the use of melamine, a substance used to illicitly inflate the protein content of products such as infant formula and pet food; how it made its way into the U.S. food supply through Chinese exports; and why it signifies the government’s inability to track or police the national food supply. Nestle had no comforting theories for this issue.

Arguably the most palatable of Nestle’s lecture topics was her explanation for the ever-expanding American waistline. Among the reasons she listed were the ubiquity of food’s presence in daily life, aggressive marketing and advertising efforts, and, most significantly, dramatic, widespread increases in portion size. Nestle argued that it was corporate quarterly earnings reports, intensely pressured to display constant growth beginning in the late seventies and early eighties, that incited the irrevocable trend toward larger portions both in restaurants and store-bought products. She made the case, plainly enough, that the enormous discrepancy between the food supply and individual caloric need is to blame for endemic weight gain, and averred that activity levels have not fluctuated as much as purported. It would be nearly impossible to refute her claim that unnecessarily gargantuan portions are rampant and therefore principally responsible for national obesity levels, but there’s strong evidence to suggest that an increasingly sedentary lifestyle has also contributed to the problem, a fact she dismissed with a vague chart.

The post-lecture Q&A touched on remote issues such as eating disorders, bacterial causes of obesity, and whether hormones added to poultry cause accelerated female development, as well as more contentious matters such as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. While Nestle could hardly be called a GMO advocate, she admits that currently no study indicating any ill effects exists, a moderate, yet controversial attitude given the growing community of slow foodies and the ilk, and not a very convincing argument in light of how recently GMOs were introduced into the food supply. She did, however, express her view that the FDA made a huge mistake in not requiring GMO products to be labeled.

At times a bit flippant and one-sided, Marion Nestle nonetheless engaged students, faculty, and guests in a timely and deeply necessary conversation about the past, present, and future of food in America, and hopefully inspired more than a few new “food advocates.”

B.P.S. Program Gets More Hands-On

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Anuj Rathi
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

Lately there have been flyers and posters for various charity dining events around the CIA campus. These dinners are actually organized and hosted by the graduating class of B.P.S. students. Each class has to manage an entire event from conception to execution.

Back when the B.P.S. Program was initiated in 1994–95, there was a course in the program titled “Challenges of Running a Restaurant.” Over time, that same course has evolved into what is now the Restaurant Operations course, taught by Dr. Patrick Bottiglieri and Professor Bill Guilfoyle. Starting with the previous batch of ninth-term students, a new module has been added into the course, which requires each class to organize and manage an entire event. Each class has to collectively come up with a concept. The class is then divided into four groups—for marketing, finance, service, and back-of-the-house. Each group takes care of their respective duties to make the event a success—deciding what kind of food and beverage options to serve, how to serve them, and what other entertainment components to have during the event. The class is given an account and a fixed budget that they have to precariously work with. They also have to try and talk to purveyors for donation of food and beverages. They then decide collectively on a charitable organization to which they will donate the entire profits from the evening. The students are graded on the planning, organization, and execution of the entire event, which counts towards the overall grade for the course.

Considering that this is a capstone course, the professors serve only in a guiding role for these events. Students are responsible for all the planning and execution. They are also responsible for recipe costing, budgeting, and formulating a complete and accurate Profit and Loss Statement. The idea behind this is that the students demonstrate what they have learned so far in the program.

I had the opportunity to attend one of these events, namely the “Fabulous Las Vegas” event on Saturday, January 31, 2009. It was a Las Vegas-themed dinner, with Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, and Roulette tables set up in Farquharson Hall. There was a cocktail hour from 7 to 8 p.m. with an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvre, while people enjoyed the casino games. The whole contingent of guests then migrated to Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici, where six stations were set up, each serving a different cuisine. The stations were named after famous Las Vegas Hotels like “The Venetian,” serving Italian cuisine; “Mandalay Bay,” serving Asian food; and so on. After dinner, people were invited once again to enjoy the casino games at Farquharson Hall. The food for the evening was excellent and the front of the house was charming as ever.

The class managed to get a whopping 52 gifts donated to them which they raffled off at the end of the evening. The gifts included books, wine bottles, food items, health club memberships, jewelry, and other such items. Raffle tickets were $2 each or 10 for $15. The donations came from local store owners and individuals, and quite a bit from the CIA itself. A lot of guests said that they were enjoying themselves a lot and that they always love CIA events. One of them said, “You shouldn’t let this class graduate, so we can continue to come and eat such amazing food.” All the proceeds from this event are going to be donated to the American Heart Association. One of the guest speakers for this event was the CIA’s very own Doug Chrisman, a first-year A.O.S. student who had recently gone into cardiac arrest in his Skills class. He said, “I’m happy to help in any way I can. I’m just trying to raise awareness that it [cardiac arrest] could happen to anyone at any time.”

It was such a well-executed event that one might think these students could very well have been graduating from the “Event Management Institute of America.” A lot of students who have felt that the B.P.S. program needs more hands-on courses are probably pleased to see that such a practical module has been added to the curriculum. The B.P.S. students who will be graduating soon get to show fellow colleagues and guests that they are ready to go into the industry and handle any curve balls that might be thrown their way. Besides, the satisfaction that one gets from giving back to the community is always priceless.

Podcast Features Chef Whose Empire Stretches from New York to California

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Chat with Charlie Palmer, CIA Class of 1979, is Newest in Series.

Chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer talks about his 12-restaurant culinary empire and "Progressive American" cuisine in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

During the 21-minute chat, the 1979 CIA graduate shares details of his successful career as a chef, entrepreneur, and cookbook author. He also has advice for culinarians just starting out: "Look at the options out there. Really try to figure out what avenue [you] want to go down. Think about a career path from the get-go. It may change, but there's some real value in thinking about where you want to be a year or two years from now."

To launch his career, Chef Palmer says there was only one choice. "When I started looking at schools, it became apparent very quickly that the CIA was for me, because it was so highly focused on a high level of food and food preparation," he recalls, adding that the college provided him and others the foundation that led to success. "We've seen great accomplishments from so many people who have come from the CIA and used that basis to advance and become icons in the industry."

Chef Palmer's first restaurant, Aureole, opened in New York in 1988. His restaurants, boutique hotels, and wine shops can now be found in New York City; Washington, DC; Dallas, TX; Las Vegas and Reno, NV; and Costa Mesa and Healdsburg, CA. He has about 70 fellow CIA graduates working for him at his properties around the country.

Charlie Palmer won the 1997 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in New York City and his Aureole restaurants in New York and Las Vegas have earned prestigious Michelin stars.

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates John Besh, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Duff Goldman, Johnny Iuzzini, Sara Moulton, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Palmer or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.

Sous Vide Cookery at Culinary College

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Andrew Gunn
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

Upon returning from my externship this summer, I realized that something I thought was unique to my experience was actually shared by others. No, not the long hours or dismal pay, it was the introduction of a cooking technique called sous vide.

In the mid 1970s, a French food scientist named George Pralus developed the technique of sous vide, or “under vacuum,” for the acclaimed Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France. The technique essentially takes food and secures it in vacuum-sealed plastic bags, a technique often called “cryovacking” here in the States. The bags go into a temperature-controlled water bath where they are essentially poached for a period of time. The temperature of the water bath is usually regulated by an immersion circulator, a piece of equipment that can hold liquids to within 0.01 degrees Fahrenheit of the desired temperature, an important aspect of this precise and possibly dangerous cooking technique.

Food cooked in this way retains most of its visual character yet develops an incredibly delicate texture. The other benefits of sous vide cooking include flavor preservation and a reduction of wasted product. After all, the food is hermetically sealed with its natural juices or added flavors in the bag, where flavors and aromas cannot escape. Instead of losing the natural juices of chicken or a beef roast in the bottom of the pan, the juices can be reabsorbed by the protein, providing a superior product in both flavor and texture.

Many of the best chefs in the country have been using this technique for years. The list includes, but is in no way exclusive to, Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York, Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago, Wylie DuFresne of WD-50 in New York, and Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago. Thomas Keller, whose much-anticipated new cookbook Under Pressure was released earlier this month, has written the first English language cookbook devoted solely to sous vide cookery.

These chefs and their kitchens use sous vide for a variety of reasons. First, they believe it can help to produce a better product, concerning both flavor and texture. Second, it helps speed up the service of a restaurant because any food cooked sous vide is essentially that, already cooked. This means the food merely needs to be re-heated for the diner. The technique also provides a balanced transfer of heat through water, a stark difference to typical cooking mediums like ovens.

The widespread use of sous vide in the modern commercial kitchen had me asking a simple question: “Where is sous vide cooking at the CIA?”

The answer is simple: Advanced Cooking, the sole cooking class for students in the bachelor’s degree program. I met with Chef (Jonathan) Zearfoss, an instructor of the course, for an informal interview. Although he enjoyed the “new toys” in his kitchen such as the immersion circulator and the anti-griddle, he stressed the fundamentals of the CIA’s curriculum. “It’s about quality of ingredients and sound technique. That’s what they (the students) need to know.”

Chef Zearfoss went on to explain that to use sous vide cooking more in the curriculum, the school would have to institute a detailed HAACP plan, a proposal that is currently under consideration. This plan is required by the State of New York, which, like many other states in the country, has serious concerns relating to the risk of botulism involved with this technique.

Until then, sous vide cooking will remain a distant outlier of the school’s curriculum, something taught only occasionally in a kitchen located in a gym, on the edge of campus.

The Unhealthy Obsession with Eating Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Student Contributors: Deborah Jaya And Marnely Rodriguez
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

It begins with ‘eat vegetables,’ then moves to ‘eat only vegetables’ which, unsurprisingly, becomes ‘eat only organic vegetables.’ Then it turns slowly into ‘eat only raw organic vegetables’ and ends with ‘eat only raw organic vegetables that have just been picked.’ Dr. Steve Bratman in 1997 invented the term orthorexia and is responsible for the initial research, development, and discovery of this new eating disorder. He describes orthorexia as “a disease disguised as a virtue,” a statement that encompasses the reality of orthorexia. Eating a balanced diet and removing junk food from our systems are good goals to have.

The problem begins when an addiction to “pure” foods overtakes a person’s life, and they can think only of what their next meal will be and how they will prepare it. Some orthorexics sprout their own seeds or ferment produce they have harvested in their backyards. Others shun foods such as Macaroni and Cheese and ban additives and preservatives from their diets. For clarification, orthorexia goes beyond eating well and supporting a local diet. It is when obsessions over eating patterns and product consumption overtake every aspect of life, causing orthorexics to fail in daily tasks. Social events and functions become difficult. Patients with orthorexia think that if they go out of their circle they will be pressured to consume “bad” foods. They will not go out to restaurants, friends’ homes, or family events. They prefer to not even go out of their homes. They become socially isolated, and their lives revolve around their food intake. Eventually, these patients believe that eating bad foods makes them bad, and they will punish themselves. The punishment normally consists of purifying and cleansing diet regimens.

Like any other people who suffer from eating disorders, orthorexics are usually very thin. They consume far fewer calories as a result of their strict diets.

Why do orthorexics continue doing this? They do not realize the ongoing obsession in their minds. They find support for their lifestyle in misconstrued messages, urging unhealthy eaters to be more mindful of what they eat.

We should all strive to eat healthy foods. But when healthy eating becomes an obsession, it becomes unhealthy. How long will this food disorder continue to spread? Since society encourages healthy eating, patients suffering from orthorexia will not realize the complications of their lifestyles and, without help, they will continue living this way. Healthy eating is balanced and nutritious. It should never compromise a person’s quality of life, which is what orthorexia is ultimately doing.

You Know Sweet, Sour, Salty, and Bitter… But Do You Know Umami?

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Anthony Salazar
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

Umami just celebrated its 100th anniversary. Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist who also discovered MSG, discovered umami while studying the taste of kombu dashi (kelp soup stock). Umami has been on a worldwide tour ever since. Its most recent stop was at our own Danny Kaye Theatre. Recently, the Gourmet Society hosted Mattson Corporation and one of its premier clients, Kikkoman, the world’s leading producer of soy sauce.

The Mattson Corporation cultivates innovation, creativity, and technological advances in food, and tests products for such top-selling food companies as Kraft, Starbucks, Pillsbury, and Oscar Meyer. Mattson’s innovation chef, Carol Borba ’92, and Executive Vice President of Marketing Barb Stuckey led the demo. Chef Borba had not been back to her alma mater in over 10 years. After graduating from the CIA, she worked in fine dining at Alfred Portale’s Gotham Bar and Grill and David Bouley’s Bouley. She was also the first sous chef at the CIA’s Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. However, after working in the kitchen for some time, Chef Borba decided to explore culinary research and development, and embarked on a three-month internship with Mattson. Those three months have turned into 12 years, and she is now the company’s leading innovation manager. Chef Borba said, “Making a transition from fine dining to research and development was something I didn’t think I was ready for, but in the end it was worth it.”

During the demo, students were presented with a tray filled with numbered tasting cups, each with a different edible component. These tasting cups contained items ranging from lemon juice to sea salt, each meant to highlight the different taste sensations. We were asked to taste these items one by one, leading up to the umami showcase. The final two cups each contained an ounce of tomato juice, but one had a little something extra in it—Kikkoman soy sauce. There was no color difference, but there was a significant difference in the flavor. The soy sauce brought out a bold, strong tomato flavor, leaving the other rather tasteless. Chef Borba went on to explain that soy sauce could be used to intensify flavor in a variety of items, even chocolate! Students were given a soy sauce chocolate truffle next to a regular chocolate truffle with no indication of which was which. Most people noticed a difference between the two and preferred the one with soy sauce.

The day before the student demo, Kikkoman provided a luncheon for CIA chefs. The menu was meant to show the versatility of soy sauce and how it could be used in the cooking styles of other cultures. Items included Bloody Marys, Caesar salad with soy sauce in the place of anchovies, roasted lamb with pomegranate jus, mole sauce, and chocolate truffles. Chef Borba used only a small amount of soy sauce in each dish and made sure the ingredient only highlighted the natural flavors of other ingredients.

Umami comes from free amino acids, which appear in many forms. Glutamate is the most plentiful amino acid found in nature, but umami is not MSG. All amino acids, whether essential, nonessential, or non-protein, have an umami taste. Natural glutamic acid can be found in food such as Parmesan cheese, cured beef, and miso soup.

Students and staff at the demo and the luncheon can now look at soy sauce not only as a component of Asian cuisine, but as a way to flavor items from cocktails to desserts. The fifth taste, umami, is increasingly becoming a forefront ingredient in modern cuisine.

Happening at Greystone: Chef Eric Ripert Speaks About His New Book, On the Line

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Lindsay Bater
Degree Program: A.O.S. in Culinary Arts at Greystone

Recently, Eric Ripert, celebrated chef at the Michelin three-starred Le Bernardin, spoke to Greystone students and signed copies of his new book, On the Line: The Stations, The Heat, The Cooks, The Coast, The Chaos, and the Triumphs.

This is Ripert’s third book. His first, Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four Star Simplicity, focused on the celebrated seafood recipes at his restaurant. His second book, A Return to Cooking, followed Ripert, two photographers, a painter, and writer Michael Ruhlman as they traveled to different locales looking for “inspiration and improvisation” in their settings as well as in Ripert’s impromptu creations.

Ripert described his new book as a “VIP backstage pass to what’s going on behind the scenes” at Le Bernardin, emphasizing that is was “not necessarily a recipe book.” Although recipes can be found within its pages, the vast majority of the book is made up of charming anecdotes, photographs, insets, and lists such as “What’s in the Pantry?,” “A Sample Week of Staff Meals,” “Le Bernardin Glossary,” and “How to Fold a Madeleine Napkin.” One of Ripert’s favorite sections is the restaurant’s list of “129 Cardinal Sins” or “Monumentally Magnificent Trivialities.”

According to Ripert, “Each time we see a mistake or see someone doing something wrong, we document it or discuss it…right now the list is actually 136 sins long.”

In addition to discussing his book, Ripert also told students about what it takes to work at Le Bernardin. No matter what background someone has, every new cook at the restaurant starts out at the garde manger station. Apparently, it takes more than two and a half years for a cook to train through every station on the line—culminating in a position as saucier.

“Sauce is the most fascinating aspect of cooking,” said Ripert. “It takes three years of experience to be good enough to do what we do with sauce…sauce making is artistry.”

Ripert also discussed his close connection to cooking fish. “(The) fish station seemed to be the destiny of my life,” Ripert said, noting that he had worked fish stations under Joel Robouchon and David Bouley as well as at the Watergate Hotel before arriving at the seafood-focused Le Bernardin.

The chef also touched upon the delicate topic of sustainable fisheries, saying “people come to Le Bernardin to have a good time…we don’t want to give them a guilt treatment…but we support SeaWeb and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In our menu, we mention five or six endangered fish we believe our customers should know about…90 percent of our fish is wild…but it is caught in a very artisanal way...using day boats. Supporting day boats and small fisheries is the future.”

On a less serious note, Ripert told students that his favorite fish was east coast halibut, describing it as “incredible in terms of texture…silky, flaky, and it retains a lot of juice. In terms of flavor it is very refined.”

For more information about Chef Ripert, Le Bernardin, and On the Line, visit www.le-bernardin.com

Some of Le Bernardin’s Cardinal Sins or “Monumentally Magnificent Trivialities”:

7. Forks with bent tines
23. Murky or smelly water in flower vases
94. Answering a question with a question
99. Obvious hangovers
102. Excuses for anything—any time122. Popping a champagne cork

Salmon, Watch Out!

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Student Contributors: Jenifer DeGenaro, Robin Kerber, and Jonathan Zakrajsek

A new fish trend has hit the states. We’re not talking about miniature desserts, hot pressed sandwiches, or any of the other epicurean delights that made the list in top food trends of the year. It’s a pink-fleshed fish that is being raised on the sustainable farms of Iceland and other cold locations in northern regions. Icelandic Arctic Charr is quickly gaining popularity because of its “guaranteed” quality and year-round availability.

Recently, CIA students got to take a peek at this gourmet-worthy fish at an Icelandic Arctic Charr demo presented by Aquaor Marketing Company. In a packed Danny Kaye Theatre, Icelandic Chef Einar Geirsson shared samples of what he considers to be “one of the best fish to work with.” The quiet and reserved chef went quickly to work, skinning a large fillet while explaining the flavor components that would accent the buttery soft Charr before him. By appearance and demeanor, Geirsson wouldn’t strike you as an Olympic chef, yet his passion and skill became evident in the tasting dish given to each student who attended the demo.

From the single fillet, Chef Geirsson created five signature tastings to showcase the versatility of the Icelandic Arctic Charr. The skin from the fillet was stripped, fried, and used as a garnish over a Charr sashimi and a maki roll. Other elements of the dish included a smoked paprika wasabi and pea rub preparation, a simple tempura, and a fried piece of Charr marinated in a mixture of miso paste, sake, green tea, and chilies. All of the samplings highlighted the various ways that Arctic Charr can be prepared and savored.

Birgir Ossurarson, sales and marketing manager of Samherji Hf, the producers of the Icelandic Artic Charr, educated the packed theater on the processes and practices of producing Icelandic Artic Charr. Ossurarson explained how the company is in control of every process of fish growth, from the initial purchasing of the roe all the way to the shipment of the product. He explained that the fish is always extremely fresh since it is shipped and received the very day it is harvested.

The fish is similar to salmon in color and texture, but lacks the strong flavor of salmon and its sometimes slimy quality. Arctic Charr is also richer in Omega 3 than salmon because it gets plenty of fish oil from its feed. While it may seem expensive, it seems the benefits of using Icelandic Charr far outweigh the costs. Not only is the fish healthier and easier to use than most other popular fish, its mild flavor and versatility allow it to be used in different styles and cooking cultures. We will definitely be seeing more of Icelandic Arctic Charr. Salmon better watch its back!

The Best of Besh: Podcast Features Louisiana Chef-Restaurateur

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Chat with John Besh, CIA Class of 1992, is Newest in Series

John Besh, chef and owner of four New Orleans-area restaurants, talks about his career in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

During the 20-minute chat, Besh talks about the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina and his efforts in the city's physical and emotional recovery, his experience on the Food Network's Next Iron Chef competition, and taking time off from his CIA studies to serve in the U.S. Marines during the first Gulf War.3

The 1992 graduate credits his time at the CIA for providing the groundwork for his success. "There are great people everywhere, but some of the best instructors in the world are right here," said Besh, recalling chefs and professors who taught basic culinary skills, butchery, charcuterie, and wines, among other courses. "Our horizons were broadened by the staff here...Things I learned in those early days stayed with me throughout my career. That was the foundation that really made it possible for me to thrive."

Chef Besh's ongoing commitment to his home state's relief and rebuilding earned him the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Neighbor Award in 2007. His Restaurant August has been inducted into the Nation's Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. He also owns Besh Steak, Lüke, and La Provence in and around New Orleans. Besh earned the 2006 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Southeast and New Orleans magazine's Chef of the Year for 2007. He was runner-up on Next Iron Chef, some of which was taped at the CIA.

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Duff Goldman, Johnny Iuzzini, Sara Moulton, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Besh or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.

Doing Good with Good Food

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:51:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Allison Leono
Baking & Pastry Arts Degree Program:
B.P.S. Baking & Pastry Arts

The early summer sun beats down on the dilapidated building as over 300 sweaty and exhausted men, women, and children file inside, hoping to receive dinner before the food runs out. Their “homes” have no running water or electricity. Inside the small generator-operated shack is the community’s only place to get a hot meal. Most receive all three meals from this emergency kitchen. Here the food is prepared in a makeshift outdoor kitchen with blue tarps for walls. Darren, a community leader, peeks between the tarps as we cook. He wants to know what is being served. “I hope it is rib-stickin’ good,” he comments.

After a long day of tiring physical labor, he was anticipating a good meal and we tried to deliver. Darren, like most in this neighborhood, gets all his meals from this outpost, but today he missed lunch in order to help a friend finish repairing his roof. When I asked him why he didn’t finish his own house before helping friends in the neighborhood, he laughed and told me that they will let him stay in their new home and they will repay the favor and help with his house. He and his community have long ceased to see any government aid and are entirely dependent on each other and the generosity of donations and volunteers. This destitute and devastated community is not in a far-off country. The government that all but abandoned them is our own. Where is Darren’s community? New Orleans.

In March 2007, I discovered Culinary Corps, a newly formed volunteer organization that was recruiting for chefs, culinary students, and foodies alike to spend a week helping the people of New Orleans rebuild their city through its strong food culture. I signed up for the first trip I could make which was in June, a nice and sizzling month down on the Bayou. Fifteen of us went: executive sous chefs, private chefs, writers, and me, the youngest and fresh out of culinary school by three weeks. We spent a week cooking and doing anything else that was useful. At EC, or Emergency Community, we met Darren and many more like him as we cooked for two days giving the SOS volunteers a break from their seven-days-a-week, three-meals-a-day schedule. We cooked at farmers’ markets to help draw crowds to boost the farmers still recovering their fields and crops. We weeded, painted chalkboards, built furniture, and planted trees at the site of the future Edible School Yard to prepare it for its ground-breaking a few months later. Nothing we did resulted in massive changes, but we helped rebuild the city in our own small way.

Nearly two years after “the storm” (as it is referred to by locals), New Orleans is still in ruins. The misleading pristine and bustling tourist areas of the French Quarter and Garden District project the façade that the city has recovered. But the Lower Ninth Ward, where Darren’s neighborhood is, looks as if the disaster occurred only a few days ago. This part of town is the location where the levies broke. What used to be a neighborhood of houses built nearly on top of one another is now empty, except for grass that has just begun to grow back and what were once concrete front steps to the houses that have long since washed away. Houses like Darren’s that were further inland are still standing after the flood, but the stagnant water turned toxic and ate away at the walls, eventually leaving only the frames that could be saved. Some still have a wall or two still standing, many of then still bearing the large “X” made by Search and Rescue Teams when they finished a sweep. We saw numerous X’s as we drove through the city. Even on the last day of our trip, our blood would run cold as we drove by some with a number at the bottom. The number signified how many were found dead inside.

On one of our last nights, we listened to stories from countless locals as we crowded around a table piled high with steaming and spicy crawfish. Everyone had a story to tell. Some rode out the hurricane and survived, others fled only to return terrified of the damage they would find, but determined to rebuild. They had one vital thing in common: they did not ask for money. They did not complain about few or non-existent FEMA checks. They were grateful for our attempts to help. What they wanted most of all was for people to know their struggle and their stories. Above all else they merely wanted to see that they had not been forgotten.

Since I returned to school the Corps has continued its trips to New Orleans with no plans to slow down its efforts. If you want to get involved, visit culinarycorps.org.

New York's "Sexiest Chef" Shares Career Experiences in Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:48:00 +0000

Chat with Johnny Iuzzini, CIA Class of 1994, is the Newest in the Series

Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef at Restaurant Jean Georges in New York City, talks about his career in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

Chef Iuzzini began working with renowned pastry chef François Payard while still a CIA student. After graduating, he continued to learn under mentors Payard and Daniel Boulud. By age 28, he was the executive pastry chef for famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

In the podcast, Iuzzini shares advice for budding chefs and pastry chefs: "I can teach anybody a recipe. I can teach anybody a technique. But, I can't teach passion. That has to come from you. If you don't have that, you don't have…the longevity to do this." When hiring, he also looks for those who have the same foundation on which he built his career. "If you want to be a well-rounded chef someday—if you want to be an executive chef or pastry chef—and be able to handle all those different things, then you're going to want to go to a school that provides you with all the necessary information, all the tricks of the trade. And for me no one does it like the CIA does it…I look towards the CIA more and more for my young cooks."

The 2006 winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Chef Iuzzini is perhaps best known for winning the New York Daily News readers' poll as Sexiest Chef in New York City in 2007. He was also named one of Forbes magazine's 10 Most Influential Chefs and was twice listed among Pastry Art & Design's Top 10 Pastry Chefs. His first book, Dessert Fourplay (Clarkson Potter), is scheduled for a December release.

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Duff Goldman, Sara Moulton, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Iuzzini or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.

On-Campus Oktoberfest is Wunderbar

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:29:00 +0000

CIA celebrates its first Oktoberfest—hopefully the first of many.

Student Contributor: Andrew Gunn
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

For many of us who live on campus, the weekends pose a simple sort of dilemma: should I stay or should I go? The answer for many is to leave, to visit home if it is close enough, or to travel to visit friends in the Northeast. Other options to work or play in the city to the south are always present and consistently tempting. For someone like me, the option to visit home does not exist. I find myself yearning for free time and then loathing the boredom when I have it.

I am glad to say that this past weekend was different. Several clubs on campus, led by the Brew Club, joined together to create a truly unique event—the CIA version of Oktoberfest, a six-hour celebration of beer, food, and music.

The tents and booths of the festival were situated behind Rosenthal Hall, overlooking the idyllic view of the Hudson in autumn, a sight many of us take for granted every day. Those who attended could not have asked for better weather.

The original Oktoberfest took place in Munich, Germany in 1810 to celebrate a royal wedding with a horse race and parade. Over the last 175 years, the celebration has evolved into what is now a 16-day celebration of beer and food at the Theresienwiese, an open-air square in Munich that serves as the festival’s site. The festival remained true to its historical past until the middle part of the last century when international notice grew exponentially and the traditional horse race was removed from the festivities. Since then the annual event has become the world’s largest Volksfest, or People’s Festival. In 2007, the festival drew over six million people, a third of them traveling from abroad. These visitors consumed almost seven million liters of beer and countless pounds of sausages, schnitzel, and oxen.

In recent years, the Oktoberfest celebration has spread beyond the drunken debauchery of late September in the Rhineland and grown to encompass an ever-changing idea and execution. Americans have consistently reinterpreted the festival in their own way and in their locality’s image, but two things always remain constant: beer and food.

The CIA’s festival began early in the afternoon with the Baker’s Cup, a competition between baking & pastry students and their culinary counterparts. The event included cake decorating, piping, pie making, and a series of baking-oriented trivia. After these events, two teams, one B&P and one culinary, advanced to the final competition, the Mystery Basket. The teams were given 25 minutes and seven ingredients to work with before the tasting and judgment. A team of B&P students, including Yves Andre, Usha Kumaran, Temperance Puffer, and Matthew Waldron, took the prize for the day.

The CIA version of the festival was far smaller than the annual celebration in Munich, but enjoyable all the same. The Brew Club provided 25 gallons of homemade beer, including a variety of German styles like the “Lady Lager,” a St. Pauli Girl replica, and the “Little Heffer,” an unfiltered wheat beer. They also brewed a homemade hard cider made from the locally sourced apples of a New Paltz farm. The beers garnered average ratings from most of the festival-goers but the appreciation of the effort was unanimous and positive.

To the disappointment of the student body, the limited amount of beer ran out midway through the festival. This was, of course, to the relief of the administration that was glad not to experience the famous “Bierleichen” or “beer corpses” known all too frequently at the Munich festival.

This event was a progressive step for the campus, showing that a celebration usually dedicated to drunkenness could be controlled by an intelligent and responsible student body, testament to the hard work of the different clubs and the dozens of volunteers who ran the event. Other clubs provided their own indulgences for the festival goers, including candy apples, chocolate covered espresso beans, coffee from El Salvador, and grilled sausage and peppers. The contributions from clubs like the Fine Grind Society, Black Culinarian Society, Gourmet Society, and Bakers Club provided the festival with an eclectic blend of entertainment. The Pitmaster’s Association spent the entire evening before the festival roasting a 150-pound pig, which they pulled and tossed with either vinegar or barbecue sauce. They served the delectable pork with a slaw and its own crispy skin. When they began service, the line stretched to include almost a quarter of the festival’s revelers. The pig lasted well into the late afternoon and provided most of the crowd’s sustenance for the day.

Good ‘n’ Loaded, a local cover band from Monroe, NY, provided the day’s musical entertainment. Their range of songs—from Michael Jackson to the Ramones to Weezer—gave pretty much everyone there something to tap their foot to while enjoying the festival’s other indulgences.

The groups who helped organize and develop Oktoberfest deserve credit for their hard work and execution. I, for one, hope to see other events like this happen on campus and am convinced that the Oktoberfest celebration should become an annual event here at the CIA. The clubs who organized this event were able to pull off something few others have on campus, a good time for all.

Welcoming the Revolution - Agricultural Consciousness at Culinary College

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Jorge Hernandez
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

It has been almost twenty years since Wendell Berry reminded us that "eating is an agricultural act." Since then, the movement towards that state of consciousness continues to grow. Eaters are making personal connections with our country's agricultural family-producers and have begun to reclaim local food systems as their own. The transformation from consumer to co-producer has turned those same "agricultural acts" into political ones. In essence, choosing to eat well is our form of vote, our form of protest, and even, as I recently heard from last month's CSA guest lecturer, Sandor Katz, our act of civil disobedience.

Nearly 60 were in attendance that night as Sandor Katz, self-proclaimed cultural revitalist and author of Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved; Inside America's Underground Food Movements, showed us how we could commit these "acts of civil disobedience" by practicing one of the most ancient forms of food preservation, fermentation.

For Mr. Katz, fermentation is a symbol for political action. The Latin root of the word means "to boil," and it is used in colloquial terms, such as "political ferment" or "intellectual ferment." As Mr. Katz said, these uses play on the theme of eating as well as activism.

He spoke about the history and culture behind fermentation. Anything from grandma's sauerkraut to the world's most refined chocolate all undergo fermentation. Today's home cook has seemingly lost the once trans-generational knowledge of fermenting. We have forgotten how to ferment, Katz said, because it has been specialized away to commercial food production.

In the climate we face, industrial agriculture aims to homogenize, irradiate, package, and distribute the harvest as a mere commodity. The end result is stripped of terroir, culture, and all that gives flavor and meaning. This is what we revolt against.

When we take back our food systems for ourselves, fermentation will be an invaluable skill to enjoy the fall harvest throughout the winter. By such a simple act, we sustain ourselves with nourishment, we encourage sustainable production of goods, and we sustain cultural traditions.

As Mr. Katz illustrated, the food revolution is one of convivial and experimental spirits and one that always answers to taste. It may not be a revolution for white gloves, but it is a revolution that we can welcome with open arms. We sustain the revolution by sharing our love of eating well. The revolution begs us to redefine the taste experience to include the criteria of knowing where food comes from, knowing how best to treat it, and, of course, knowing how best to share it.

Exploring the CIA's Edible Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Student Contributor: Anne Haerle
Culinary Arts Degree Program:
A.O.S. Culinary Arts

Jerusalem artichokes, lemon trees, and Turkish figs, surrounded by rosemary, thyme, and lavender - are we talking about a rustic Mediterranean garden? Actually, these plants adorn Anton Plaza as part of the CIA's landscaping plan. On August 9th, a group of students explored the school's fruit, vegetable, and herb gardens during the Nutrition Club's Edible Landscape Tour.

While the edible plants in Anton Plaza are for display only, other campus garden spots are harvested for use in the CIA's restaurants. During the tour, landscape staff member, Jill Anderson, guided a group of 25 students around campus to appreciate the school's wide variety of organically grown, edible plants. One of the most visible spots is the Colavita Herb Garden, just behind the Caterina de' Medici restaurant. Anderson explained that her team uses organic materials and techniques in the herb garden and that the school's food waste is collected and converted to compost at a local farm. The compost is then delivered back to campus to naturally fertilize the soil.

Anderson also demonstrated how to correctly harvest herbs like basil, parsley, and chives. The landscape team works closely with restaurant chefs to develop a planting schedule for the herb garden so that products can be picked and used in dishes served to the public. Besides perennial favorites such as cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and thyme, the garden also includes a few unusual items like stevia. An herb renowned for its sweetening power, stevia is being grown and harvested to sweeten tea. Also new to the herb garden are leeks, lovage, and an array of hot peppers.

After exploring the Colavita Garden, Anderson guided the group through Anton Plaza, which is maintained by Organic Matters, a local organic landscaping service. Students then explored the large garden behind Rosenthal Hall, where the CIA landscaping team started growing a large number of berries last fall. Since the land behind the dorm stays rather wet throughout the year, Anderson and her colleagues chose a number of indigenous berry species to fill the space, including blueberries, strawberries, currants and blackberries. Since the plants are young, she explained, yields have been small, but they are growing steadily. The landscaping team regularly harvests strawberries and blueberries, which have turned up as garnishes on bake shop deserts. A large crop of blackberries will be ready to harvest in the next few weeks, along with lingonberries and raspberries. Sprinkled among the berry plants are fig trees and rhubarb, which will also be used in the CIA kitchens.

The last stop on the Edible Landscape Tour was St. Andrew's Cafe, where a large number of vegetable and herb varieties are grown in a small space. While many plants were unearthed to accommodate construction, the tour group saw a number of green and bush bean plants pushing up through the newly tilled soil next to the restaurant's entrance. St. Andrew's also grows tomatoes, cucumbers, Swiss chard, collards, okra, and potatoes in the ground or in the containers. All the vegetables end up on diner's plates.

The Nutrition Club's Edible Landscape Tour gave interested students an up-close glimpse into the wealth of herb, vegetable, and fruit plants being grown and used on the CIA Campus. Thanks to Jill Anderson's passion and expertise, the tour group gained an appreciation for the landscape team's hard work as well as ideas for growing ingredients for future culinary creations.

Chipotle Founder Shares Experiences in Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (The World's Premier Culinary College) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:06:00 +0000

Chat with Alumnus Steve Ells '90, is the Newest in the Series
Staff contributor: Jeff Levine
Listen to the podcast now >

Steve Ells turned his taste for authentic burritos into one of the most successful restaurant chains in America. He talks about his career as the founder and chief executive officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the newest "Insight from the Inside" podcast from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). "Insight from the Inside" is a series of chats with graduates who have exciting jobs in the food world.

After graduating from the CIA, Chef Ells went into the fine dining segment, cooking at Stars in San Francisco. When not in the kitchen, he would visit taquerias in the city's Mission District and order a burrito. In 1993, he opened the first Chipotle near the University of Denver. The chain now has almost 800 stores throughout the country and is known for its "Food With Integrity" initiative. Chipotle's natural and organic foods are a rarity in quick service restaurants.

"I didn't know that I wanted to have a career in the restaurant business. I came to the CIA because cooking has always been a passion of mine," Chef Ells said. "I was just having a great time around like-minded people." During the 18-minute podcast, he also says the concept of mise en place--"everything in its place"--was the most important skill he learned at the CIA. "That idea of always being prepared is one that has served me very well...Opportunities happen to all of us. It's what we make of them that's the key."

"Insight from the Inside" has featured CIA graduates Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Duff Goldman, Sara Moulton, Michael Symon, and Top Chef winners Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh. To hear the interview with Chef Ells or receive future podcasts, visit www.ciachef.edu/podcasts.