While most diners may not realize that the fresh bread on their table required a different set of skills than their entrée, aspiring culinarians and professional foodservice workers know that chefs and bakers are not interchangeable. The skills, tools, and talents associated with each path are quite different. Let’s explore these unique sides of the kitchen!

Watch the video below or on youtube.

View the video below or on YouTube.

Amanda Freitag ’89

It’s hard to believe that a Food Network Chopped judge and runner up on The Next Iron Chef could fail her first practical exam at the CIA, but it’s true. Standing in front of the chicken she was supposed to butcher and bone, Amanda froze. She couldn’t remember a thing! Right after the exam, she went and got 20 chickens and practiced butchering them in the dormitory kitchen until she could do it with her eyes closed. She passed her retake exam with flying colors.

Despite that shaky start, Amanda remembers her CIA experience as happy and eye-opening. She recalls getting up at 4 a.m. for egg cookery class and seeing ice floes pass by on the Hudson River as she walked across campus. She remembers struggle with bread baking and the joy of eating sweetbreads for the first time. She remembers learning about the importance of “working clean” from a truly hard-core teacher. And she fell in love with authentic Italian food rather than the Americanized version of that cuisine.

After graduation, Amanda took her curiosity and skills on the road in what could be called a journey of discovery. She got to work the line for, and sometimes with, Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Vong, where she discovered exciting Thai flavors. She then took a job in the very mellow kitchen at Verbena, led by Diane Forley, where she worked her way up to chef de cuisine and learned the rhythm of the seasons and the joys of the farmers’ markets. Amanda spent two glorious weeks working under Alain Passard at L’Arpège in Paris, where every morning the chickens, frogs, and pigs that were going to be used that day were delivered, and where she discovered that if you have really strong skills, you can cook anything. After that, there was a stint under Sara Jenkins at Il Buco, where every ingredient was imported from Italy. Amanda had the “ground-up” experience at Cesca, where she developed the menu and kitchen staff herself. And later, at The Harrison, she learned that it is a lot harder to work with an existing crew and change the culture of an existing restaurant. Clearly, her restaurant experience was wide-ranging and it brought her to the attention of the Food Network.

The network invited her to compete on Iron Chef America against Iron Chef Bobby Flay. She says, playfully, that till her dying day, she will debate the single point that separated her from the win! Despite the loss, her personality came shining through, and the network invited her to become a judge on Chopped. Since then, Amanda has filmed 75 episodes. She says she’s had an incredible time learning about ingredients and cuisines, and meeting people like White House Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition Sam Kass, who was a guest judge on her favorite episode, “The Lunch Ladies.”

As someone who is always in search of the next challenge, Amanda is currently involved in working on a book proposal and on top-secret restaurant development. She is grateful to the CIA for giving her an incredible base of skills and knowledge that enabled her to have the work experiences that made her into the chef she is today. And, of course, she can still butcher a chicken with her eyes closed!

View the video below or on YouTube.

View the video below or on YouTube.

View the video below or on YouTube.

The Seventh annual CIA Leadership Awards

At its seventh annual Leadership Awards, The Culinary Institute of America honored some of the foodservice and hospitality industry’s most forward-thinking innovators—and supported the future of food through student scholarships.

This year’s awards—known as the Augies, in honor of famed French chef Auguste Escoffier—were presented to four individuals who exemplify, in spirit and deed, the CIA’s four thought leadership pillars:

• Professional Excellence and Innovation—Daniel Humm, executive chef, Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad Hotel, New York City
• Health and Wellness—Clifford Pleau ’81, corporate executive chef, Seasons 52, Orlando, FL
• World Cuisines and Cultures—Rick Bayless, chef/owner, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and Xoco, Chicago, IL
• Sustainability and Food Ethics—Walter Robb, co-CEO, Whole Foods Market, Austin, TX

With the theme “Food Matters,” the event was held on April 26, 3013 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, where the ballroom was filled with nearly 400 attendees. In his opening remarks, CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan declared, “Not only is food part of everyone’s traditions and family celebrations—it is a bridge to other cultures, it fosters understanding among the people of the world, it nourishes the body and the soul, and it inspires innovation, excellence, and creativity.”

Each honoree offered advice to CIA students, including the 30 assisting at the event and the many more back on campus who were following the event on Twitter:

• Daniel Humm described how he finds inspiration through the music of jazz innovator Miles Davis and abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning. Davis pushed the envelope and charted new territory with every album, and de Kooning said, “I have to change to stay the same,” a sentiment Chef Humm has taken to heart.
• Cliff Pleau told the audience that his vision for a restaurant like Seasons 52 began early in his career, but it took nearly 20 years to come true. He spent a lot of time practicing “culinary imagineering,” and over the years, collaboration and risk-taking became as important to his success as his commitment to helping Americans to eat more mindfully.
• Rick Bayless took a different path on the way to earning his PhD in anthropological linguistics. Food was his passion. “With one bite of a dish,” says Chef Bayless, “and sometimes just a look at the dish, you can tell reams of things about a culture, its history, its agriculture, and its people.”
• Walter Robb quoted author and academic Wendell Berry several times in his remarks about sustainability. He sees 100 percent transparency in the future of food, with stores and restaurants providing complete information about how food is grown, made, and transported.

Dr. Ryan noted that while each honoree was presented his Augie in the name of just one of the college’s thought-leadership pillars, they are all committed to all of the pillars. “The role of today’s chefs and food professionals is not only about flavor development and pleasing customers,” he says. “Chefs must be socially responsible citizens of the world, and it is our job and our privilege at the CIA to train them with that goal in mind.”

And in support of that objective, all proceeds from the Leadership Awards event, including more than $49,000 raised from the live auction, supported CIA student scholarships.

View CIA students and the evening’s honorees describing how “Food Matters” to them on the CIA’s YouTube Channel.

Photos from the seventh annual Leadership Awards

“From knife skills to sauces to product identification and cooking techniques, the curriculum builds your skills by levels as you move through the classes and you develop your core discipline. The CIA gives you the structure to plan the rest of your career.” – Denis Callinan ’95, PC III

Major: Culinary Arts
Degree: AOS
Hometown: Hopewell Junction, NY

Taking Student Dining to the Next Level

Residential dining has traditionally had a bad reputation. Lately, however, there has been a burgeoning nationwide movement to improve cafeteria fare. For an example of a vibrant, fresh, and delicious menu, one need only look to The College of William and Mary and the culinary team led by Executive Chef of Student Dining Denis Callinan ’95, PC III.

“Freshness is key,” says Denis. “We buy cage-free shell eggs, use local produce for all of our salad bars, make our own burgers, and hand-cut our French fries.” The student dining facilities are modeled after a European marketplace and feature authentic, freshly prepared foods. “The overall theme is fresh, friendly, fast, and favorite food. There’s no secret cache of frozen entrées,” explains Denis. “We want our students to relax and respect the art of dining.”

He’s always preferred large production kitchens. “My sister got me into catering when I was 14 and I found I really loved the business,” says Denis. He worked in the cafeteria at IBM in Fishkill, NY while still in high school before enrolling at The Culinary Institute of America. “Cooking was the only thing I was really good at and the CIA was the best place to train for a future in the profession,” Denis says. “From knife skills to sauces to product identification and cooking techniques, the curriculum builds your skills by levels as you move through the classes and you develop your core discipline. The CIA gives you the structure to plan the rest of your career.”

His own career would take him to the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, PA; corporate dining for IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY; and Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. In 2005, Denis made the move to Williamsburg, VA and William & Mary college dining, where he implemented a homemade baking and pastry program. “It’s a great feeling as a chef to know my bread is being made at 5 a.m., used for sandwiches shortly thereafter, and out on the floor for students by 9:30 a.m.,” Denis says. “We have a three-day policy for our baked goods but we rarely have any left to throw away.”

Sustainability is another key component of the dining program. “We compost all organic waste, recycle 100% of our used cooking oil so it can be made into biofuel, and use biodegradable forks, knives, spoons, plates, and cups,” Denis says. “We hire interns to manage our sustainability initiatives and continually research ways we can lessen our carbon footprint.”

Working with students and staff has added another dimension to Denis’s job. “As I grew in my career, I found I was good at leading people,” he says. “I spend a good deal of time on product ID so my staff understands when fresh products are available and how to use them. When you’re the leader, you have to be the best cook, and that’s why I continued my education with CIA ProChef Certification. At each ProChef level, your skill set is greatly enhanced. And the guidance from the faculty was invaluable to my professional growth.”

“Being a chef—especially if you’re CIA trained—is in a way a recession-proof job,” Denis continues. “People have to eat. You have the ability to take your skills anywhere and the jobs have become more diverse. Whatever you decide to do, you should continue learning and expanding your repertoire. And always take it to the next level.”