The CIA, Hyde Park, NY
Stephan Hengst
s_hengst@culinary.edu 845-905-4288
The CIA at Greystone
Tyffani Peters
t_peters@culinary.edu 707-967-2322
The CIA, San Antonio
Stephan Hengst
s_hengst@culinary.edu 845-905-4288
The CIA at Astor Center
New York, NY
Stephan Hengst
s_hengst@culinary.edu 845-905-4288
ONLINE PRESS KIT
To request a hard copy of The Culinary Institute of America's Press Kit, please e-mail Virginia Mure at v_mure@culinary.edu.
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HYDE PARK, NY CAMPUS FACTS
History
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is the premier culinary college in the United States. The CIA was founded with 50 students in 1946 by Frances Roth and Katharine Angell as the New Haven Restaurant Institute. In 1947, the college relocated to a 40-room estate near Yale University and changed its name to the Restaurant Institute of Connecticut. The name was changed to The Culinary Institute of America in 1951 to reflect the college's national student population. In 1972, with a student body of 1,000, the college relocated to its present main campus, the former St. Andrew-on-Hudson in Hyde Park, NY, a Jesuit seminary built in 1901.
Today, 2,800 students representing every state and 30 foreign countries are enrolled in the college's bachelor's and associate degree programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. In addition, more than 3,000 professionals each year enroll in continuing education courses and another 4,500 participate in programs for food enthusiasts.
In addition to its main campus in Hyde Park, NY, the college has branch campuses in St. Helena, CA and San Antonio, TX, and has a location in New York City: the CIA at Astor Center.
Baccalaureate Degree
The CIA offers two 38-month programs resulting in a bachelor's degree, one in culinary arts management and one in baking and pastry arts management. Each program stresses hands-on instruction in culinary arts or baking and pastry arts in the college's unparalleled facilities, and includes business-related courses in marketing, communications, finance, languages, world culture, supervisory leadership, and a four-week wine and food seminar in California, Italy, or Spain. These programs are designed to prepare students with the culinary, management, and conceptual skills they need to excel in today's foodservice industry.
Associate Degree
The CIA also offers two 21-month programs culminating in an associate degree: one in culinary arts and one in baking and pastry arts. Culinary arts students take hands-on courses such as meat and seafood fabrication; cuisines of the Americas, Asia, and the Mediterranean; garde manger; banqueting and catering; wines and beverages; and table service. Hands-on courses for baking and pastry arts majors include bread baking, individual and production pastries, chocolates and confections, contemporary desserts, and special occasion cakes. Students in both majors study food safety, nutrition, product knowledge, and menu development. The curriculum for both the baccalaureate and associate degrees includes an 18-week externship that provides real-world experience at top restaurants, hotels, and resorts.
Certificate Programs
In addition to its degree programs, the college provides certificates for studies in baking and pastry arts and accelerated culinary arts at its St. Helena campus, and in culinary arts at its San Antonio campus.
Continuing Education
The Continuing Education division offers courses for industry professionals in cooking, baking and pastry, management, and food and beverage education, as well as custom-designed programs and conferences such as the annual Worlds of Flavor® gathering. The CIA also offers ProChef® Certification, providing foodservice professionals with hands-on validation of essential culinary, management, and financial skills at three levels of certification.
Food enthusiasts can learn at the CIA through a variety of programs including Boot Camp programs in Hyde Park, CIA Sophisticated Palate™ and Career Discovery in St. Helena, and courses in San Antonio and at the CIA at Astor Center.
More than 135 chefs and instructors from 16 countries make up the college's prestigious international faculty, which represents the broadest base of industry experience of any culinary college. The CIA's education team also includes Master Chefs certified by the American Culinary Federation and Master Bakers certified by the Retail Bakers of America.
Hudson Valley Campus
The college's 170-acre main campus is located less than two hours north of New York City on the east bank of the Hudson River in historic Hyde Park, NY. It is home to the CIA bachelor's and associate degree programs as well as programs for industry professionals and food enthusiasts.
Roth Hall, the iconic image of the CIA, houses the Escoffier and American Bounty Restaurants, Apple Pie Bakery Café, most of the college's 41 kitchens and bakeshops, a computer lab, the Betty Axleroad Language Lab, the Learning Strategies Center, the Julius Wile Baccalaureate Center, the Anheuser-Busch Theatre, and administrative offices.
Fronting Roth Hall is Anton Plaza, providing majestic views of the Hudson River on a landscaped 32,500-square-foot terrace featuring a centerpiece fountain flanked by pergolas. Below the plaza is a two-level garage providing 145 parking spaces for restaurant guests.
The Conrad N. Hilton Library holds one of the largest collections of culinary publications in the country, totaling nearly 79,000 volumes. The building also houses a video and DVD library with 4,000 titles, a computer lab, television and photography studios, and the 150-seat Danny Kaye Theatre.
The Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine is home to the Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, teaching kitchens, and classrooms devoted to the study of Italian food, wine, and culture.
The General Foods Nutrition Center houses a nutrition resources center and St. Andrew's Café.
The J. Willard Marriott Continuing Education Center houses the Shunsuke Takaki School of Baking and Pastry and features three bakeshops, four pastry shops, four kitchens, and five lecture halls.
A 25,000-square-foot building housing the college's Admissions, Financial Aid, and Bursar's offices opened in 2006. The building features the 99-seat Ecolab Theatre with 65-inch plasma viewing screens and state-of-the-art kitchen equipment provided by Viking Corporation.
The 52,000-square-foot Student Recreation Center provides a setting conducive to the leisure necessary in the busy life of the campus community. The Center includes a gymnasium with two basketball courts, six-lane indoor pool, indoor track, two racquetball courts, locker rooms with sauna, fitness center, aerobics room, game room, multi-purpose room, lounge, and banquet kitchen. Staff offices as well as student clubs and organizations are housed in the Center. There is also an 85-seat café. Outside the building is a terrace overlooking the Hudson River and a pair of Fast-Dry® tennis courts.
In addition to four traditional residence halls, CIA students can live in six Adirondack-style residence lodges. The campus features a wireless network accessible from all residence halls, classrooms, and key public spaces.
Napa Valley Campus
Located two hours north of San Francisco in the heart of the Napa Valley, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is home to continuing education and career development programs in the food, wine, and hospitality fields, including a Professional Wine Studies program leading to certification at two levels of proficiency. In addition to certificate programs in baking and pastry arts and accelerated culinary arts, the CIA at Greystone began offering an associate degree in culinary arts in 2006.
Food enthusiasts can visit the CIA at Greystone for the ultimate epicurean vacation by participating in the CIA Sophisticated Palate program. Offering one-, two-, and four-day hands-on experiences, these courses not only take participants into the kitchen, but also to the farms and wineries of the Napa Valley.
The 117,000-square-foot historic Greystone Cellars building, one of the largest stone wineries in the world, is the heart of campus. The building houses teaching kitchen suites, the Spice Islands Marketplace, Ecolab Theatre, De Baun Theatre, Ken and Grace De Baun Café, and Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. Other facilities at Greystone include the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, and Ventura Foods Center for Menu Research and Development. The campus also features the Cannard Herb Garden, Sutter Home Garden, and a 15-acre vineyard.
San Antonio Campus
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, became the college's third campus in January 2008. It is housed on the site of the former Pearl Brewery, near downtown San Antonio. The facility provides the realism of the professional foodservice environment and an ideal educational environment focusing on student learning and outcomes.
The CIA, San Antonio offers a 30-week certificate program in culinary arts and provides a focus for the study of Latin American cultures and cuisines. It also presents classes dedicated to the study of Latin American cuisines for industry professionals and food enthusiasts.
Students from The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio are eligible to transfer to the Hyde Park campus following the completion of their culinary arts certificate to earn a bachelor's or associate degree.
New York City Location
In partnership with Astor Wines and Sprits, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Astor Center brings the college to New York City. Located in the former DeVinne Press Building in Greenwich Village, the CIA at Astor Center provides day and evening demonstration and hands-on courses for adults, as well as classes for parents and teens. In addition to classes for food enthusiasts, the CIA at Astor Center offers classes for industry professionals focusing on business, service, and wine education.
Classes take place in The Kitchen, designed to support CIA educational offerings with restaurant-quality equipment for 16 students in hands-on classes and 30 students in demonstration classes. The facility also houses The Study, an amphitheater-style classroom that seats 36, and The Gallery, a 1,700-square-foot, multi-purpose event space that accommodates 90 for dinner and 135 for lectures or standing events. Each of these spaces is outfitted with advanced audiovisual systems, allowing for real-time interconnectivity.
The Culinary Institute of America is represented around the world by more than 37,000 alumni who hold key positions in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Some prominent graduates:
John Besh '92, chef/owner, Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Lüke, and La Provence, New Orleans, LA
Anthony Bourdain '78, author and executive chef, Les Halles, New York, NY
Jeffrey Buben '79, chef/owner, Vidalia, Washington, DC
Michael Chiarello '82, CEO and founder, Napastyle.com
Cat Cora '95, Food Network's "Iron Chef"
Dan Coudreaut '95, director of culinary innovation, McDonald's Corp.
Harold Dieterle '97, Ilan Hall '02, and Hung Hyunh '02, Bravo's "Top Chef" winners
Steve Ells '90, founder and CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill
Todd English '82, owner, The Olive Group, Boston, MA
Dean Fearing '78, executive chef, Fearing's at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, TX
Duff Goldman '98, Food Network's "Ace of Cakes"
En-Ming Hsu '92, pastry chef, winner of the 2001 World Cup of Pastry
Melissa Kelly '88, executive chef/proprietor, Primo, Rockland, ME and Orlando, FL
Waldy Malouf '75, executive chef/director, Beacon, New York, NY
Sara Moulton '77, television personality and executive chef, Gourmet
Bradley Ogden '77, chef/co-owner, Lark Creek Restaurant Group, California and Las Vegas
Alfred Portale '81, executive chef/owner, Gotham Bar and Grill, New York, NY
Michael Symon '90, chef/owner, Lola & Lolita, Cleveland, OH and "Iron Chef"
Peter Wieser '76, owner/general manager, Ratskeller München, Munich, Germany
Roy Yamaguchi '76, founding chef/owner, Roy's Restaurants, Honolulu, HI
The Culinary Institute of America is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-662-5606. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
The CIA is also accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). The certificate of accreditation is available for viewing on the second floor of Roth Hall. Supporting documentation can be reviewed in the office of the associate vice president of planning, research, and accreditation, located on the third floor of Roth Hall.
Information related to tuition charges, fees, and length of comparable programs at other institutions may be obtained from the ACCSCT at: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, VA 22201. Phone: 703-247-4212.
ST. HELENA, CA CAMPUS FACTS
Overview
Located in St. Helena, CA, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone is the West Coast branch of the college. The campus is situated in and around the Greystone Cellars building, built in 1888 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Greystone Cellars was formerly owned by Christian Brothers, who, from 1950 to 1989, used the facility for sparkling wine production. Visitors are drawn to Greystone by its magnificent architecture and position as one of the Napa Valley's most distinguished structures.
The CIA began a search in the mid-1980s to establish a West Coast center for continuing education. More than fifty locations were visited. At first sight, the CIA recognized the potential Greystone would offer as a world-class teaching facility.
The CIA at Greystone became a reality when Heublein, Inc. donated most of the property's $14-million value to the college. The donation was the largest of its kind by both Heublein, Inc. and – at the time – for The Culinary Institute of America. A $15-million renovation of the property was completed in fall 1995. Reinforcement of the massive stone winery provided the foundation for the construction project, which resulted in 15,000 square feet of teaching kitchens, a public restaurant, 125-seat demonstration auditorium, and retail store. The first classes at Greystone were held August 21, 1995.
Since opening, CIA Greystone has added the De Baun Theatre, De Baun Café, Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, and Ventura Foods Center for Menu Research and Development.
The CIA at Greystone began offering an associate degree in culinary arts in 2006. The campus offers certificates in baking and pastry arts, wine, and advanced culinary arts, as well as continuing education and career development classes, in highly focused formats, for food and wine professionals.
Classes at Greystone emphasize hands-on, practical instruction. Course work covers a broad range of subject areas including cooking, baking, wine, nutrition, writing and communications, food product development, catering, and institutional foodservice and management. Courses are available for all skill levels.
The Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate is a 30-week, two-semester curriculum requiring no prior baking and pastry experience and covering all aspects of production, including the techniques and skills demanded of the baking and pastry professional. With access to a distinguished roster of CIA faculty and an impressive collection of professional cooking equipment, students in this program receive training that will allow them to excel in their chosen field. Students in this program gain experience in the De Baun Café, where they explore effective bakery merchandising, retail counter management, and brewed beverage production.
Wine Certification is led by program chair Karen MacNeil. Professional Wine Studies courses are practical for both food and wine professionals and those looking to expand their wine knowledge. Through lectures, discussions, and focused, guided tastings, classes cover everything from the wine of Burgundy to the dynamics of food and wine interaction. Students have unique opportunities to walk Napa Valley vineyards with viticulturists, taste with winemakers in their cellars, and experience the world of wine in a remarkably integrated way.
Accelerated Culinary Arts Program provides 30 weeks of comprehensive culinary training for those who already hold a hospitality management, food science, or nutrition degree. Lessons on culinary techniques, flavor strategies, wine studies, menu development, and culinary trends complement previous industry education.
Custom classes for corporations, non-profit and trade associations, and governmental agencies are designed to meet the specific needs of groups seeking to give their employees the skills and knowledge to meet the demands of fast-paced change and the pursuit of excellence in their chosen professions. The CIA draws upon its experienced instructors and a creative, yet disciplined, approach to education when designing programs in a myriad of business-related topics.
CIA Sophisticated Palate
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone offers epicurean adventures for consumers. Through the CIA Sophisticated Palate program, visitors awaken their senses and indulge their passion for food, wine, and cooking. The CIA Sophisticated Palate's exclusive programs are designed for connoisseurs with an appreciation for fine living and a desire to expand their culinary horizons.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone's Leadership Programs, spearheaded by the CIA Strategic Initiatives Group, help foodservice professionals learn more about the next wave of change. Programs include conferences, leadership retreats and new media projects that focus on topics and trends crucial to the foodservice industry including flavor development, health & wellness, volume foodservice menu research & development, and collaboration between production agriculture and volume foodservice. CIA Leadership Conferences include:
- The Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival, widely acknowledged as an influential professional forum on world cuisines and culinary flavor trends.
- Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, presented by Harvard Medical School Oscher Institute and the CIA, is a semi-annual gathering of physicians, dietitians, nurses and other healthcare professionals and executive chefs that bridges nutrition science, healthcare, and the culinary arts.
- Worlds of Healthy Flavors is an initiative of the CIA and Harvard School of Public Health—Department of Nutrition. This three-day leadership retreat is designed to help volume foodservice operators expand options for healthy menu choices within their businesses and on behalf of their customers.
The centerpiece of the campus is the 117,000-square-foot, three-story Greystone Cellars building which was transformed to house the teaching kitchens, EcoLab Theatre, Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, Spice Islands Marketplace, De Baun Theatre, De Baun Café, and administrative offices.
Teaching kitchens at Greystone are situated on the top floor, looking out upon vineyards and mountains. Created to facilitate ease of movement and an open exchange of ideas, the kitchens were built without walls and with an eye toward retaining the distinctive architecture of the original space. They reflect a warm ambiance of granite, stone, tile, and wood—a departure from the typical stainless steel commercial kitchen. Cooking classes gather around custom-designed "suites," which employ a myriad of cooking methods and technologies, from a traditionally-crafted rotisserie to the advanced technology of magnetic heat induction. Baking classes work on 16-foot work tables of flecked granite and solid oak, which provide ideal work surfaces for pastry and dough preparation. A stone hearth oven, convection ovens, and a battery of massive mixers represent a sample of the array of equipment available to the baking student.
The Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant celebrates the passions of the chef, farmer, and winemaker in a menu born of the terrior of the wine country. Chefs draw upon the unique bounty of Northern California to create a dynamic cuisine that shifts with the seasons and the fresh ingredients available from day to day. The dining room features open cooking stations, giving diners full view of the theater of chefs at work. An outdoor dining terrace offers spectacular views of the valley's vineyards and mountains, while a warming fire greets guests in the cooler months.
Cooking demonstrations are offered daily to the public in the De Baun Theatre. As a state-of-the art, 48-seat demonstration kitchen, the De Baun Theatre provides the visitor to Greystone an opportunity to learn cooking techniques oriented toward the home cook, while providing a unique window onto the world of the professional chef. A monthly schedule of recipes demonstrated in the De Baun Theatre can be viewed at www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/programs/gs_demos.
The De Baun Café provides a real-world retail extension for the students of the Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate at CIA Greystone. Offering freshly baked pastries and breads, the De Baun Café also serves coffee, espresso drinks, and teas in a coffee-bar style setting.
The south wing of the Greystone building houses The Spice Islands Marketplace, a dynamic store featuring an impressive array of cooking equipment, cookbooks, uniforms, and other culinary-related items for Greystone's visiting students and the general public. The Marketplace offers unique food ingredients from around the world that complement the course curriculum.
The EcoLab Theatre is a 125-seat amphitheater-style demonstration auditorium that rises dramatically through the first two levels of the building. Designed for cooking demonstrations, lectures, food and wine tastings, and other special events, the auditorium features a custom-designed 22-foot cooking center, large-screen video monitors, and fixed tables for wine and food service at each seat.
The Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, formerly the historic Still House building, is home to the CIA's Professional Wine Studies Program. The Center features state-of-the art sensory analysis classrooms with wireless keypad response systems, built-in light boxes, and expectoration stations. The Rudd Center contains a pantry, a 4,000-bottle wine cave and private dining room, and a hospitality terrace overlooking heritage oaks and vineyards.
The Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, in the former Gate House, is an international center for the study of culinary flavors and the dynamics of flavor development in food and wine. The Williams Center features technology that allows students and food and wine industry professionals to directly interact with chefs, winemakers, food producers, and other experts to evaluate reactions and to produce solutions to a broad range of flavor questions. The results of tasting panels conducted at the Williams Center are shared with the industry to enhance the collective understanding of flavor in food, cooking, wine, and agriculture.
Designed to inspire innovative, menu-driven business solutions for the foodservice industry, the Ventura Center for Menu Research and Development encompasses 8,000 square feet of ideation rooms, a theater-style kitchen, and interactive audience response technologies. The Center was built with moveable walls to facilitate a variety of group activities and business goals.
The Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, and Ventura Center for Menu Research and Development combine to enhance the CIA's role as a culinary think tank to support innovation in the American foodservice industry.
SAN ANTONIO, TX CAMPUS FACTS
Overview
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, officially became the college's third campus in January 2008. It had existed for the previous two years as the Center for Foods of the Americas under CIA consultation and guidance. In 2007, philanthropist Kit Goldsbury made a ground-breaking pledge of up to $35 million dollars to the CIA – the largest ever in the history of culinary education. The pledge was for scholarships and facilities to support El Sueño, the dream that he and the CIA share to use research and education to elevate Latin American cuisines to their rightful place among the great cuisines of the world.
The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio offers a 30-week certificate program in culinary arts and provides a focus for the study of Latin American cultures and cuisines.
The CIA, San Antonio also presents professional development classes throughout the year dedicated to the study of Latin American cuisines.
As of December 2008, the campus is also home to a range of culinary enthusiast classes.
The CIA's Symposia in Latin Cuisines, Cultures, and Exchange are held at the San Antonio campus, featuring noted guest chefs from Latin America presenting and conducting culinary demonstrations.
The CIA, San Antonio hosts an annual Latin Flavors, American Kitchens conference each fall. The unique three-day conference highlights Latin American cuisines, their connections to regional cuisines, and the role of Latin flavors in the future of American menu development.
The CIA, San Antonio is housed on the site of the former Pearl Brewery, near downtown. The facility provides the realism of the professional foodservice environment and an ideal educational environment focusing on student learning and outcomes. The state-of-the-art teaching kitchen at the CIA, San Antonio has been designed to provide modules and stations in which students can perform their lab exercises and be observed and coached on an individual basis.