Rule #2 – Write from what you know.
How do you tell a grown nephew how proud you are of what he
has done? Or a niece for that matter? I tell my kids all the time how proud I
am of them all, and how much I love them. I go all goofy and braggy about my
kids and they are used to it. They act all embarrassed but they love it. But
the extended kids… that’s different, sort of. But I can still be super proud of
them all. And now to get all goofy and braggy…
I was bursting with pride when my nephew asked me to attend
his graduation from Culinary Institute of America recently. You know this
recovering Home Ec teacher jumped at the chance to go. And I was rewarded with
one of the best weekends ever! Oh, and they served food, too.
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| Welcome to the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY |
Let me tell you about the school… Culinary Institute of America
has three USA
campuses and one in Singapore.
The school is internationally renowned for producing chefs, and bakery and
pastry chefs who have gone on to make their marks in the hospitality industry.
And we can’t forget to mention the Food Network also. Distinguished alumni
include writers Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Purviance, executive chef Llewellyn
Correia, of Wegmans, and Bobby Flay, from – well, you name it. Pastry chef Duff
Goldman from Charm City Cakes walked the halls at CIA, as did Michael Symon
from “The Chew”.
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| Roth Hall facing the Hudson River |
The New York
campus is in Hyde Park, just north of Poukeepsie. It sits on the banks of the Hudson
River, which provides beautiful views no matter the season.
Located just up the road from Marist College,
the campus site was once a monastery. Remnants of its former occupants are
evident in Roth Hall, where the architecture of monastic life is still visible.
Now the building houses culinary classrooms, food production laboratories,
several award winning, student-staffed restaurants, the Craig Claibourne
Bookstore, and is the center of student learning.
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| Fountain at Anton Plaza, in front of Roth Hall |
Many of the other buildings are more recent construction.
You will find the Colavita Center
for Italian Food and Wine near Roth Hall. The design considers the entire food
experience, right down to the room ambiance. The building is designed as a
Tuscan villa and boasts its own restaurants, and is also student-staffed. Many
students are found in the Conrad Hilton Library completing the research needed
for their studies. There are student dormitories, lodge housing, and townhouses
throughout the campus area.
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| Marriott Pavilion - Conference Center |
We spent most of the graduation day at the Marriott Pavilion
on campus. This is the newest building and is designed to be a conference and event
site. The building houses the Ecolab Auditorium and a fantastic reception area
in its two-story building. Here you will also find the
Gastrotyographicalassemblage, a unique piece of artwork by the late CBS studio
graphic artist, Lou Dorfsmann. This unusual piece of 3-D art was originally
displayed at CBS studios in New York City.
It was rescued and restored by Nick Fasiano. It now occupies a place of honor
in the atrium of the Marriott Pavillion.
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| Small sample of the Gastrotypograhicalassemblage, located in the atrium of Marriottt Pavillion |
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| Seat, courtesy of Todd Rundgren |
The graduation ceremony was in the state-of-the-art Ecolab
Auditorium. We had fun scoping out our seats and choosing where we sat. Many of
the individual chairs were donated by celebrities and were identified with name
plates on the back. I think I sat in Todd Rundgren’s seat. The ceremony itself
was impressive as the graduates walked in with their white coats and toques on.
Each student walked across the stage and received their medal signifying
curriculum completion. They walked in front of professionally produced pictures
of themselves on the large screen. The guest speaker this day was Frank Crispo,
owner of Crispo Restaurant in New York City and CIA alumnus. The recessional had
the students walk under the Arch of Tools of the Trade, oversized spoons,
whisks and knives.
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| My nephew receiving his graduation medal |
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| Frank Crispo giving his keynote address |
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| Passing through the Arch of Tools |
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| Congratulations to all graduates |
And then the party started… and what a party! In the
reception hall, the students prepared the reception food at stations all over
the room, hallway and atrium. Everywhere we turned there was more beautifully
presented morsels to delight our palates. I can now say that I’ve tasted some
of life’s delicacies, like foie gras, rabbit, assorted sausages, unique fish
items, Earl Grey ganache candy, and the temptation of my dreams – chocolate
covered cheesecake pops. Bless me, Waistline, for I am sinning… and loving it.
Such freshness, such deliciousness, such presentations! Just look at all of
this…
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| Chef at work at a reception station |
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| Student serves a bean stew in recyclable bowls |
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| Unique presentation of a pinwheel hors d'oeuvres |
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| Preparing meat and fish samples |
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| Fresh bread |
Oh, and don’t drool on your keyboard…
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| Far left - Earl Grey ganache in dark chocolate - Food to chase my bluesy mood |
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| Calamari - mmmmmmm |
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| Carrot mango gazpacho shooter |
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| Top - White chocolate covered cheesecake pops. Bottom - lemon meringue pie pops |
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| Student preparing small sandwiches |
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| Excellent Reuben sandwich bite |
Yes, you are looking at food porn…
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| Vanilla raspberry truffle |
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| Cheese plate |
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| Small samples - looks good, tastes better |
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| Line-up of deliciousness |
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| This chef enjoys her work |
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| Processed meats to make your own sandwich bite |
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| And can you beat this display? |
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| Mini cakes and raspberry bombe - presented on an ice-filled tray |
What really impressed me is the school’s commitment to the
environment. We had small sample plates that were 100% recyclable. We had some
small bowls made from manufactured cellulose products that were 100%
compostable. We enjoyed drinks and soups in modified test tube shooters, again
all recyclable. Not one Styrofoam item to be seen anywhere! Yes!
Now my nephew can count himself among the great chefs of the
world, as he should. He is still there, since he will complete his Bachelors
program in 2015. Another graduation ceremony? I can’t wait!
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| Chef Michael P. Knipp - Culinary Institute of America Class of 2014 |
Do you think I can get any more proud? Or goofy and braggy?
More graduations to come…
All photos by Marge McGugan. No reuse without written permission.
