Culinary Institute of America

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The Culinary Institute of America

The Culinary Institute of America Logo
Established 1946
Type Private
President Dr. Tim Ryan
Faculty 125
Undergraduates 2,757
Location Hyde Park, New York, USA
Campus Rural
Nickname CIA
Website http://www.ciachef.edu/

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is regarded as one of the world's top culinary schools. Founded in 1946, the CIA is located in Hyde Park (Dutchess County, New York) USA, adjacent to Poughkeepsie. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning.

The college offers both Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S) and Associate of Occupational Studies (A.O.S) degrees in either Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts. The Bachelor program was created under the direction of former CIA president, Dr. Ferdinand Metz. The CIA also offers a program for ACE (Accelerated Culinary Experience) students who already have 4 or more years experience in the industry, but wish to obtain an associate degree from the CIA. The ACE program includes the same basic classes as the regular AOS programs, but lacks the externship requirement, and some classes may be presented at a faster pace or include more in-depth material.

Students in the degree programs learn in the college's 38 professionally equipped kitchens and bakeshops, under the tutelage of a diverse and experienced faculty that includes more American Culinary Federation-Certified Master Chefs than any other college. The CIA is the host of the presitigious American Culinary Federation (ACF) Master Chef certification exam.

Admission requires a minimum of six months foodservice experience. Each program requires an 18-week externship at a CIA-approved site in the industry.

The CIA operates five award-winning public restaurants on its campus in Hyde Park, New York. There, students gain experience in both back-of-the-house kitchen and front-of-the-house management skills. The American Bounty Restaurant showcases regional specialties of America. The Escoffier Restaurant offers classic French dining with a contemporary touch. The Ristorante Caterina de' Medici presents authentic Italian cuisine in a Tuscan villa setting. St. Andrew's Café spotlights fun and flavorful cuisine in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. Finally, the Apple Pie Bakery Café provides sumptuous baked goods and café cuisine for dining in or takeout.

The college's Hyde Park campus also offers continuing education courses, certificate programs, and comprehensive training materials for foodservice professionals including the award-winning texts The Professional Chef, Techniques of Healthy Cooking, Exploring Wine, Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft, and Cooking at Home with the CIA. A variety of programs for food enthusiasts are also offered, including the popular themed Boot Camps. Additionally, the CIA has joined with the American Culinary Federation to create the ProChef Certification program, a multi-tiered program that will chronicle the progress of chefs throughout their careers and validate their skills with a recognized credential.

Over the past few years, the CIA has developed a brand licensing program in cooperation with Broad Street Licensing Group that has resulted in branded products for both foodservice and consumer housewares. A highlight of this initiative was the launch of the Masters Collection™, a line of premium cookware, cutlery, bakeware, and culinary tools for today's home kitchen, created by the CIA's faculty of Certified Master Chefs and tested at its Hyde Park campus.

The CIA also maintains a branch campus, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in the Napa Valley in California. The Greystone campus offers an associate degree program in culinary arts, as well as certificate programs, continuing education courses, conferences, and seminars. The CIA at Greystone also operates the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, which features local, seasonal ingredients showcasing California's bounty from the land and sea.

Several books have been written about The Culinary Institute of America: Journalist Michael Ruhlman in his first book about the CIA, The Making of a Chef, documents his experiences as an "undercover student" as he passes through the classes at an accelerated rate, and in his book The Soul of a Chef, he documents seven chefs taking the grueling ten-day ACF Master Chef test held there annually. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain features an in-depth discussion of the author's tutelage at the CIA.

The 1995 movie Heavy starring Pruitt Taylor Vince, Shelley Winters, and Liv Tyler features several scenes shot on location at the CIA.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links

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