The CIA – Kindred Spirit

Not the Central Intelligence Agency, not at all, but something much more fun and happy! The Culinary Institute of America, widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college. This was the day I had eagerly anticipated since the early planning stages.

The Culinary Institute began as the New Haven Restaurant Institute in downtown New Haven, CT as the first and only school of its kind in the United States in 1946. Frances Roth and Katharine Angela created the school to train World War II veterans in the culinary arts. Fifty students were enrolled and the a faculty consisted of a chef, a baker, and a dietitian.

In 1951 the name was changed to the Culinary Institute of America. The school grew and grew to more than 1,000 students. Needing a larger and better facility, the CIA purchased the St. Andrew-on-Hudson Jesuit novitiate in Hyde Park, NY for its new campus and opened the doors in 1972, right on the banks of the Hudson River.

Roth Hall is a gorgeous building. you can see the architectural roots of a religious order in its style and grandeur.

Al is relaxing on the terrace in front of Roth Hall.

We booked a one-hour tour hosted by a student on Monday morning. Arriving early, we first had a snack and coffee in the Apple Pie Bakery inside Roth Hall.

Inside Roth Hall is the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe where we enjoyed shared pastries and coffee.

Students hustling behind the counter in the cafe. They spend three weeks “in the back” and then 3 weeks “in the front.”

Enjoying my coffee. The white plates decorating the wall behind me are sketches of famous chefs like Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey.

Speaking of famous CIA alumni/celebrity chefs, there are some names I recognized –Anne Burrell, Cat Cora, Duff Goldman, Michael Symon, Michael Chiarello, Sara Moulton, Todd English, Marcus Samuelsson, and sadly, Anthony Bourdain.

Natalie, our guide, led us through the school of baking and pastry arts. Although she told us about the School of Culinary Arts we really didn’t get to see any of that. I would happily gone on a 2-hour tour to see more.

Natalie shows us the display case of the books used in their studies.

The tour was fascinating and definitely worth it. We were told not to take photos, but after the tour I managed to sneak one little picture, much to Al’s dismay. I was discreet and no one noticed. 😉

The tour does not take you inside the kitchens or classes, you only look through special windows.

A wine studies class in progress. If you are a student under 21 you have legal permission taste but you must spit the wine out.

The student dining hall. The food is cooked by students and eaten by students. And it looked delicious, not at all like most campus food. Not only is the food exceptional, the setting is, too.

Sculptor, John F. Sendelbach, was asked to create a sculpture for the campus. He chose the Atlantic sturgeon, a migrating fish in the Hudson River region.