February 2021
We asked and you delivered! Our alumni email inbox quickly filled with fun pictures when we put out the request for you to help us celebrate the CIA’s 75th Anniversary. Below you will find just a few of the pictures that we received but keep watching for more to come…and thank you for continuing to send them to [email protected]! We’ve enjoyed revisiting some of your fond memories of your time at the CIA as we celebrate our 75th year educating the groundbreaking innovators in our industry—you!
(Left to right photos) Richard Baldasano ’73, who reported he was a part of the last class in New Haven and first graduating class in Hyde Park, and his wife of 48 years have retired to Ft. Myers, FL, after 50 successful years in foodservice/hospitality. Dennis Kessler ’73, practicing his piping skills.
From the 1970s to the 1980s, John McEvoy ’88, who sent in this group photo, could remember most of the first (and last!) names of his classmates from this picture from 1988.
(Left to right photos) Fast forward a few decades...Usha Quint ’09, center, sent us this picture with several of her classmates, while Emma Goldstein ’15 had fond memories of Run for Your Knives, saying the race "took place within my first month at the CIA and I already had a massive group of friends. (I'm number 27!)."
The Culinary Institute of America Turns 75!
To commemorate this historic milestone, we are excited to present our 75th Anniversary logo, celebrating 75 years as the world's premier culinary college and 75 years of
leadership in the food world.
Remember to keep your contact information current with our Alumni Office at [email protected] so we can notify you about upcoming events and share the latest information. And join us online and share your stories.
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Congratulations to the First CIA Graduating Class of 2021
The newest members of the CIA Alumni Network graduated from the CIA at Greystone on January 29. Alumna Melissa King ’07 sent them off with words of inspiration and strength. “Nothing great is ever accomplished until fear is turned into strength,” she shared. “This industry is made up of dreamers and fixers. YOU have the ability to rebuild this industry and shape it into something stronger than before. Try to remember why you began this dream,” she continued. Check out her full speech and the rest of the virtual commencement ceremony.
Learn More About the Cuisines of Africa and its Diaspora
This month, the CIA introduced a new extracurricular course: The Cuisines of Africa and its Diaspora in the Americas. This nine-part virtual lecture series is the culmination of months of work and will form the foundation for our African Cuisine Concentration, which will debut next year.
Organized regionally, the series features renowned chefs and scholars, including Dr. Jessica Harris, Chefs Kevin Mitchell and Pierre Thiam, Dr. Maricel Presilla, and more. As a companion to the lecture series, Chef Scott Swartz ’89 will facilitate hands-on kitchen sessions in Hyde Park following each lecture, joined virtually by each week’s featured speaker. Watch this first session, Culinary Connects Out of Africa, presented by Dr. Jessica Harris, and stay tuned to the alumni website for info on how to view other lectures in this series.
Honoring Black History Month
We encourage you to visit the CIA's social media sites where you can find posts in celebration of Black History Month. Through our social channels, we've been highlighting student stories, Black history, and other happenings throughout the month on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
A recent CIA Facebook post on Jefferson Evans ’47, the CIA's first African American student, included the above pictures. After graduation, the Georgia native spent a lifetime working in various restaurants before returning to his alma mater as a chef-instructor, from 1970-1975. Jeff the Chef, who passed in 2018, is pictured on the right at a special evening held in his honor at the CIA in 2014.
Top Chef Season 18 Judging and Dining Panel Includes CIA Alumni!
Bravo's Top Chef returns for Season 18 on Thursday, April 1, and includes an elite rotating judging and dining panel that is made of Top Chef all-star winners, finalists, and favorites, including many CIA alumni (photo below, left to right) Richard Blais ’98, Gregory Gourdet ’00, Dale Talde ’98, Melissa King ’07, host Padma Lakshmi, judge Gail Simmons, Kwame Onwuachi ’13, Amar Santana ’02 and head judge Tom Colicchio. Nina Compton ’01 joins the line-up but is not pictured.
Photo by: David Moir/Bravo
Continue Your CIA Education..From Wherever You Are
Now enrolling for Fall 2021: the CIA’s latest master’s degree program—an online master’s in wine and beverage management. The 30-credit curriculum includes three short residencies: two in Napa, CA―the heart of wine country―and one at the CIA’s Hyde Park campus, in New York’s Hudson Valley, and offers the flexibility of learning on your own schedule, while continuing to advance in your career. Learn more and apply today. We encourage you to share this news with your beverage-focused colleagues and suppliers.
Also enrolling: our online bachelor's degree in food business leadership and online master’s degree in food business management.
Giving Back to the CIA: Lori Daniel ’79 When Lori Daniel ’79 talks about her journey from CIA graduate to well- respected industry professional, the route she describes is one of many twists and turns, all of which she leaned into and learned from instead of letting challenges stop her in her tracks. With a learn-as-you-go attitude, Daniel relates many of her opportunities to the relationships she formed at the CIA, from travel to conferences to alumni gatherings, all of which made her business stronger.
With her deep love and admiration for her alma mater, Lori has found many ways to pay it forward with her long-standing support of the college's greatest needs. "I was always very grateful to the college for giving me a way to build a life," said Daniel. "As a graduate, I knew I should get involved in the college, the alumni committee, so I could support the future leaders of the food world, and I encouraged other alumni to also do so..."
Read more of Lori Daniel's story here....
Grand Marshal at the 2016 bachelor's degree graduation, Lori Daniel ’79, in Hyde Park, NY.
Student Scholarships: The Need Continues
COVID-19 has created increased hardship on students who, even in the best of times, often struggle to afford college. Thousands of students have benefited from scholarships while attending the CIA and now the need is even greater. Learn more about CIA Scholarships and how you can help students pursue their dreams of a CIA education.
Annual Report Release
The CIA’s Annual Report 2019-2020 has been released. View the interactive annual report, which includes a look at highlights from the last year, here.
Class Notes
Leonard Gentieu ’68 now owns and operates a charter yacht business (www.morrobayboat.com) in Morro Bay, CA, and would enjoy contact from his fellow classmates from his time at the CIA.
Jeffrey Cousminer ’75 retired from Stonewall Kitchen in 2018. Chef Cousminer launched Food Alchemy Consulting, offering product and process development expertise to food businesses, particularly focused on start-ups. He is also busy writing a new book he describes as an introduction to food science and the culinary arts for “newbies.” Due to COVID-19, he missed attending his 45th class reunion last year, but is looking forward (God willing) to his 50th in 2025!
Jim Sawchak ’79 retired in September 2019 due to health issues.
John McEvoy ’88 started a YouTube channel called "Cook-it with Johnny Mac." His intent is to make people happy and laugh during this tough time. Guess what? It’s working! Twelve unique episodes are already online.
Blake Shellabarger ’01 is now pastry chef for Marquis Piedmont Assisted Living and Post Acute Rehab facility in Portland Oregon. Blake says it has been difficult not being in the hospitality industry, but foodservice for healthcare has been very steady work during this pandemic. He has set his sights on getting back to hospitality pastry chef work in the future.
Maarten Vandersman ’01 is now Global Real Estate Advisor, Associate Broker for Sotheby’s International Realty's East Side Manhattan Brokerage firm in New York, NY.
In Memoriam
The Culinary Institute of America mourns the recent passing of our alumni listed below. This past year has taken a profound toll on our community, and we honor the lives of those whom we have lost during this time.
Stanley Alex Lobitz, Jr. ’54 John W. Kempf ’57 John Delgoff ’68 Gregory James Comer ’69 Harry W. Henderson ’70 Larry Green ’77 Matthew James Newton Tivy ’82 Ms. Nell C. Staples ’85 Stephen Schifano ’89 Steven Alan Smith, C.C.C. ’90 Jonathan D. Kerr ’06 Lee Jordan Saltzman ’11
In Memoriam
One Last Sip...
New York residents can now get the Brewery at the CIA’s award-winning brews shipped directly to their doors, and judging from the initial response, people are loving it! Choose from our everyday favorites—Mise en Place Wit and Cleaver IPA—and a rotating seasonal selection, currently, St. Andrews Abbey Ale. View details and flavor notes. Please allow two to three weeks for delivery.
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