Culinary Innovation Begins Here

World-class training and flavors delight at the Iowa Culinary Institute.

By Ann Thelen | Photos by Joseph L. Murphy

In French, the world ici means “here.” It’s fitting that in 2005, the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) changed the name of its Culinary Arts Program to the Iowa Culinary Institute ®, with the acronym ICI ®. It’s here where the philosophy is: If you can dream it, you can achieve it. It’s here where the flair, art and mastery of food come alive. And it’s here where the only French Chef Exchange at a community college in the country finds its home.

Since its founding in 1975, ICI has gained world-class prominence, primarily due to the vision of the program's founder, Executive Chef Robert Anderson, a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Thanks to Anderson’s

43-year career of helping students become passionate chefs, the two-year program that began with three students has elevated into a culinary masterpiece with an annual enrollment of 225 students.

CELEBRATING THE FRENCH CONNECTION

The cornerstone of ingenuity at ICI is the annual French Chef Exchange, which is offered as part of the program’s two-year, five semester program.

This year, ICI is celebrating its 35th year of the collaboration with France, which originated at the suggestion of DMACC’s then-adjunct French Professor Maura Nelson. Anderson brought the idea to fruition by welcoming French chefs from Des Moines’ newly recognized sister city – SaintÉtienne, France. With creativity, design and a sense of cooperation being the dynamic forces of SaintÉtienne’s culture, it was a recipe for building unparalleled success at ICI.

Every January, two chefs from L’Association des Cuisiniers de la Loire come to ICI for two weeks – demonstrating and teaching techniques of classical French cuisine, explains John Andres, director of ICI. A translator facilitates communication between the chefs, instructors and students. The guest chefs also plan the menu for the French dinners, where students gain hands-on experience preparing every aspect of the five- to seven-course meal for approximately 120 people.

John Andres, director of the Iowa Culinary Institute, studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. In 2012, he was named Iowa Restaurant Association Chef of the Year.

This year, to commemorate the milestone anniversary, 19 chefs from France will work with students for two weeks from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2 to prepare for the French Dinner Exchange. This event is the crown jewel of the hugely popular ICI International Gourmet Dinner Series.

These dinners introduce culinary students to ethnic ingredients, spices and products while designing meals for the American palate. They are elegant evenings of candlelight, soft live music and gourmet food paired with fine wines.

In the recent fall dinner series, patrons experienced meals focused on Caribbean, Polynesian, Italian and Himalayan cultures. The themed gourmet dinners are open to the public at a typical cost of $120 per person and by reservation only.

“People believe in this program and appreciate what it has done for the restaurant scene in Iowa because many graduates stay here,” Andres says. “It’s a wonderful thing for students to have such strong support. We wouldn’t be able to hold gourmet dinners and have a scholarship program to France without the generous support of our donors.”

Every May, eight ICI graduates earn a spot in the highly acclaimed and life-changing scholarship program to Europe. Named the French Chef Exchange externship and led by Nelson, the first two weeks of the program are spent visiting regions of France and often other food-rich places in Europe, such as Spain, Greece and Italy. Participants visit openair food markets, experience food and wine tastings, and attend a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. The final two weeks are spent in Saint-Ètienne, where the graduates serve individual culinary apprenticeships in restaurants of master chefs from the Loire Association.

ELEVATING IOWA’S CULINARY SCENE

For more than two decades, Jim and Allison Fleming have been active supporters of ICI. Allison was introduced to the program 23 years ago when she attended a 12 Appetizers of Christmas event at the school. Since then, she has been an energetic advocate. From leading ICI’s primary fundraising gala to traveling a dozen times to France with the externship, the Flemings know how valuable this program is to Iowa.

Austin Bailey, a chef instructor, teaches a first-year class at the Iowa Culinary Institute. During the first year of the program, students learn food and wine service, and core subjects like math. The math curriculum is 95% geared toward culinary criteria.

“When the graduates return, many are employed at restaurants in Iowa,” Allison says. “They share the incredible French cooking techniques they have learned. As a result, it has tremendously elevated the culinary scene in Iowa.”

Rebekah Kohl is a graduate of the program and a former participant in the French Chef Exchange externship. She loved it so much, she applied for a visa and worked in France for eight months. She returned to Iowa and is an adjunct professor at ICI, where she transfers her knowledge and expertise to students.

“The experience in France was outstanding,” Kohl says. “I visited multiple Michelin restaurants from classically French to nouveau-style restaurants, where they modify cooking techniques to enhance the dining experience.”

Today, her passion is using those experiences to help students hone their skills.

“It’s gratifying when a student masters a concept that requires many techniques to come together. It can be making an over-easy egg to perfection by flipping it in the pan without any utensils. It may sound simple, but it's rather difficult,” she explains.

Lewis Peel, a second-year student, prepares a saffron aioli sauce.

Benjamin Nelson (left) and Harrison Brockman prepare a dish during a Culinary Arts Program class at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

SHOWCASING THE ORIGINS OF FOOD

Chef Austin Bailey is another ICI graduate whose passion for the program led him back to it. He also has a strong appreciation for agriculture. From teaching students specific knife-cutting techniques on meats to how vegetables must be cut to cook evenly, there is culinary cadence mastered among chefs.

“Today, there is so much more emphasis on the farm-to-table idea, and people are genuinely more interested in food – where it comes from and how it’s prepared,” Andres says.

In 2018, Executive Chef Robert Anderson was recognized by the Iowa House of Representatives for his leadership at the school. When accepting the award, he noted many young people want to join the farm-to-table movement where fresh, locally sourced food is the centerpiece.

The ICI received the Ordre du Mérite Agricole, France’s oldest civilian agricultural award, from the French government in 2006. The award recognizes DMACC’s promotion of French agriculture through the culinary exchange with France. The first medal recipient in 1883 was Louis Pasteur, whose pasteurization process made a significant impact on agriculture.

“I love the program on many levels. This rather elegant classroom helps students to gain skills, confidence and poise to go out and be successful," Allison says. “When I tell people outside of Iowa about our culinary program, they are stunned. It makes me proud that right here – in the heart of the Midwest – we have access to this phenomenal world-class program.”

Taylor Conlan, a second-year student, prepares ingredients for a meal at the Iowa Culinary Institute Bistro.

BRINGING FRANCE HOME TO IOWA

Graduates of ICI who participated in the French Chef Exchange externship work in Iowa restaurants or in-house dining. Examples include:

• The Café, Ames

• Aunt Maude’s, Ames

• Ferinheit Pizza, Norwalk

• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, West Des Moines

• Glen Oaks Golf & Country Club, West Des Moines

• Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Prairie City

• Scenic Route Bakery, Des Moines

• Tournament Club of Iowa, Polk City

• Workiva, Ames

• Café Baudelaire, Ames

• Centro, Des Moines

• Gusto Pizza Company, Des Moines area

• Lucky Pig Pub & Grill, Ogden

• The Machine Shed, Urbandale

• MALO, Des Moines

• Tursi's Latin King, Des Moines

• Zombie Burger, Des Moines

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