Volume 33, No.23
March 1, 2013
Bocuse, The Event
BY: Stephan Hengst and Stephanie Kirkland What else can be said? If you were apart of anything aside from living under a rock in Hyde Park on February 15th, you wouldn’t have a choice other than to know that Chefs and entrepreneurs from around the country and world were represented to celebrate with The Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park Campus community in the opening of The Bocuse Restaurant. Culinary luminaries such as Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Palmer, David Burke, Michel Richard, Jerome Bocuse, and the restaurant’s namesake, famed Chef Paul Bocuse gathered for the restaurant’s inaugural dinner. These people, our role models, the figures in our minds in which we strive to become through every class day, every stage, and in every interaction with our peers, were here. In addition to the restaurant opening, attendees also celebrated the great Chef’s 87th birthday, his decorated career, and his incomparable contributions to culinary education throughout his lifetime. Our new adieu to modern French cooking had been eagerly awaited by many a student, alumni, faculty member, and restaurant- goer alike. Guests enjoyed a dinner prepared
Ryan for a ceremonial “cracking of the crust” to officially open the restaurant. A seven-course menu was curated by selecting a range of items from the restaurant’s full offerings for the grand opening soirée. Dishes included A Peach of Foie Gras with string beans, shallots, tomato, and walnut oil; Bocuse’s own Black Truffle V.G.E. Soup; Filet Mignon of Beef with marrow custard, wild mushrooms, and red wine; and Grapefruit Sorbet with vodka and frozen Campari pearls. All dishes at the restaurant are prepared with a focus on the future of French cuisine, offering the chance for students to flex their creative muscles while exploring global influences, diverse ingredients, and modern techniques. On Page 7, there is also a breakdown of the wine and spirits pairings of the famed dinner as well. From student accounts, to President Ryan’s official Thank You, and being able to hear from those who were involved, show a Photo by Phil Mansfield/ The CIA side of The CIA that has not been seen. Bringing those thoughts to the and served entirely by CIA Students (just like all the public restaurants at the CIA), along with surprises such as an over- forefront is what makes this event, and this paper, set apart from sized version of Chef Bocuse’s signature V.G.E. Truffle Soup the rest.
Reprinted with permission from the office of The President February 19, 2013 “It’s an exciting day!” Mike said as he mopped the steps with enthusiasm. “Big day for us!” he continued. “That’s cool.” I thought as I walked to my office last Friday morning. I exchange greetings with many of our tremendous facilities staff members each day, which are always pleasant, but not often do they tell me they are excited. I hadn’t walked much further when I ran into another staff member. “Are you ready for St. Bocuse Day?” he asked smiling. I chuckled and said “That’s pretty good. St. Bocuse Day it is.” While Paul Bocuse is happily still with us, as the most important chef in history, it could be argued that he is the patron saint of chefs. As I walked into the Garde Manger kitchen, Henry
Rapp was carefully spray painting beautiful little spheres of velvety foie gras. Each was perched on its own pedestal as Henry transformed them one by one into exquisite miniature “peaches”. He had worked for months on perfecting this dish--- Pêche de Foie Gras Louis Outhier. Getting the flavor, texture and appearance just right was a big challenge. Henry had literally made the dish over and over again, adjusting the variables, probably more than a dozen times. “Revision is the path to excellence,” I thought. The dish, a tribute to Chef Bocuse’s great friend, Chef Louis Outhier, was to be the first course at the grand opening dinner that evening, and Chef Rapp was making adjustments right up until the last minute. “I bumped up the ratio of foie a little, and adjusted the temperature by 5 degrees” he said, focused on the job at hand. “They look
where Paul and Jerome Bocuse joined CIA President Dr. Tim
And A Thank You From President Ryan...
Culinary Culture
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FOOD & BEVERAGE
Chapter 30: Chef Experiences ON CAMPUS
Figuring Out Umami
great,” I said as he positioned small curry leaves into place completing the illusion. I headed up to The Bocuse Restaurant to see how everything was going. Chef Sergio Remolina was calm and collected in the kitchen, even though his partner, Chef Rob Mullolley, was out with a medical emergency. “We are in good shape” said Sergio, giving no sign of tension that he was preparing a meal that would be served to not only Chef Bocuse, but other great Chefs such as Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and more. On top of that, media representatives from all over the country would be there, including Gael Greene, Florence Fabricant, Glenn Collins, Bill Buford, and reporters from most major media news outlets. 0 (Continued on Page 7)
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Wine and Global Warming P 4-5
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Bocuse Restaurant Grand Opening Wine Pairings
Singapore Sensations
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New! All in Good Taste!
LA PAPILLOTE
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From the Editor’s Desk
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA SINCE 1979
As I sit at my desk, writing my second editorial for La Papillote, I wonder about all of us as students and our experience only a couple of weeks ago when we were in the presence of some of the greatest Chefs we could hope to learn and be guided from, and follow in their large footsteps. I have diligently tried to be apart of all of those happenings in some way so to bring you the following accounts of writers’ experiences throughout those past events. I also wanted to leave you with words of advice that came straight from the panel that sat before our eyes on February 15th.
March 1, 2013
PUBLISHER
The Student Affairs Division
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Stephanie M. Kirkland
LAYOUT EDITOR
Jake Hauss
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Sue Haug
CONTRIBUTORS Jeremy Soloman Chef Freddy Brash Jonathan Pietzman Bret Benedict Lunsford Irena Chalmers James Manley Liza Kassim Ryan Woolley
Marissa Sertich Francis Maling Steven Kolpan Michael Brothers Amy Zarichnak
As Thomas Keller waved his hand across the avid audience’s eyes’ I was struck too with a wave of goosebumps and the possibilities to come. It’s things like that, that makes me personally proud to say that I attend The Culinary Institute of America. And I hope that it means the same to student readers as well. “Great passion, food, good wine; go to your past, inner soul, backgroundfind your own path.” Jean Georges Vongerichten “Whatever you do, do it with integrity.” Thomas Keller
COMPACT
La Papillote, the Newspaper of the Culinary Institute of America since 1979, is dedicated to respecting the mission, history and values of the college. Our primary purpose is to report the news of the institution to the students and other members of the campus community. We examine contemporary issues of the food service and hospitality industries to inform, challenge and develop the minds of students as they aspire to leadership roles in their chosen profession. We reflect the diverse views of the student body and provide a forum for civil discussion. Above all else, in our reporting and features, we strive to be accurate, fair, unbiased and free from distortion. Whenever we portray someone in a negative light or accuse a party of wrongdoing, we will make a real effort to obtain and print a response from that subject in the same issue. We will not plagiarize. Articles and features are expected to be independent assessments on a topic by an individual author. The views expressed are those of the author’s alone. They do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of La Papillote or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The Culinary Institute of America, or any entity of, or affiliated with the college.
FOOD REVIEW POLICY
As a valuable part of our content, La Papillote offers restaurant reviews. It is in the best interest of our readership to be honest, accurate and fair in providing information and judgment on these establishments. Reviews will reflect the writer’s opinions about the menu, atmosphere and service. Whenever possible, reviews will be conducted with complete anonymity. Permission from the restaurants will not be secured prior. All issues of La Papillote are available online, therefore, the critiqued restaurants, along with the public, can view editions at anytime on the web.
“When you think you have succeeded, you have already failed.” Chef Paul Bocuse “For me, cooking has been a long time education. Stay focused. Find a mentor to help you become who you will be.” Daniel Boulud “[The CIA] was tremendous twenty two years ago, and it’s better today. Get knowledge here; you’re going to need it.” Jerome Bocuse For this issue in particular, I have been getting ready to graduate with my Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. These past two years have flown by, which leaves me wondering now about how that may be true for the Bachelors program as well. Congratualations Class of March 1! As always, Stay Hungry. Stephanie Kirkland CHECK OUT LA PAPILLOTE ON FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/fblapapillote
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EDITORIAL POLICY
La Papillote welcomes submissions of work from students, chefs and outside professionals. The decision to print is based on the following criteria: quality of content, value of content to our readers, quality of writing, originality, objectivity, layout, and verifiability. Besides the Editor, there are two Copy Editors who read over submitted articles. Major changes will be reported to writers before the issue goes out. However, any other changes that need to be edited close to the deadline may or may not be forwarded to writers. This is due to the fact of lack of time. It is asked for writers to trust the Editor’s decision at this point during layout. Please direct all submissions to: Stephanie M. Kirkland, Editor-In-Chief at LaPapillote@mycia.net
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the Editor may not exceed 250 words and they should be exclusive to La Papillote. In selecting letters, the editors try to present a balance of views. We reserve the right to edit for space, clarity, civility and accuracy, and will send you the edited version before publication. If your letter is selected, we will try to reach you in necessary cases to verify the letter’s authenticity, to clarify your motivation, to clarify your relation to the subject for our readers or to verify facts or sources. Letters to the Editor may be sent to LaPapillote@ mycia.net with “Letter to the Editor - For Publication” in the subject line. Please include your phone number.
Jake Hauss (Layout Editor) JH720941@ mycia.net
Dan Castro (Photographer)
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March 1, 2013
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Chapter 30: Chef Experiences BY: Chef Freddy Brash, Culinary Arts Instructor
Starting with this chapter we will share experiences from our Chefs here at the CIA.
So first is Chef Cavotti who I have had conversations with and am always left with a feeling that she is quiet, humble and super talented. For the Bocuse event all you had to do was witness that birthday cake she made with her fellow pastry chefs of the future; that talent is an understatement.
Chef Cavotti: When I was young the only thing that I wanted to do in my spare time was bake. I had a few staples that I made all the time. Of course, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies which I can still make without a recipe… and a few others. I liked to play around with the recipes to see what happened… Around the age of 12 I figured out that baking was what I wanted to do when I grew up. We had a family friend that had attended CIA and I told him when he had a restaurant I would be his pastry chef. I really wanted to go to cooking school right after high school but my parents had different ideas. They felt that it was important for me to have a bachelor’s degree. So off I went to Dennison University where I received my degree. I majored in Communications and ended up working for a small public relations firm in NYC. I worked for them for a few years when I had to follow my original idea of beinga a pastry chef. So I attended New York City Tech. This school,
although not as prestigious as CIA, had two things that were interesting to me. 1. I could work during the day allowing me to keep my apartment in the city and attend school at night and 2. They had a program where you could extern in Europe. As you can imagine, my time in Europe was wonderful. I spent 3 months working in a small restaurant in the south of France where no one really spoke English. “Okay” was their big English word... Luckily, I had taken French through high school so I could sort of converse. The restaurant was family owned and open 5.5 days a week. As the restaurant was closing up for the day and a half off everyone wondered where I was going for the weekend. Everyone stayed in the restaurant in rooms upstairs during the work week and went home on weekends. At the end of that first week I realized that I had to stay at the restaurant while everyone went away. They showed me how to use everything and light the stove with a lighter etc…. I have to admit that I was too nervous to light the stove. That day and a half off was very long. After the first weekend the dishwasher took pity on me and took me home with her for every weekend after that. They treated me as part of their family and gave me a firsthand view of local culture. I love the way that food and family are so important. The fact that many shops close midday and everyone goes home to have a meal with their family. My time in France taught me a few important lessons. 1. Everyone needs to work as a whole to get the job done. During slow times at the restaurant the whole staff would gather around the table in the back yard and peel potatoes, chef, cooks, and dishwasher, everyone together. 2. The French are very frugal. Making sure to use something to its fullest was a way of life. Parchment was reused until it fell apart. Used parchment was stacked in a pile and used first day after day. 3. Along the same lines, every edible part of something was used. One of my jobs was to help break down ducks when they came in. Marinette, the dishwasher, was in charge of the important parts and I got the innards. Everything, even the gizzards were used. I loved being in Europe so much that I didn’t want to come home and arranged to spend an additional 3 months in Venice, ( where I did not speak the language at all…) working for Harry Cipriani in his bakery/commissary. Next is Chef Cheng who I cross trained with when I was teaching Cuisines of Asia. We all know if we have experienced Chef Cheng’s class that it is taught by technique and she is a master.
The famous chicken butchering is proof of that. Chef Cheng:
When I was a student in culinary school in China, I wanted to learn how to debone a side of Pork because there was never enough to go around in class. So I asked one of my classmates if she would like to prac-
tice with me. The next morning we set out very early at 5:30 a.m. on our bikes to a local restaurant. Outside the restaurant workers were pulling down many carcasses of pork. We were elated when we saw this so we entered the kitchen; we knew some of the cooks there and starting butchering with cleavers. No boning knife in China. That day we boned out all the sides of pork by 7:00 a.m. then got on our bikes and were back at school for breakfast at 7:30. Chefs, as you can see all of us here at CIA have valuable work experiences that always steer us in the right direction in life. Stay tuned for more experiences from chefs at the CIA.
LA PAPILLOTE
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Figuring Out Umami: The Umami Information Center Presentation
BY: Jonathan Peitzman, AOS Culinary
This past February 4th, we here at The Culinary Institute were lucky enough to have a seminar presentation from The Umami Information Center in our Danny Kaye Theater. I had reserved my seat because, in all honesty, I had no idea what Umami was and my chef’s constant mentioning of it was a sign that I should find out. I had helped set up the event with several class mates and from the beginning we got the sense that this organization was detail oriented in everything from the tasting trays to their multiple handouts, each dense with information. The Umami Information Center is, “An international non-profit organization…providing accurate and beneficial information on umami to researchers, chefs, culinary professionals, students, dieticians, food journalists and the general public, the UIC desires to promote healthy and pleasant eating, and to improve the quality of life.” The three main speakers of the presentation were Dr. Kumiko Ninomiya, a director of the Umami Information Center, Mr. Motokazu Nakamura, the chef and sixth-generation owner of Isshi Souden Nakamura, and Mr. Herve Courtot, Chef de Cuisine of Nobu at the Atlantis The Palm resort in Dubai. Dr. Ninomiya concentrated her topics on the precise science of Umami as well as the identification of the taste. I will admit that at the end of the day I think I was maybe half a baby step closer to understanding; but one statement that I found to be extremely helpful is that it is the longest lasting
taste. So if you know something is known for its umami flavor you can run an experiment and let it breath a little while you chew and see what lasts. Some foods that have a strong umami flavor are Parmesan cheese, cured ham, anchovies, mushrooms and ripe tomatoes. Dr. Ninomiya explained that the umami taste is created by an amino acid glutamate and nucleotides inosinate and guanylate. What was most exciting, and what has the most potential in our times is that the use of umami creates a rounder richer flavor and has a similar culinary use to that of salt. In these times of growing dietary issues as well as a growing awareness of other issues of nutrition and diet someone could make a fortune using this flavoring technique to create delicious low-sodium options. Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Courtot both did cooking demos using umami in differing approaches. Mr. Nakamura, in the classic Japanese style presented the creation of several dashis, or broths, using kombu and bonito flakes. Ichiban dashi, which uses both kombu and bonito flakes is incredibly easy to make and the resulting broth is both delicious and versatile. You can find the recipe for dashi along with many other recipes here: www.umamiinfo.com/2011/03/how-tomake-dashi-1.php. Mr. Courtot presented umami in a more contemporary way in his creating roasted langoustine, buckwheat and tomato compote with Roquefort foam. This dish was really delicious and I can say a bit more complicated to make than
the dashi but certainly worth the time. At the end of the lecture, I could say that I learned a lot but my taste buds just needed to catch up with the information. So if you see someone sitting eating tomatoes who looks like they are thinking really hard, it is me trying to figure umami out and I would be happy to share my tomatoes with you.
Provided BY: http://www.umamiinfo.com/recipes/
One step Closer To Success By: Bret Benedict Lunsford, AOS Culinary
The closer that graduation day gets, the more I find myself thinking about what the future might hold. I think at the end of the day what everyone wants is to be successful. But what is success? And more specifically what is success in the food industry today? I remember watching different cooking shows growing up and how I began to idolize the personalities that I saw on TV. People like Ming Tsai, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, and Bobby Flay were what I thought to be the top of the culinary food chain. They were so full of knowledge and always managed to make the perfect dish. I later came to find out that through the magic of television, any disaster could be edited out and something beautiful could be presented to the viewers at home. I started caring more about shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef. I felt like those Chefs were who I wanted to be one day. What is actual success? Is it the amount of money that I make? Is it who I work for? Will being a name that most people recognize mean that I have somehow made it and that I have finally achieved success? Can success be determined by the number of restaurants a person owns or how many Michelin stars are by his or her name? I used to think I knew. So how do I feel about personal success? Before, snatching a seat on the gravy train could have meant having my own line of specialty nonstick pans in a Dillard’s in middle America or that my face was on a bag of potato chips that contain a flavor that I created (See Chicken & Waffles, Sriracha, and Cheesy Garlic Bread Frito-Lay potato chips). Things that make me feel successful in the culinary world have changed depending on what situation I was in and I feel they will continue to change for the rest of my life. When I was a cook at Sonic Drive-In, banging out twenty or so cheeseburgers at a time made me feel successful. Being on “restaurant row” at the CIA, having a great service with food that is cooked and seasoned properly can be a sense of accomplishment too. When I first got to the CIA, I knew that I wanted to be the greatest chef that has ever lived. I wanted to learn as much as I could and work as hard as I could to get there. Gaining the respect of my classmates would give me the success that I wanted. I then went into gastronomy and we
were introduced to the great Chefs of the past and present; I learned about Grant Achatz and Ferran Adria. I knew then that if I wanted to be successful I needed to take after them. I knew that constantly working with new techniques and trying to reinvent what people consider food to be would help me gain a part of their successfulness. That dream was shattered pretty quickly as I made my way through the kitchen classes. My knife cuts were train wrecks and my cloudy consommé that I made for my second term practical was proof then that I had to change my mindset of trying to reinvent the wheel. Cooking good food became important to me and I became much more focused. Success is different depending on who you are talking to. To one person, learning to make the most perfect potato leek soup can be success. While to another person having a family and a job that supports them is all that they need in order to feel successful. The more experience that I get and the more time I have to reflect on what I think success is makes my own definition change depending on what stage in life I am at. To me, at this moment, success is knowing that graduation is just around the corner. It’s knowing how much I have grown as a cook since I started here. Success is having a group of friends that I made here that I hope to keep for a lifetime. At the end of the day success for me will need to be just a couple of things. I need to have a job that I enjoy going to every day. My culinary education can not stop here. Every day, I must learn something new. I used to want to be respected by my peers in the industry. Now, I think, pumping out great food in a smaller restaurant that I own will be the definition of success for me. Some people will never enter another kitchen after graduation is over. They might want nothing to do with the restaurant industry, period. A successful life can still be had. Success can be many different things but I think for anybody it can be measured by the amount that has been learned along with a positive attitude going into work everyday eager to work harder and more efficiently than you did the day before. If the CIA has taught me anything it has been that success is something that is not handed out to us. It has to be fought for.
March 1, 2013
The Color of Success
ON CAMPUS
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BY: Irena Chalmers, Author and Mentor
We may go to “destination restaurants” just once in a lifetime. We tread in their hallowed halls with reverential awe. El Bulli was just such a paradise. It shone brightly in the exalted galaxy of gastronomy. Disciples flocked to hear the angels of Ferran Adria sing in perfect harmony. We bowed our heads, murmured our hushed Amens and departed with full hearts and empty wallets. There are “those” restaurants — and all the others... To open a new restaurant is a daunting undertaking fraught with danger and near death experiences. Everyone knows location is everything...though, of course there are exceptions to every rule and some restaurants thrive mightily in unlikely spots but even a simple neighborhood restaurant must have a long gestation period. Nine months is barely enough time to think through a cohesive strategy. The first question for a restaurateur to ponder is who lives and works nearby and who will become regular guests? Are they wheeler-dealers or bikers? Meat eaters or locavorian vegetarians? Will they be doctors and dentists or driver’s license dispensers? Are they blue-plate seekers or diners-after-dark? Are they YIS’s (Young Impoverished Students?) Or WOOFS (Well-Off-OlderPeople?) Nothing can proceed logically until a decision is made about the composition of the target market. This demographic definition will dictate the design of the space and the content of the menu. Indeed it will (or should) point the way to every effective decision from the marketing and publicity to the “voice” of the servers who may welcome a table of four hedge funders or frown upon a young couple wearing dirty sneakers and an infant on their hip. Speaking of hip, white has become the super sophisticated color of hyper COOL fine dining. Sound is hushed. White tablecloths have given way to austere bare wood surfaces that provide stark contrast with white walls and white light. Food is plated back in the kitchen — precisely — on large white plates by white- jacketed chefs and presented, formally, by bowing white-shirted servers. White is what color is not. Color was once HOT.
At La Fonda del Sol, (the long-since-closed Manhattan restaurant), fashion designers draped the waiters in ponchos, serapes, and high-heeled matador boots. In the dining room, color was used as architecture. The room’s sundrenched adobe walls set off vibrant purple and orange banquettes. Chefs tended spits and grills laden with suckling pigs, legs of lamb, sides of beef, and whole turkeys that turned slowly and aromatically over beds of glowing coals. Cauldrons of soup simmered to the beat of the marimba and mariachi bands. Big food was center stage. The atmosphere was infused with excitement and gaiety that was reflected in the advertising campaign. It featured a mustachioed hombre with eyes closed and head on the table, who made various wise-guy pronouncements such observations, as “We are not responsible for deals and bargains struck during meal periods There is to be no dancing on the tables after midnight and if you go home with someone other than the person you came with it is no fault of the management.” It has been said, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Maybe. But it works for restaurants.
Irena Chalmers is the author of Food Jobs and serves as a career mentor. Contact her at i_chalme@Culinary.Edu to make an appointment.
Have you Thanked Your RA Today? BY: James H Manley Jr., Ph.D; Director of Residential Campus Life
Hopes of a RA
If you enter my room feeling lost
On Wednesday, February 20, 2013 colleges and universities all over the nation recognized the work of Resident Assistants (RAs) as part of RA Appreciation Day. Here at The Culinary Institute of America we are fortunate to have a dedicated staff of 46 student leaders who serve in the role of RAs or SRAs (Senior Resident Assistant). These students go through an intense application process and after being hired each candidate goes through an exhaustive series of training programs to provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully fulfill their leadership responsibilities. So what do the RAs do anyway? Well I could go on and on listing all the various expectations and responsibilities that make up the day to day routine of our RAs but I think the poem below, written by Josh Feinblum, sums it up nicely:
My hope is to show you direction. If you enter my room full of tears My hope is that you will leave with a smile. If you enter my room feeling like a stranger My hope is that when you leave, We will know each other. If you enter my room full of happiness My hope is to share your excitement. If you enter my room bothered by worry My hope is that you will leave feeling at ease. If you enter my room glowing with love My hope is to share in your warmth. If you enter my room bubbling with dreams
Our RAs and SRAs are an important keystone to the success of our residence life program here at The Culinary Institute of America. Between welcoming new student move-ins 16 times a year, planning over 100 residence hall programs, answering numerous questions, resolving conflicts, and completing various administrative tasks our RAs still manage a full academic course load, become involved in other clubs and organizations on campus, and assist with a variety of special projects on campus. All of this is done as part of their efforts to make this campus a second home for all the students who live within the residence halls. So if you see any RA, please show your appreciation and thank them for a job well done.
My hope is to watch them develop for you. If you enter my room with a troubling problem My hope is that you can confide in me. If you enter my room; my hope is that we will both grow stronger.
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LA PAPILLOTE
CENTER SPREAD
Singapore Sensation
BY:Liza Kassim, AOS Culinary
The long awaited vacation back to Singapore had finally arrived. I had been counting down the days to be back to my homeland, to relive wonderful moments with family and friends, satisfy my gastronomic cravings with the range of local dishes, and lastly, to visit The Culinary Institute of America’s campus in Singapore – currently the only one in Asia.
local students performed under CIA’s fast-paced environment. According to Chef Sanson, teaching the core fundamentals and history of food act as essential foundations, especially in a country filled with varied cultures and religions. However, despite Singapore being known as Asia’s ‘melting pot’, he mentions how product and convenience can often be taken for granted, and that the students had not been exposed to a lot of the ingredients that are commonly used here, like Mexican dried chilies for example.
It all started during an interesting meet-up over coffee with Eve Felder, the managing director of CIA Singapore, who was incidentally visiting New York when we arranged to meet. When Eve had learned that I was planning to visit my hometown, she insisted that I email Chef Michael Sanson to arrange for an interview and a tour. Chef Sanson is a professor in CIA Singapore, and has been living there for 8 years now. Exploring Singapore’s CIA campus and meeting with Chef Sanson was truly enlightening, as I was able to learn the Provided BY: Liza Kassim ways in which the chefs adapt to a South East Asian palate. When asked why Singapore was chosen as the South East Asian campus for CIA over other neighboring countries also known for exotic cuisines, Chef Sanson described how Singapore acts as the perfect base because of its rich history of food and diverse culture. More importantly, the country’s high standard of education combines the key aspects to make a perfect fit for CIA’s degree program.
“Fresh product is a challenge in Singapore, being an island nation with limited space, everything is imported and priced high,” Chef Sanson describes, when addressing the potentials and challenges of Singapore’s culinary field. “However with the recent opening of high profile casinos, hotels and restaurants, there is an increasing demand from top chefs for better regionally produced product.”
Established in 2007 and located in the Eastern side of Singapore, CIA’s modern white structure is strategically placed beside one of the country’s prominent polytechnics, as the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree is only offered to diploma candidates from that institution. Although the campus is relatively small compared to Hyde Park’s, Chef Sanson explains that all campuses strive to provide the same key-learning curriculum, though the institution does adapt its recipes to fit the location and products available. It was interesting to see how well the
The interview ended with a lighthearted chat on Singapore cuisine. “Street food or Hawker food is a way of life passed down in generations,” Chef Sanson remarks. “It is also a way of life keeping tradition alive and creating a common place for all cultures to eat and converse in a common location.” When asked what his favorite local dish in Singapore was, Chef Sanson responded with “a hot plate of fried char kway teow noodles washed down with freshly squeezed sugarcane juice – all for $3”.
...And They All Sang Bocuse BY: Jeremy Soloman, AOS Culinary
I sat in the back row of the Wine Spectator Classroom. President Ryan conducted the media briefing for the lucky Bocuse diners who anxiously awaited their meals. As I jotted down notes I realized that I was writing about a media briefing and the construction of a highly anticipated restaurant (which is great)... but It didn’t hit me until the end that I knew what my angle for this article would really be. As the meeting had been adjourned all those that sat in front of me stood up, turned around, and faced me with their pristine legible nametags. Suddenly, I was standing in a wine room of food writer luminaries. Among them, Gail Greene- The Insatiable Food Critic, Bill Buford - Author of Heat, and Florence Fabricant - Food Critic / NYTimes; all began to make their way to the exits. Quickly, I dashed for the door to tap Bill Buford on his shoulder. He informed me that for the last few years he’s been living in Lyon, France, home to the famous Bocuse D’Or and Chef Bocuse himself. He said “ So, it was only imperative I attend”. And then it came to me... It was truly remarkable that not only chefs from all corners of the world had come to appear for the matter of Bo-
cuse but so did the culinary community. Writers young and old were there to praise the Chef himself. No matter how large one might envision the world of food, it’s perplexing how we all can come together around the same table (or multiple in the Bocuse dinning room). It’s inspiring that the Bocuse is both a full-service operation and a classroom that merges old with the new. You can find the wine list on an iPad, or make a reservation on the Open-Table system. The kitchen is equipped with sous-vide machines, pressure kettles, and a plancha. But, no matter how “high-tech” it gets, the Bocuse restaurant will forever be a meeting place of the new and the old. A place for epicures, gourmands and chefs alike to meet, talk and inspire. Bocuse stands for everything that is to come. The next great chefs, cooks, writers, stylists, photographers, and authors. Just like the CIA itself, Bocuse is the fond to our sauce and our foundation in which inspirations for new ideas, inventions and dreams will come from. I can only foresee exciting things coming from this restaurant and from the students who will pass through its kitchen.
Photo by Phil Mansfield/ The CIA
March 1, 2013
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Bocuse Restaurant Grand OpeningWine Pairings BY: Ryan Woolley AOS Culinary
To preface this article, I want to say what an honor it was to be involved in an event such as this during my last class at The Culinary Institute of America. I had a gentleman approach me that night just after Chef Bocuse said thank you and goodnight to all that attended and planned the grand opening; he said, “Remember this night as a very significant and rare gathering in the culinary world that may never happen again”. I paused for a second to look around the dining room and notice that every guest was a major figure in the hospitality and restaurant industry, at the absolute top of the spectrum in each category. All I could think is that when we, as prospective students, enroll here we imagine this type of a grandiose event, with just a chance to be in the same place as a handful of these people at a time. I was fortunate enough to be in a room with all of them at once, and even more fortunate to be able to serve them with the classmates I have grown to know over the last year and a half of school. It is a memory I will hold on to throughout my career, and I am sure that everyone else involved in opening the restaurant will as well. Below is a general description of the dishes that were served during the commemoration dinner on February 15th, as well as the wines that were paired with each course. A Peach of Foie Gras String Beans, Shallots, Tomato, Walnut Oil Gewürztraminer, Albert Mann 2011
Meat fruit is a traditional dish that originates from the Alsace region of France. Alsace is a region known for its heavy cuisine, mainly its choucroute and numerous varieties of sausage. Alsatian wine is highlighted by its Gewürztraminer and Riesling, which are heavier expressions of these traditionally light bodied grapes. The Albert Mann displays typicity of a Gewürztraminer in its fruit forward aromas, minerality and slight effervescent. Gewürztraminer is a great pairing with the meat fruit, as it is one of the noble wines of Alsace. For a white wine, Alsatian Gewürztraminer is able to stand next to the foie gras in power, while also having the acidity and cleansing ability to contrast the fattiness of the dish.
Black Truffle Soup V.G.E. Elysee Beef Broth, Root Vegetables, Black Truffles, Puff Pastry Condrieu, E.Guigal , Rhone 2010
Possibly the dish most associated with Paul Bocuse is the Black Truffle Soup, conceptualized as a course for Chef Bocuse’s reception of the Legion of Honor from Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the president of France at the time. To pair, Condrieu was selected, a Northern Rhone Valley white composed mostly of Vioginier. Aromas expressed by the Condrieu are peach, citrus and honey, with a strong floral taste and slight oak in the finish. Condrieu does well to stand up to the power of the Truffle Soup while still allowing the soup to be the highlight of the course. Lobster with Champagne and Caviar Brussel Sprout Leaves, New Sorrel, Cucumbers “Les Clos”, Grand Cru, Domaine C. Moreau Pere et Fils, Chablis 2007 The fish course of the evening featured a beurre blanc poached lobster paired with caviar and Champagne. Matched with the lobster was an excellent Chablis from the Burgundy region of France. Chablis is composed of Chardonnay grapes and is aged in stainless steel vats as opposed to barriques. On the nose, Chablis has very sharp citrus and stone fruit qualities, with strong acidity. The acidity of the wine does well to contrast the natural sweetness of the lobster meat, as well as cut through the fat of the beurre blanc that it was poached in. This wine is my personal favorite on the wine list that is available daily in the restaurant. Filet Mignon of Beef with Marrow Marrow Custard, Wild Mushrooms, Red Wine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, “Tradition”, Chateau Fortia, Rhone 2009 The main course was a traditional yet refined offering of DeBragga Beef Filet Mignon, wild mushrooms and a red wine sauce, almost a version of a Bordelaise style dish. The
wine pairing was a Southern Rhone classic, Chateaneuf-duPape. Chateauneuf-du-Pape has a very earthy character to it, with strong aromas of leather, cardamom and black fruits. The medium body of the wine along with its earth qualities pair very well with the wild mushrooms, as well as the beef and red wine sauce. This wine in particular was seemingly one of Chef Bocuse’s favorites of the evening, as well as the rest of the guests in attendance. Three Chocolates Passion Fruit, Orange, Hazelnut, Sea Salt Banyuls, Vin Doux Naturel, M. Chapoutier, Languedoc-Roussillon 2009 Dessert featured a classic pairing between chocolate and Banyuls dessert wine. Often compared with Port in its tasting qualities, this Banyuls exhibits strong aromas of plum and berry jams, with a full bodied yet balanced mouth feel. Chocolate pairs very well with the Banyuls as it is able to complement its intensity while also lending preserved fruit aromas and flavors as a back drop to the flavors found in chocolate. Mignardise Cannelle de Bordeaux, Beignets, Madeleines, Caramel Chocolates, Strawberry Balsamic Chocolates Chateau de Laubade, Armagnac Millesime 1926 In celebration of Paul Bocuse’s 87th birthday, a bottle of rare Armagnac brandy bearing his birth year was served as a pairing with the mignardise. Chateau de Laubade is located in the Bas Armagnac, the western portion of the appellation, known for producing some the most complex and uniquely flavored brandies in the region. Due to the rarity of the bottles, the guests were each poured a half-ounce tasting portion of the Armagnac, plenty to appreciate the bountiful aromas present in such an aged vintage. Brought to the tables where a collection of Chef Weber’s mignardise, treats that are normally found under the Small Desserts section of the dessert menu in the Bocuse.
And a Thank You from President Ryan...
Continued from page 1
Pastry Chef Stephane Weber was working cleanly and efficiently as he finished off tiny little silhouettes of Paul Bocuse that had been made out of a thin almond cookie batter. They looked perfect. All of the Chefs had worked very hard on developing the dishes and menus prior to the grand opening dinner. Now all they had to do was execute. “Preparation is everything” I thought. Out in the dining room, Phil Papineau, Doug Miller, John Fischer and their students were calmly and professionally going about their business. Not only did they have to serve a room full of dignitaries that night, but Jerome Bocuse had told us that he needed to have his father on a private plane at the Dutchess Country Airport by 8:45. That would give us about 2 hours to serve six courses, seven wines, and a special Armagnac from 1926, Chef Bocuse’s birth year, to our VIP guests. The knot in my stomach tightened at the thought. That was a lot to ask of the staff at Per Se, let alone a class of students, but Phil, Doug, and John seemed to have everything under control, so I moved on. They too had worked very hard on developing new tableside preparations, special drinks, and innovative service protocols during the
development of The Bocuse Restaurant, and I knew that they were up to the task. I hoped the students were. Everywhere I went on Friday, I encountered CIA people at their very best. As a result, our faculty, staff and students put on a display of hospitality, excellence, and pride that demonstrated why we are “The World’s Premier Culinary College.” Some of you, like the faculty in the restaurant, were more intimately involved in the high profile events like the grand opening dinner, but all of you, from the people mopping stairs to the electricians who restored power to the SRC after we blew a fuse in the morning, made a real difference on Friday [15]. It is not every day that we open a new restaurant at the CIA, and when we do---there are large stakes. The industry has high expectations of us, and there are also many who would love the chance to dismiss our efforts with the old adage “Those that can’t do---teach.” Happily, our team executed the grand opening meal with skill and precision. The Chefs in attendance were all very impressed by the menu concept and how well prepared everything was. In closing, I want to tell you just a few more details from
Friday that underscore how important it is for us to do new and innovative things well, and how people pay attention to what we do. When Jean-Georges Vongerichten arrived, we hugged and exchanged pleasantries. Following that, JeanGeorges said, “I want to see the liquid nitrogen ice cream carts. Everyone is talking about them.” Another innovative touch we developed for the restaurant are conversation starter cards we put on each table. We call them “Amuse” which means fun in French, and they are intended to help people have a better time. Following the grand opening dinner, both Thomas Keller and Tim Zagat pocketed a whole set of the cards. Both asked me if they could, of course. They thought it was a great idea. Following the meal, Daniel Boulud told me, “This is a great day for French cuisine.” My favorite memory from Friday, however, happened when I was heading up the hill to Roth Hall following the panel discussion. As I walked, I encountered student after student who went out of their way to tell me what a wonderful day they had, and how much it meant to them to get to see and hear from Paul Bocuse and the other great chefs. One young man went so far as to say that it was life changing--- and it very well may be. That’s what we do here. That is why what
hef Reon
LA PAPILLOTE
8
Exploring the Thriving Local Dining Scene:
Hudson Valley Restaurant Week
BY: Marissa Sertich, Alumna, Assistant Editor,The Valley Table Budgets, time and transportation – as much as we’d love to dine out every day, enjoy bottles of wine with every meal and indulge extravagant desserts, there are tragic limitations
to where and how often we can “play the customer.” While cooks, culinary students, chefs, managers and the other members of the kitchen club often have a greater (verging in cultish) appreciation for restaurants like Le Cirque, WD 50 and Per Se, we rarely ever have the funds or time to eat at those destinations. Yet, eating great food is an important aspect of becoming a better cook – so, what’s a young cook to do? On the local level, The Valley Table Magazine is hosting its eighth Hudson Valley Restaurant Week from March 11 to 24. Restaurants such a Gigi’s Trattoria in Rhinebeck, Brasserie 292 in Poughkeepsie, and The Roundhouse in Beacon will be participating in the event - a fantastic opportunity for students to network with local CIA alum and restaurant owners, enjoy three-course prix-fixe dinners for $29.95, or lunches for $29.95, and explore a sampling of nearby restaurants. Brandon Collins, CIA alum (2001) and Executive Chef at The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls encourages students to take advantage of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. “It’s a cool thing to utilize to be able to go to numerous restaurants,” he states, “Especially in this industry, it’s important to partake
in restaurants you normally wouldn’t get to go to. You have to see what’s happening in the rest of the industry.” While traveling to New York City to dine is undoubtedly important, Collins emphasizes the benefits of exploring the CIA’s own backyard. “We’re starting to see some big name chefs opening restaurants farther and farther north into the Valley.” Collins adds, “The pedigree of chefs in the Valley is really very good.” In addition to sampling the offerings of great chefs, there are many local ingredients and products that students can have the opportunity to taste during Restaurant Week. “Chefs can work with ingredients from right out of the back yard of the Hudson Valley,” says Chef Collins. Locally roasted coffee from Irving Farm, Coach Farm Cheese, and Millbrook Wine are just a few. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is an opportunity for students to experience the thriving local dining scene. From meeting innovative chefs to tasting locally sourced ingredients and products, students can get off-campus, work within their budget, and see what’s happening in the Hudson Valley. For a complete listing of participating restaurants visit hvrw.com
Eyster.) Or the quirky and ecstatic waitress in an empty bistro in Paris, who not only “up sells” the chef’s menu, but evokes comforting emotions from a lonesome diner. There’s plenty more about FOOD ACTS than just comedy and sex. With having recently finished Intro to Gastronomy, I learned political and anthropological events
of the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” FOOD ACTS suggests an alternate perspective in the idea that food is simply a dish on a plate. The play didn’t halt from there. Modern times come to the light in FOOD ACTS. In the Anthony Bourdain act, they recreate the hectic close quartered environment of a busy line, where personalities clash and temperatures literally heat up the tension in the kitchen. It was surely something I can relate with in my Culinary Fundamentals class. Even the Bible appears as a reference in FOOD ACTS. A memorable act was taken directly from The Book of Genesis. As one might remember the story of creation, Eve (portrayed by Jaclyn Mitgang) is tempted by a serpent (performed by Antonio Edwards) to take fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Rather than feeling guilty from her innate self-conscience, she feels liberated and invites Adam to join her in this bountiful feast. The New Testament had a stint on the play too: you know the one where Jesus breaks bread and wine for his disciples during the Last Supper? FOOD ACTS reminds us how food is compassion, enduring, and over all life. “Food is life,” states the Culinary Institute of America. It surrounds everyone and encompasses all human emotions. It drives the very core of existence. It is a hot meal shared with a loved one. It evokes past memories as written about a certain Madeline by Marcel Proust. It ends quarrels, even with relatives. You can find it all in FOOD ACTS: a ticket to food paradise.
Ticket to Food Paradise: Food Acts at the Lion Theater BY: Francis Maling , AOS Culinary
Take classical literary works by the likes of Chaucer, George Orwell, Homer, Dante, add some memorable quotes from chefs, restaurateurs, and glorified gourmands, mix it up with great talent and production, and you’ve got a recipe for a great stage play! FOOD ACTS, presented by the JEUX DE MOTS trans.WORDPLAY, takes the audience on a culinary journey on stage at The Lion Theatre in New York City. FOOD ACTS, is a 90-minute, no intermission production that dramatizes the universal essence of food through several acts: its sustenance and significance as a basic human need, its power of common commensality, cultural, religious, and historical symbolism and much more. Since its opening performance on February 6th, FOOD ACTS has been captivating the audience with poetic nourishment and tantalizing conviction that entices the mind and appetite. Though there isn’t any food actually present on stage, one can almost feel being in the presence of Brillat-Savarin with his “Rules on Dining” or Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dillemma. As a culinary student and self proclaimed foodie, I was absolutely enthralled with the familiar references throughout the play. FOOD ACTS examines the human affinity with food past and present. Food can be the focal point of a meal, or the accompanying factor for situations like finding a life partner over dinner with friends during the discovery of similar preference for hot cream. One act depicted a manic chef that gets a masochistic euphoria after prepping, scaling, and filleting the catch of the day (performed by the lovely Gwen
that surrounded food and its evolution through time. FOOD ACTS proposes several questions about morals in food. Ralph Emerson discusses the slaughtering of pigs and their haunting squeals that remain as its butcher mercilessly cut them open. Another inquiry during a transition considers the words of the wise Mahatma Ghandi, “There are people
Photo of The Cast Provided BY: Off Off PR
March 1, 2013
FOOD & BEVERAGE
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Wine and Global Warming BY: Steven Kolpan, Professor, Wine Studies
“A poet once said, ‘The whole universe is in a glass of wine.’ We will probably never know in what sense he meant that, for poets do not write to be understood. But it is true that if we look at a glass of wine closely enough we see the entire universe. There are the things of physics: the twisting liquid which evaporates depending on the wind and weather, the reflections in the glass, and our imagination adds the atoms. The glass is a distillation of the earth’s rocks, and in its composition we see the secrets of the universe’s age, and the evolution of stars.” -Richard P. Feynman, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume 1 Why does Chardonnay produced from grapes grown in the Hudson Valley taste different from Chardonnay that hails from the Napa Valley, and why does that Chardonnay taste different from a Chardonnay whose home is in Burgundy, France? You will always boil down to two basics: soil and climate. Sure, any skilled winemaker can elaborate a wine with a bag of tricks – new oak barrels, malolactic fermentation (changing harsh green acids to smooth, creamy ones), controlling alcohol, tannin, and acidity levels in the finished wine – up or down – and use advanced technology to make oak chips taste like the real thing before bottling, so that a young wine tastes like a mature wine within three years instead of ten. I could proffer a laundry list of high-tech approaches to winemaking – including computerized robot wineries - that would stun most wine lovers. But ask anyone in the world who spends his or her life in the wine business and all of them would agree that great wine is made in the vineyard, not the winery. Just as in cooking, if you start with near-perfect, in-season, local ingredients and then employ the most basic skills in the kitchen, you are likely
to create a delicious meal. If, on the other hand, you start with inferior ingredients the most talented chef in the world will produce a mediocre meal. The irony is that when you cook with great ingredients, you have to use restraint in the kitchen to highlight the flavors, textures, aromas, and colors of the food – kind of non-interventionist cooking. Alternately, when you cook with mediocre ingredients you have to work so hard to mask the flavors that the finished dish, while perhaps a great creative statement, just doesn’t taste that good. The same is true in winemaking. When it comes to quality wines, the familiar words “winemaker” and “winemaking” are insufficient. In fact, there is no word for “winemaker” in France, Italy, or Spain, among other countries. We should think of these artisans as “winegrowers,” whose activity is “winegrowing.” Why? Because the fact is that when you produce fine wines, the traditional role of winemaker is tossed out the window. The person who ends up making fine wine spends at least as much time in vineyards as he or she does in the winery, making sure that the grapes are healthy, and picked only under the most ideal conditions. At the same time, the winegrower must respect the soil that gives life to the vine and understands that the climate (or more accurately, the climates, as vineyards have their own microclimates), a quality criterion that is beyond the control of the winegrower, must cooperate each year in order to create a great vintage. Employing best practices in the vineyard is a universal constant if the winegrower wants to produce a memorable wine, and is a given as part of the wine life cycle. But those practices will differ based on what the French call terroir, a term that referring to climate and sun exposure in the vineyard, even to the traditions of the winegrower, but most importantly to the soil. As the famous French vigneron (winegrower), Jacques Seysses, proprietor of Domaine Dujac, said when asked what were the most important quality issues that allowed him to produce such exquisite red Burgundy wines (100% Pinot Noir), he answered that “There are three very important things that make our wines great. They are the soil, the soil, and the soil.” Jacques Seysses’ statement was more like the answer to a Zen koan, a metaphorical slap across the face meant to enlighten us. Of course, he was right. Domaine Dujac, located in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, produces extraordinary Pinot Noir, but so does Domaine Drouhin, located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Look at a map: Oregon is on the same latitude as Burgundy; the climate is similar. Keep looking: Long Island is on the same latitude as Bordeaux. Both regions are strongly influenced by the currents and immediate proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, and both produce classic examples of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Noir from Burgundy, Pinot Noir from Oregon. Cabernet from Bordeaux, Cabernet from Long Island. Why do these wines taste so extraordinarily different when they’re made from the same grape types? Extreme differences in soils, small differences in climate.
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The irony about the best soils for growing grapes for wine is this: the rockiest soils, the least fertile soils, the soils that cannot support so many other crops are often the best soils for wine. Rocky soils rich in limestone, as in Burgundy, or soils filled with fine gravel (Bordeaux), or soils built from the animal and plant life of receding oceans and alluvial fans (the Napa Valley), or soils comprised largely of glacial deposits (the Hudson Valley), all are near-ideal for growing wine grapes. These soils drain easily, don’t hold water at the roots of the vine, and so don’t create conditions that will dilute flavors. The rich, fertile soils of say, California’s Central Valley are too productive, too rich, too vigorous, and produce too many grapes. Low yields (normally less than three tons of fruit per acre) are what is required to create truly fine wines. Perfect wine grapes are all about quality – low yields of small berries with a high skin to pulp ratio to create ripe tannins in fine wines - not quantity – high yields of bulbous, waterlogged grapes that should end up on our table, not in our glass. While it is true that the vine needs the warmth provided by sunshine to ripen properly, the best wines are made from grapes grown “on the margin,” that is in cooler regions where it’s just barely warm enough to ripen the fruit. The reason? Cool climate conditions grant the grapes a healthy dose of acidity, the refreshing, citrus-or-green fruit-sour flavors that make a wine interesting, even compelling. It is that refreshing acidity that makes our mouth water, and encourages us to have another bite of food, another sip of wine. Wine grapes that grow in warmer climates obviously have no trouble ripening, but their lack of acidity can translate into a flat, flabby uninteresting wine. Also, in hot climates where the grapes border on or jump over the precipice to become over-ripe, the finished wine might be an alcohol bomb, because high amounts of sugar caused by over-ripeness translates into high amounts of alcohol during fermentation of the grape juice. But try drinking a second glass of an Australian Shiraz or Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, each clocking in at more than 14.5% alcohol, without getting dizzy, sleepy, or stupid (Note: Last week I tasted a delicious 1985 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol: 12%, which is unheard of in any Napa Cabs since about 1990). Soil is a finite resource, and Nature just isn’t making any new earth anytime soon. In order to preserve our soils, land management has become a global public policy issue. Countries that are members of the European Union must agree to a policy that does not allow the creation of any new vineyards. For example, if a winegrower in Spain wants to plant a vineyard, that vineyard must be planted on ground that is already a vineyard, or was a vineyard in the past. Even in the Napa Valley, a place that has become a monoculture for wine grapes, there is a moratorium on the creation of new wineries, but not new vineyards, at least not yet. In the Hudson Valley, especially the “Lower Valley,” an inconvenient truth is that much of our best farm land, including soils suited to grape growing, has become residential land. Our beautiful countryside has changed character in less than a generation: rural to exurbia to creeping suburbia. Still, the wine world is currently riding the crest of a very popular and profitable wave. And as of 2012, the United States is the #1 consumer of wine, the most important wine market on the planet, eclipsing the traditional wine cultures of Europe. The world stage is set for the continuing and expanded production of premium wines, some driven by consumer demand (e.g., [yellow tail]™), some driven by terroir (e.g., Domaine Dujac). It’s a rosy picture for both wine producer and wine consumer, except for one over-riding, inevitable, and now basically inalterable imperative: global warming. Like most of us, part of me believes that the current and future castastrophic events caused by global warming are far more serious than whether or not we are able to drink the world’s best wines. But a closer reading of the situation reveals that wine grapes are a reliable bellwether – the canary in the coal mine – for all crops, for all farming. Wine grapes are uniquely sensitive to climatic shifts, and even now global warming is impacting the wines we drink on an everyday basis. Continued on page 12
LA PAPILLOTE
10
Graduation Speaker Fritz Sonnenschmidt, CMC, AAC After 34 years with The Culinary Institute of America, Frederic “Fritz” Sonnenschmidt retired as culinary dean of the college in May 2002. As one of the three longest-serving faculty members in the history of the college, Chef Sonnen-
STUDENT
Welcome Back Returning Externs!
Hyeonsoo Kim Eduardo Garcia Rebeca Lima Lily Sutch Spencer Relitz Bryana Askew Owen Wyatt Taeho Kim Kevin Krejsa Danielle Davenport Zachary Shupe Matthew Giannetti Nicole Francisco Zachary Kazarian Colin Williams Chidong Kim David Blackburn Sarah Brumfield Joshua Fine Lucas Maloney Aurele Berdoz Rachel Johnston Bryce Bonsack Woo Shin Cho Emre Isler Alex Swecker Jerry Duff Jonathan Milan Nayeon Kim Jin Seo Lee Amy Chicavich Jarret Hoffman Ryan Teleha Stephanie Scott Jason Hsu Sebastian Vargas Karsten Spieth James Shum Tyler Guerriero Regina Ardura Henderson Wong David Murray Shawna Plunkett Jeffrey Cawley Daniel Clayton-Luce Katherine Speck Leah Gore Alfred Nebiar Jessica Polchinsky Harrison Kantor Evan Burstein Daniel Medina Daniel Wood Natalie Schott Lottaya Palmer
SITE NAME
A Voce ABC Kitchen Bar Boulud Bertrand at Mr A’s Blue Apron Boston Dining Services Bouchon Bouley Coi Colonial Williamsburg Commanders Palace Crystal Springs Resort db Bistro Moderne Eleven Madison Park Fearrington House Gotham Bar and Grill Greenbrier Resort Herbsaint Iron Hill Brewery Island Creek Oyster Bar JW Marriott Desert Ridge JW Marriott Grand Lakes Kyma La Silhouette L’Espalier Little Nell Mark’s American Cuisine Matt’s on the Market Modern Modern Ocean House Ocena House Omni Hotel Champion’s One Market Restaurant One Restaurant Osteria Francescana Penne Restaurant Per se PGA National Devonshire Restaurant Akelarre Restaurant Daniel Robert Morris Inn Roy’s Sea Island Tavern at Beekman Arms The Girl and the Fig The Greenhouse The Nomad Top of the World Via Mizner Golf Volt WDW-Artist Point WDW-Brown Derby WDW-Tony’s Woodfield CC
STATE
NY NY NY CA VA MA CA NY CA VA LA NJ NY NY NC NY WV LA PA MA AZ FL GA NY MA CO TX WA NY NY RI RI FL CA Italy PA NY FL Spain NY MD CA GA NY CA SAfrica NY NY FL MD FL FL FL FL
schmidt was named heritage professor in 2006. This honor was in recognition of his dedicated service to CIA students and his pioneering role in the college’s move to Hyde Park, NY from its original home in New Haven, CT. Chef Sonnenschmidt continues to serve the CIA as one of a handful of retired faculty members who represent the college at “Teaching with the CIA” days around the United States, where the chefs talk with high school students interested in a future in the foodservice and hospitality field. During his tenure at the CIA, Chef Sonnenschmidt served in many capacities, including chef-instructor; department chair for garde manger, meat operation, and first-year cooking; and associate director of continuing education. As culinary dean, he worked with both the student body and the faculty to enhance the professional development of students at the college. Chef Sonnenschmidt was also involved in the Gourmet Society, a student club he founded upon his arrival at the CIA in 1968. A native of Germany, Fritz Sonnenschmidt is a Certified Master Chef (CMC), the highest certification bestowed by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Before coming to the United States, he attended hotel business school
AOS Graduating Class of March 1, 2013 Baking and Pastry Kelly McClure Nanette M. Colon Sumedha Jain Danielle Daly Amanda Wing Marisa Negro Heather Reya Stephanie Cotten Monica Petrone Courtney Schubert
STUDENT
Bernier Lovell Benjamin Denaro Sinegal Ong Moser Sliger Faulkner Kesari Hosking Song Kinney
STATE SITE NAME Ahwahnee CA Bern’s Steak House FL Castle on the Hudson NY DBGB NY Four Seasons Philadelphia PA Kingsmill VA Macrina Bakery WA Marriott Horseshoe Bay TX Monroe Golf Club NY Ron Ben Isreal Cakes NY Sea Island GA Sterling Affair NJ WDW-Food & Wine FL
Kathy Keller Jennifer Hart Patrica Paxson Denez Moss Enrique Wangeman Amber Carnasquillo Alyssa Leto Britt Boman Jacqueline Campolarejo Jesse Jackson III
Culinary Arts Group #1 Ricardo Pina Michael Baldwin Mayra Bello Kaylah Sue Cowan Michael Farina Jordan Lerman Sara Molusky
Shannon Martineic Sterling Reynolds Matt Calidona Mark Wenke David Mandery Anthony Fedorka Reuben Bhate
Culinary Arts Group #2 Ryan Wooley Anna Theoktisto Joy Gerardi Stephanie Kirkland Neal Murakami Edward Russo Jinyoung Chung Donald Worelns
Baking and Pastry Group Andrea Patrice Victoria Christine Maia Kristine Garson Stacia Nicole Kanupriya Amy Keum Kayla
and served an apprenticeship in his native land. In 1952, Chef Sonnenschmidt took his first job at Restaurant Rolandseck in Munich. In 1955, he was named commis de cuisine at the famous Bayerischer Hof, also in Munich. In addition, Chef Sonnenschmidt served as chef de partie at the Piccadilly Hotel and the Grosvenor Hotel in London, England. His first job in the United States was sous chef at the Eldorado Shore and Yacht Club in New Rochelle, NY. Prior to joining the CIA faculty, Chef Sonnenschmidt was executive chef for Sheraton Hotels in New York City. A member of more than a dozen gourmet and chef’s societies, Chef Sonnenschmidt is a 2005 inductee into the Hall of Fame of the American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the ACF’s honor society. He has earned numerous accolades, including being named 1994 ACF Chef of the Year. As a member of the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team, he won gold medals at the International Culinary Competition in Frankfurt, Germany in 1976, 1984, and 1988. Chef Sonnenschmidt is co-author of The Professional Chef’s Art of Garde Manger and Dining with Sherlock Holmes.
Culinary Arts Group #3 Marissa Pompa Lydia Muh Emilia Montoya Chris Kelly Kimberly Greco Karen Wasserman Melissa Gray Andres Talavera-Reed Bora Kang
Lindsey Busaglio Tanya Alvarez Pendray Winkleman Max Goldberg Christina Brown Rory Keyes Aey Iamkrasin Luis Bustamante
Emily Rama Anthony Fiore III Matthew Grunwald Jonmorgan Smith Erasmo Rocha Austin Egan Sarah Whieberona
POT LUCK
March 1, 2013
11
How to Ensure you get to chew at The Chew
BY: Michael Brothers, BPS Culinary
Ask any CIA student what they do on the weekend and the answers are almost always the same. Drink, eat, sleep, maybe do homework; a very boring lifestyle that drags down the insane lifestyle we live in kitchens and bakeshops. So when I got invited to go to a taping of The Chew in New York City by Harrison Kantor how could I turn him down? I figured we would go to the city, sit in the audience, and then explore for a few hours before heading back to campus. We left campus at five in the morning the day after the Super Bowl-- I think we were both still very partied-out-- and hopped on the train to the city. After a nice two-hour nap we were in Grand Central Terminal. A stop at Zaro’s and a good bagel for each of us later, a taxi took us to the very unassuming ABC studios at 30 W67th Street where we had to wait out in the frigid cold for an hour or so. They demand that you are in line an hour before the taping is set to start so they can properly send everyone in a logical pattern through all of their security measures. When the line started to flow you could feel the anticipation in the air, even through the cold and somewhat soothing smell of New York City air. Finally a very sprightly young woman and her lanky partner came into the room where we, and other members of the audience were standing, and started asking us to be organized based on the number or color of our ticket. First went blue, then pink, then green, and lastly by numbers, 1-20, 2140. Harrison and I were 23 and 24. When we were allowed into the studio you were smacked with bright colors and loud music. A very different atmosphere than the bright white room we just left. The set looked much different than I had expected. It was smaller, more intimate and kind-of cozy feeling. There were enough seats for about 150 audience members plus the tasting panel of 10. We were instructed to sit in the very back row in between two couples. As more and more people started to pour in we noticed that no one was being sat at the tasting panel. Like two children waiting for Santa to come on
Christmas Eve we began inching closer to the edges of our seats. We saw the producers talking amongst themselves as to who they were going to pick to sit there. Two culinary students sitting within feet of some of the best celebrity Chefs, who wouldn’t want that opportunity? While watching the 40 or so crew work all over the set to make sure all of the mise-en-place was set I noticed Gordon Elliot come out. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, like a fourteen-year-old girl looking at Channing Tatum, all sounds and thoughts left my mind. It wasn’t until Harrison smacked me to say, “Hey look, its Michael Symon!” that I was able to break my trance. Chef Symon came out right into the audience to welcome us all and thanked us for being there. When he looked at us and asked if we skipped school or something, we told him we were CIA students. Harrison asked him if we could sit in the tasting panel, half jokingly, and Chef said of course. As we got up the “bouncer walked over and told us to sit down, then yelled at Chef Symon saying he’s just a meaningless host and he couldn’t make those decisions. A little hurt we sat back down in our seats, but were still excited to be on the show. Finally the producers came out and started picking people from the audience to sit on the tasting panel when one of them pointed to us. Right after we got seated on the panel Michael Symon came over and said, “See it’s always important to speak up, you never know where it can get you.” Right away he broke into one of his iconic laughs and continued to chat with us. Carla Hall, Mario Batali, Clinton Kelly, and Daphne Oz come out on stage as well. Clinton and Daphne struck me as off putting right away. They never came to the audience to talk or even acknowledged our existence. Chef Symon brought Chef Batali over to us and they were both talking to us while Carla started to dance with people behind us. The set was abuzz with commotion, and it was clear they were going to start soon. As Chefs Batali and Symon left to check on their mise, Carla came dancing her way through our row and I started to dance in my seat. She saw this and
stopped to dance with me for a few minutes; she has moves that would kill a man. Right before the taping started a crew member came over to ask me to take off my sweatshirt because the colors would not work, so I obliged. Carla saw this and came over to insinuate that I am taking it off because she makes me too hot. It was a good laugh. The show started and we found out the episode was called Simple, Special, Spectacular. They were taking something simple (flank steak or hot pockets) and teaching how to elevate them to special, and finally spectacular. Mario made Asian flank steak, which was made special by making lettuce cups with kim-chee, and to finally make it spectacular he made it into steam buns with gulf shrimp. All of us were given a steam bun but unfortunately the steak was very overcooked. Mario noticed this immediately and told us not to worry, that he would take care of us. Right after his segment he gave us some of his steak which was perfectly medium rare and very tasty. When the film started rolling in the second segment, Michal Symon made delicious Short rib, Mushroom, Onion, and Gruyere “Hot Pockets”. The simple version was just the onions and cheese, special with the addition of mushrooms, and spectacular with the left over short ribs. The crust was buttery and slightly salty, the filling was meaty and well rounded. As the show came to a close we were told not to go anywhere because they still had to do a segment that was going to go online. This final segment was the first time on the show that nothing was scripted and the hosts could be themselves. Daphne got the brunt of the jokes and torture for being all scientific. All in all I would say it more than blew my expectations out of the water. Most of the hosts were so friendly and welcoming, Gordon was awe inspiring, and I felt welcomed. It’s an experience I would love to have again and again, anyone down for next week?
Earn $6,000 Toward
Your BPS Tuition by Being an Admissions Seasonal Demonstrator
HYDE PARK, NY – The Admissions Office at the Culinary Institute of America is looking for qualified candidates to perform cooking demonstrations, give admissions presentations and share CIA experiences with prospective students at high schools across the country. Students who graduate from the AOS program on or before August 16, 2013 and are willing to start their junior year of the BPS program no earlier than January 21, 2014 are eligible. The demonstrator will gain valuable experience preparing and conducting its own demos, while working with prospective CIA students and culinary educators. Plus, the demonstrator is getting paid and includes meal and travel expenses and $6,000 toward BPS tuition. To apply, go to ciachef.edu and click on Jobs at the CIA. Learn more about this terrific opportunity on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 from 7–9 p.m. in the Ecolab Theatre, Admissions Building. Contact: Jason Yander, Assistant Director of Admissions j_yander@culinary.edu (570) 499-9399
BY: Amy Zarichnak, AOS Culinary I am a new student. I am a non-traditional student. I mean, I am an adult student. I am a returning adult learner. I am, oh, er, just forget it. I’m 41 years old and I just returned to school full time. One would think that it wouldn’t, or shouldn’t be so hard to define or describe, but I find that when I say I’m new to the area, or that I’m a student, people cock their head at me slightly, give me a once-over as a wry smile passes their lips, and they decide it’s impolite to ask. Well, you don’t have to ask. I’m telling you. After graduating from Penn State with a degree in communications in 1993 and after an illustrious, but not particularly happy, career in marketing and sales over the past 20 years, I have decided to return to school to do something I love. I would also love to tell you that this was a purposeful decision, one made and painstakingly executed with careful attention to detail and planning, to ensure that I arrive on campus ready to buckle down and absorb everything that this school has to offer. Except that into addition to this being real life, this is my life, and in my life things never go quite so smoothly or happen with such ease. The truth is I pretty much stumbled here and reached campus like an unprepared athlete finally crossing the finish line: exhausted, out-of-breath, dizzy, and overwhelmed. The circumstances I came from are as extraordinary as the ones I remain in: From 2007 to 2010, I was laid off four times in three years in Cleveland, OH. Out of necessity, I moved home to an extremely rural town in Northwestern Pennsylvania, where the job opportunities are sparse. After bartending for a period of time, I had the good fortune of having an amazing job fall into my lap. I traveled every other week all over the U.S. selling parts for construction equipment. I did not love the job, but I loved the traveling and what I was able to do when traveling: eat. I ate in every high-end celebrity chef restaurant I could when I was traveling. I have an amazing list of places I’ve been: Alinea and Moto in Chicago, Jasper’s and Stephen Pyles in Dallas, Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove in Ft. Worth, TX (rattlesnake sausage and kangaroo carpaccio, and some of the best gin
cocktails I’ve ever raised to my lips!), Jose Andres’ Oyamel in Washington, DC, Ming Tsai’s Blue Ginger in Boston, as well as Ken Oringer’s Toro, Morimoto in both Philly and NYC (Wagyu beef carpaccio, OMG!), Coi in San Francisco, STK in Los Angeles, Stella in New Orleans, and of course I’ve frequented Michael Symon’s establishments in Cleveland (and Detroit!). Shall I go on?! So, I love to eat. I love to eat out. I liked my last job because it provided that opportunity. And then, for the fifth time in five years, in October of last year, I lost that job, too. The circumstances aren’t important. Actually, they’re kind of funny and fateful, but I signed a confidentiality agreement when I parted ways with that company and can’t tell you what happened. But believe me, it’s every bit as sordid and salacious as you believe it might be! For now, just suffice it to say that I ended up at a crossroads in my life with a decision to make. However this time, at least, I was lucky enough to have a little pocket change with which to assist in my decision. My dilemma: Do I continue to do marketing and sales in a volatile economy where marketing employees are the first ones let go and the last ones hired, working in who-knowswhat industry in positions that never feel fulfilling, or do I go do Something Else? Doing Something Else was going to require the most effort and energy, but with as unhappy as I had been in my career for the past ten years, there really wasn’t a decision to make. In fact, it took me a whole 48 hours to make my decision. I had applied to The Culinary Institute of America in 2009 and was accepted but was unable to go -- money. This time, thanks to my last company and the ensuing confidentiality agreement, that wasn’t going to be an issue. I called the school to find out that my application was still on file, and was nearly complete save for a couple of vaccines. I sent them my deposit, booked an appointment with my doctor, starting looking on Craig’s List for places to live, and the rest is history. I went back to school at age 41. I anticipated going to class with traditional-age students.
Continued from page 9 Why are wines from warm growing areas so high in alcohol? Well, consumers have learned to enjoy these punchdrunk wines, but for those who prefer their wines lighter and subtler, the choices are becoming fewer and fewer. Rising alcohol levels in both white and red wines are approaching a situation that is virtually uncontrollable, except by technology. Would it surprise you to know that many of the wines you enjoy are cut with water before bottling to reduce alcohol? Did you know that the “dry” Cabernet you like so much has enough residual sugar in it so that 20 years ago that same wine would have been considered technically “sweet”? Sugar levels in grapes are going through the roof, and that means alcohol and residual sugar are at all-time highs in many wines. Sure, the wines are dramatic, but try pairing them with lighter foods and see how poorly that drama plays out. In March of 2006, the first conference of wine and global warming was held in Barcelona, Spain, and the information shared by climate scientists and winegrowers was sobering. Spain and
I figured I’d get hit on by at least one younger guy, and possibly a younger girl. I knew I was going to have to get used to homework again, but how hard could it be? I felt incredibly confident as an adult who has been through hell, who has had major successes and failures in the work world, and as someone who was truly listening to her intuition and pursuing what I loved by following my dream. The things that I didn’t expect are that how going back to school can bring out insecurities from high school, how having so much on the line means that even small disappointments can shake one to their core and cause doubt and indecision on a much greater scale than ever before. The other thing that has caught me by surprise is how emotion pops up at inopportune moments. Namely, how every time I am happy here, the gratefulness that I feel in having this opportunity wells up from my core, and I end up trying to blink back the tears in my eyes while (inevitably) talking to someone whom I’m trying to impress. Getting here and being here has been an emotional roller coaster. Mostly, it’s been incredible. However, I’m learning things about my new chosen career, life, friends, and myself that I would have never learned staying stagnant in my life, in my career. I’m familiar with change. I do change quite well. However, this change is core-shaking, earth-shattering, and perspective-changing. And it’s not merely a change in my perspective; it’s a change in who I am as a person. My core values. My beliefs. My direction. My entire life. I will tell you about it here, in this column, in these articles that I will write for your entertainment as well as your enlightenment, and most importantly, for your identification. Because I believe wholeheartedly no matter what our age or experience, we all go through things that help us to connect with others and learn about life. I will share my story with you in hopes that you will find something in it that helps you in your own journey. Until then, happy cooking. I’ll be the one coming out of Culinary Fundamentals class with roux in my hair, sauce on my chef whites, my makeup smeared, with panic in my eyes. And a smile on my face.
Portugal are already suffering the impact of global warming to the point where winegrowers either cannot grow their classic grape varietals because they shrivel in the intense heat, or they have had to invest millions of euros to move their vineyards to higher ground where the vines can enjoy the air conditioning provided by the cool currents wafting through hills and mountainsides. What to do? I would be the last person to advise anyone not to continue to enjoy wine, one of the astounding miracles of nature. But the next time you sip your favorite wine, maybe think about it a little differently. The message is clear: wine is a precious product of nature, and its future is threatened. In your glass of pleasure there is also a microcosm of our shared environmental concerns, concerns that can no longer be ignored, no longer be denied. Global warming and wine: an inconvenient truth that has yet to resonate with much of the global wine industry, much less wine consumers. Like so much of the science of climate change that has been made public, our government has chosen to ignore the facts, keeping its head in the sand. And now it’s too late for our generation. If the United States ratified the Kyoto Protocol tomorrow, the impact on the environment would not be felt for 150 years (but don’t we need to think about our grandchildren and their children?) Perhaps Dr. Greg Jones, a winegrower who is also a climatologist at Southern Oregon University, posited the challenge best, when he said at the Barcelona conference, “Governments don’t always have a solution for our problems...and Hollywood won’t make a movie about gradual climate change.”