2014 05 22 final

Volume 33, No.44

May 22 2014

The Culinary Institute of America’s Eighth Annual Augie Awards Celebrate Industry Leaders and “The Power of Food”

PRESS RELEASE

At the eighth annual Leadership Awards of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), “Augie” Awards were presented to four outstanding individuals who exemplify the innovation and leadership in the food and foodservice industry that were personified by Auguste Escoffier, for whom the award is named.

Captured by the event’s theme, The Power of Food, these leaders were honored for their accomplishments in four areas of thought leadership and action that are both critical to the future of the industry and of great importance to the CIA:

• Honored

for his dedication to professional excellence and innovation: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef/owner of Jean-Georges Restaurants.

• Honored for creating a product that promotes health and wellness along with philanthropic dedication in that area: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, Inc. • Honored for his contribution to the understanding of world cuisines and cultures: Masaharu Morimoto, chef/ owner of Morimoto Restaurants.

• Honored for his and his company’s commitment to sustainability and food ethics: Leo Oosterveer, CEO of Unilever Food Solutions.

The 2014 awards took place at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, where the ballroom was filled with 500 attendees— including CIA graduates Charlie Palmer, Steve Ells, David Burke, Johnny Iuzzini, and others. The Power of Food was explored through videos of the honorees and CIA students, and a presentation from CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan, who highlighted the contributions of the college.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Ryan pointed out that students

come to the CIA to be surrounded by people who have the same passion they do—a passion for food. “All of us in the CIA family not only share this incredible passion,” said Dr. Ryan, “but also a strong desire to turn that passion into something meaningful, something that will make a difference in the world.” Dr. Ryan reminded the audience about the CIA legacy, “From the time we opened our doors in 1946 to welcome a class of 16 GIs in New Haven, CT, to our present-day status as the world’s premier culinary college, the CIA has always opened students’ minds to the possibilities beyond the kitchen and table.”

All proceeds from the awards dinner go directly into the scholarship fund at the CIA. Three dozen current students attended the event to assist in the kitchens and throughout the evening. Many of the rest of the student body followed the program on social media with Twitter hashtags #CIAPowerofFood and #AugieAwards. Each honoree had advice for these aspiring culinarians:

• Jean-Georges

Vongerichten: “Follow your cravings; follow your passion; follow your moods. Develop your

Image by: CIA/Phil Mansfield creativity through these, and you’ll find your style, your unique place in the culinary world.”

• Hamdi Ulukaya: “Seek perfection. Whether in the way you cut vegetables or create recipes. Chefs who do that make amazing discoveries along the way.”

• Masahura Morimoto: “Never limit yourself. Try everything to discover what your foundation is. Then build on that to create your personal style.”

Leo Oosterveer: “It’s good to dream about your future, but you must also face reality and see what needs to be done in the world. Find a way to contribute to society, and you’ll find success.”

A silent online auction, also in support of the scholarship fund, was hosted by ibidmobile. Guests had nearly 100 lots to bid on— trips, concert tickets, special events, private dining experiences, sports equipment, and more. In the end, with auction results, ticket sales, and contributions from the CIA’s generous sponsors, the 2014 Leadership Awards raised $500,000 for student ....Continued on page 8...

My Third And Last Leadership Awards Gala

BY: Michael McCarey, BPS Baking and Pastry

If you’re unfamiliar with the Leadership Awards, familiarize yourself with them as soon as possible. Although the school only takes about thirty students down to the Awards in New York City every year, it’s an invaluable part of the college’s fundraising activity and a true blessing for the students that volunteer.

I was fortunate enough to have gone to both the 2012 and 2013 Awards as a student volunteer, and can’t express enough gratitude to the CIA for organizing the event.

The hardworking staff in the Advancement and Alumni Offices help organize the event each year and gathers Culinary Culture

“Preservation Series: Fermentation”

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Promoting Better Dress Code at the Institute”

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students to represent the college as ambassadors. Although four industry leaders are honored every year for exemplifying the school’s leadership platforms (professional excellence & innovation, health & wellness, world cuisines & cultures, and sustainability & food ethics), the heart of the event is the auction for student scholarships.

This event was tied to a Power of Food Video produced by the CIA starring students that commented on the role food has played in their lives and the importance of scholarships. During the small segment of the video that made the cut, I spoke about how much the scholarship money means and how the donors could see it tangibly. I suggested that all the colleges’ philanthropists visit the campus and see where their money is going.

All too often both students and scholarship fund donors

forget about the meaning behind the money; gratitude can be lost in busy schedules. If each and every donor at the Awards ceremoney that night could see the benefit they’re bringing to the college (the quality of ingredients we’re fortunate enough to work with, the beautiful books, and the learning spaces we have), they’d feel much more meaning in the act of donation.

So, even though not many of the donors may have the chance to come to campus, I assure you your scholarship money is being well-spent. And to every student who receives a scholarship here at the Institute, thank your donors! Stop into the Advancement Office and thank the staff that work day in and day out to make this education less of a financial burden for us.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

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“Ramps” CENTER SPREAD

“What Would McCue Do?”

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BACK PAGE

“All in Good Taste”

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LA PAPILLOTE

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THE NEWSPAPER OF THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA SINCE 1979

May 22, 2014

PUBLISHER

The Student Affairs Division

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LAYOUT EDITOR

Amy Zarichnak Thiana Anderson

ADVERTISING MANAGER CONTRIBUTORS Crystal Tan Chef Freddie Brash Michael McCarey Christy Scharnagle Gareth Alonso Chef Greg Zifchak Kyle Longeran

Sue Haug

Stephanie Kirkland Brad Lancaster Chef David McCue Irena Chalmers Emilio Cerra Connor White

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.

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: Amy Zarichnak, Editor-In-Chief at lapapillote.culinary@gmail.com.

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.

So, a trusted female friend of mine eloquently called me a “suck-up” after my last few editorials and articles. She said that my articles gave off the impression that I was a bit of a “Yes man” and corporate cheerleader for the school.

I laughed.

It’s not the case at all. First of all, I have bad days here -- it’s not all sunshine and flowers. In fact, I’ve had a rough time these past nine weeks, actually. Time is at a minimum and school work only seems to be getting harder.

I’m starting to falter in my grades, much to my chagrin, if only because I’m overloaded with tasks and my time is at a premium.

But second, one of the reasons why things don’t faze me much here is because I’ve been through the war. I lost a man I loved very much in a tragic car accident. Shortly after this, I went through four layoffs in three years. The first one, my boss took me out to dinner, and told me, “If you give me the next two years of your life, I will make you rich.” He wanted me to work overtime, evenings, and weekends, with no extra pay. Three months later, I was the first to go amidst waves of layoffs where the company went from 75 employees down to 20. A year and a half later, he was dead from a tumor that had lodged onto his spine. I was glad that I never “gave him my life.”

The second layoff, I worked for a mercurial, ailing senior citizen architect who spent his marketing dollars planting articles in vanity publications showing off to his competition. Then, of course, he wondered why his marketing dollars weren’t bringing a return on investment. He was paying me an insane amount of money to follow his whims.

I was not allowed to have an opinion or make a decision, despite my previous 15 years of marketing experience. I watched him berate a senior partner, ripping him up one side and down the other, with the senior partner responding only, “Fair enough!” and walking away with his tail between his legs. There was no way that I was going to be spared that kind of treatment if senior partners were getting treated that way. His wife, the other owner of the business, used to routinely corner me in my office where she would grill me about my marketing plans for her company, yet I was completely limited in what I could do by her husband

who micromanaged me and rode around the building on his scooter, terrorizing people. They hired me in June and started laying people off, again in waves, in July. How could you not know the financial state of your business that you would still be hiring in June and then realize that you had to downsize the following month? I escaped that layoff and the round of layoffs in October, but the one in December found me feeling grateful to get that phone call to come to their office with a few of my co-workers. I was so happy to leave that toxic, tension-filled business that I actually hugged them when I left.

The third layoff was because I had taken seasonal employment at a start-up golf course. A rich, charismatic entrepreneur bought a golf course at auction and hired me to do marketing and administrative management for the course. I soon found out that this man wasn’t actually rich, he just robbed Peter to pay Paul. He never paid me on time. He never paid vendors on time. Past business associates would call looking for him, raging over some horrible thing my boss had done. He promised people things that he couldn’t, and had no intention of, delivering. He had absolutely no business skills, alienated people wherever he went, and once had me pick up a check from him at a bar as he canoodled with a woman – who was not his wife. The job concluded with those who had paid for $5,000 memberships to the course getting suspicious because no upgrades had been done to the course. Of course not. That money that my boss conned out of them wasn’t for upgrades – it was to pay for the course because he didn’t have the money when he bid on it at auction! Needless to say, that was another job I exited, grateful to be away from the incredible dysfunction.

The fourth layoff ceased to be a relief-filled occasion, only because financially, I could not take the hit. However, it was absolutely under the same set of tyrannical, chaotic circumstances. I got a job at a company that sold computer peripherals, headed up by a man who, by all accounts, suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of autism that basically resulted in anti-social and abusive behavior. Hedrove a Cadillac Escalade – at 75mph through the 30mph office park, recklessly passing people in strictly no-passing zones. He didn’t believe in offices so he held court in a double-sized, low-walled cubicle in the middle of the room.

I was lucky enough to be his neighbor with a see-through wall between us and a cubicle mate who took Ritalin by the handful and continually stirred her tuna salad, producing a nauseatingly moist, viscous, mucky sound. Not to mention the smell. And the sound. With that smell. Also, we had no meeting spaces because he didn’t believe in meetings. He regularly would go up to an employee and go on an absolute tirade, swearing at the person and calling them names until they were literally beaten into submission. It was another company that was all about work, about how much you could produce, and it felt like you were a hamster in a wheel at that company. People ate lunch in their vehicles, even in the winter. There was absolutely no joy there. However, after I got laid off, I knew it was the end of the line for me financially.

I moved home.

From there, it just got worse. I worked in a bar that depressed me in ways that only rural dive bars can when you have absolutely no other job prospects and no money to move to find a better job. Somehow, I ended up back in an office environment by the grace of God, but sure enough, I found myself in another toxic, dysfunctional situation that ended in me parting ways with that company and signing a confidentiality agreement. So I can’t tell you what happened. Suffice it to say, it was bad enough that the ....Continued on page 8...

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The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. The CIA does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, or any other protected group or classification under federal or state laws. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Joe Morano HR Director-Faculty Relations Telephone: 845-451-1314 Email: J_morano@culinary.edu Maura A. King Director-Compliance Telephone: 845-451-1429 Email: m_king@culinary.edu

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Thiana A. Anderson Layout Editor

Stephanie Kirkland Copy Editor

Gareth Alonso Copy Editor

May 22, 2014

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Cutting the Grass, Pulling the Weeds: What You Need to Know about Marijuana Withdrawal BY: Nancy Bushinsky, LCSW, CASAC

Spring is known as the season for cleansing and starting fresh. Perhaps, you have decided it is time to start creating the life you dream about. With this, you have come to realize that the daily grind of smoking weed has been holding you back. Maybe you want to feel healthier. Maybe you want the freedom to interview for extern sites or postgraduation jobs that require drug-testing. Maybe your class performance is less than what you are capable of, and you know it. Maybe you wish to expand your social network without needing weed to make you feel okay. Maybe you want to save money to buy a car or have the finest dining experience NYC has to offer (or on the less glamorous side, pay the tuition bill). Whatever the inspiration, here is what to expect and what you can do to navigate through the process of cutting down or quitting marijuana successfully.

The decision is yours.

What to Expect There are two stages that occur during the process of stopping marijuana use. The first stage is considered the detox or acute withdrawal phase. This refers to the symptoms you may experience as your body begins the process of ridding itself of toxins that have built up over the time you have been using. Cravings are at their peak during this time. Physical symptoms include insomnia, headaches, muscle tension, night sweats, coughing, digestive problems, loss of appetite, and fatigue. The physical detox begins the first day you stop use and lasts one to two weeks on average.

Not everyone will experience these symptoms, but if you do, know that others have made it through, so why not you?

The second stage of withdrawal is longer and typically starts a few weeks after you quit. During this stage, there may be fewer physical symptoms but more emotional and cognitive challenges. This stage is when you adjust to life without using weed to soothe your stress, alter your emotions, or ease into social interactions. It can feel like losing your best friend. In addition, your brain chemistry

is shifting to achieve balance without the presence of the drug. Sleep disturbance, especially insomnia and/or restless sleep with vivid dreaming, is common. Mood changes occur as well, with the emotions most often reported being sadness, irritability and anxiety. If marijuana has been masking deep seated emotions, this will become apparent and you will observe that emotional distress does not go away or may worsen. Temporary loss of concentration ability may require that you devote more time to studying and/or seek out academic support during this time.

Symptoms vary and their intensity depends upon an individual’s body chemistry, frequency and length of time using marijuana. Unlike alcohol, marijuana withdrawal is not life threatening. However, the discomfort it creates makes quitting or cutting down a challenge. But, becoming a great chef is also a challenge, and you are here! Therefore, it is important to remember that withdrawal is a matter of time and patience; your body will recover at its own pace.

The discomfort you feel is actually a positive sign that your body and mind are adapting to a healthier state; however, it is easy to forget this and to resume use to take away the symptoms. Even if you do give in and use, do not give up because one relapse will not undo all the positive changes that have taken place thus far.

How do I get past cravings?

Cravings to smoke marijuana are both physical and psychological and are the main reason people relapse.

Psychological cravings tend to happen most often when you are around people, places and situations that remind you of using. Minimizing triggers to use may require you to try some new routines. For instance, instead of going to the gazebo to socialize, why not go to a club meeting, volunteer to work at a campus event, spend time with animals by offering service to the local ASPCA, attend a residence hall event, or do a Starbucks or ice cream run with friends instead? It can even be little changes that help such as

taking a different route driving to campus or walking to yourclasses.

Do note that cravings only get stronger if you give in to them. They will pass in a few minutes, especially if you remove yourself from the trigger person, place or situation that sparked them. If they are physical, feel the sensations in your body without panic, breathe and wait it out. Talk to a friend. Know that your determination and strength can outlast any momentary craving!

YOU CAN DO IT! (But to be honest, successful change requires compassionate support) Keep your goal in mind. Make a list of all the reasons why you want to quit. Help yourself by seeking out the company of non-using, supportive friends and family.

Engage yourself in new physical and mental challenges to distract from the symptoms; e.g. take a walk in nature the movement, space, and beauty have a calming effect on body and mind. Play mini-golf or a team sport. Check out a farmers market, new movie, or learn more about a new hobby. Practice self-care! Talk to a medical professional about how you can support your body’s healing process.

Make relaxation a regular part of your day with practices such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing. Utilize Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) for confidential support, to keep you motivated, and to learn skills to manage your emotions.

The website of Marijuana Anonymous MA (www. marijuana-anonymous.org) has user friendly information, workbooks, literature, and local meeting lists. Get the process started in the privacy of your own space by linking to www.reduceyouruse.org.au. Remember change happens one day at a time.

Ask Yourself: If not now, when?

Preservation Series: Fermentation

BY: Brad Lancaster, AOS Culinary

One of my favorite things to preach is sustainability. Anyone who knows me or who follows my articles knows that by now. So what is one to do, if you harvested a little too many wild edibles (sustainably, of course!), and are watching them waste away in your fridge? Under the category of preservation there are many forms that everyone attending this school should know: curing (salt, wet, or dry), pickling (acid), confit (fat), canning (sterilizing), drying (taking away moisture so microorganisms cannot live), freezing (retarding the rotting process), nitrates and nitrites (the rapid death of all microorganisms), and fermentation (the promotion of microorganisms). I’m sure there are more methods, but I listed the ones used most.

The reason why I started my preservation series with fermentation is, simply put, that I find it intriguing that it’s the only preservation method that starts with microorganisms and uses microorganisms until you digest them. In today’s culture, there is a war on bacteria. The supermarkets are flooded with products that inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Actually, we as Americans buy products that flat-out kill them. You can stroll the aisles of supermarkets reading soaps that, “kill 99.9% of bacteria,” and we eat food from jars, cans, and bottles which are pasteurized. Only a fraction of a percent of all the world’s bacteria can harm you; in fact, there are more active bacteria surrounding you right now that can actually help you than harm you.

The milk industry pasteurizes all the milk we consume because today the milk gets transported a long distance before it reaches our mouths. Milk actually provides very little nutrients, and the very little nutrients it does supply are added to it. It

should be common sense to know that if you put one drop of bacteria in a glass of pasteurized milk, and the same drop of bacteria in raw unpasteurized milk, the bacteria will grow in the pasteurized milk and die in the unpasteurized milk. Don’t we drink cow’s milk for the nutrients and health benefits?

Blatantly, we did until milk became a commodity instead of a necessity for that extra boost of protein. Pasteurization kills all of the microorganisms, not just the bad ones. It holds very little health benefits other than providing us happiness while we eat cereal. In states like New York you can purchase raw milk straight from the farm – and a big thank you to Chef Freddy B for showing me a local farm that I visit on a regular basis now.

I used milk as a topic because it is a platform that supports fermentation on so many levels in human history and in the present day. What kinds of fermentation? Well, when was the last time you ate cheese or yogurt, just to mention a couple?

I always knew there was a bacterium in our body that guides and helps us live. Ninety percent of the human body is made up of foreign micro-bacteria. We are actually only 10% human matter. Weird, huh? Now do you see why fermentation intrigues me? If you eat something with good and live microorganisms it could benefit your health exponentially. Fermentation works by microorganisms feeding on the sugars (usually) of a given host, and then simply processing the sugar to create energy for itself to reproduce. While this process takes place, other things happen. Waste is created in many forms most of the time being alcohol, C02, and dead yeast cells, which are comprised of vitamins b-complex (what I call yeast martyrs, or in winemaking, what is called lees). In controlled fermentation of bread and beer, you would want strains of saccharomyces and other wild strains of yeast such as brettanomyces to consume the maltose (created by converted flour starches) to produce alcohol and C02. My theory is this kind of fermentation first happened when ancient man dropped a piece of dough into wa-

ter while making his daily loaves of bread. He probably forgot about it (darn, messy, primitive bakers!) and returned the next day with curiosity while watching the same contaminated water that was “still” is now in complete chaos, bubbling and terrorizing the amphora that it fell into. Only history knows what happened next... Ok wait, I know, for some weird unknown reason that same prehistoric man picked up the amphora and drank it (weirdo!), only to find himself in a, shall we say, “enlightened state.” My hero! No, not because I think getting inebriated is fun – but yeah, that, too -- but because this man just figured out how to extend the shelf life of water. Think about that!

Do you think the person that discovered this stopped there?

Possibly, but I’m sure he left a local legacy that other people did more research on, maybe in the form of adding microbacteria active dough to juices, vegetables, and dairy, and in the process, creating wines, cheeses, yogurts, and fermented vegetables like cabbage and soy.

Being an avid beer maker and understanding sacchromyces, the thought about doing a natural fermentation (lactobacilli) like sauerkraut or kim chi has been stuck in my head for a while, ever since Chef Kowalski showed my Garde Manger class how sauerkraut was made. Being the naturalist that I am, I started thinking about fermenting local, foraged ingredients. I thought of leafy spring greens like ramps, garlic mustard, fiddlehead ferns, and nettles. I chose the first one that showed its face in the spring - RAMPS! To start this experiment, I sustainably harvested four pounds of fresh ramps from a hill, overlooking a stream which was once my childhood swim spot. After cleaning the ramps off in the clean,fast flowing spring fed water, I brought them home.

I did some research on kim chi at the library and online, and I asked some friends from South Korea for advice, as they grew ....Continued on page 4...

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LA PAPILLOTE

PAGE 141

Promoting Better Dress Code at the Institute BY: Michael McCarey, BPS Baking and Pastry For quite a long time, dress code on campus has been circling around in conversation. Ever since whispers of the student walkout in the spring of 2013, students, administrators, and faculty alike have been picking away at this difficult topic. Particularly, the definition of “business casual” is difficult to wrangle. It’s a similar case to the infamous line from Supreme Justice Potter Stewart “I shall not attempt to further define [pornography], but I know it when I see it.” So, what is business casual? And since the new roll-out of the revised dress code, what is business professional?

SGA recently noted more concerns to administration, deans and Provost Erickson about the dress code. As a result we were invited to participate in a multidisciplinary Dress Code Task Force. The Task Force was brought together as a group of students, staff, and faculty to review dress code theory and the currently written dress code.

Over these past few months, we’ve held a series of meetings with administration going through every word and comma of the code.

Here’s What The SGA has been working on:

BY: Christy Scharnagle, AOS Culinary

Time Chefs Spend in Class AOS Baking Representative Melissa Pianin has been investigating the amount of time chefs leave their classrooms during the day, since there have been some complaints that this happens too often. Melissa plans to do a survey throughout the student body to find out if students agree with this statement, so further action can be taken if needed.

New Board Members!

The SGA welcomes newly appointed board members Yi Si (Crystal) Tan and Camry Rusk to the board! Crystal is fulfilling the role of Finance Manager and Camry Rusk is our new Secretary. Additionally, current Vice President Skyler Ring has been elected to be the next President of SGA.

Through these meetings, changes were discussed and proposals were presented to the Cabinet and the Degree Programs Operating Council. We shared proposals with the student body and gave them a chance to contribute their feedback and input. SGA also brought the dress code up for discussion at our biweekly Public Meetings. It has always been very evident that CIA students were passionate and cared deeply about the school’s image. We’ve always known that students care about dress code. Students want to see faculty members pointing out students who are divergent about their dress, who clearly didn’t look in the mirror prior to heading out the door.

GOOD NEWS. After about a year of conversations, proposals, and a little bit of constructive disagreement, the revised document is now posted on the student portal.

According to Erickson, the roll out of the new dress code “looks quite familiar. There are a number of tweaks, especially to the section related to BPS students and the description of business casual. Rather than list the numerous tweaks and changes, it’s best if you read through the code available starting on page 141 of the new Academic Catalog (page 72 of the pdf posted).”

This roll out is to be followed by a series of communication initiatives that include: meeting directly with students, direct email, handouts, brochures, utilization of Public Meeting Raffle Don’t forget to attend the next public meeting, which will be held on June 4th in Hudson Hall’s Renaissance Lounge! The SGA will once again be raffling off a gift card to a restaurant in the city for two, which includes roundtrip train tickets.

Green Campus Initiative 001: Paper Towel Usage Diane Lam has been working with the Green Campus Board to help reduce the amount of paper towels that are used in our classrooms every day. She has researched, proposed, and implemented a new product called skoy pads, which are sponge pads rather than towels. This greener alternative is cheaper than paper towels and also needs to be used less, which saves money for the school and students alike. Some chefs recently opted to take the Earth Day contest, which challenged them to motivate their students to use the lowest number of paper towels and use skoy pads.

The winners were treated to a taco party to celebrate their success. The SGA and the Green Campus board hope to spread the use of skoy pads and paper towel reduction to the rest of campus.

Board Members: Michael McCarey, President Skyler Ring, Vice President Jameson Brown, BPS Rep Arturo Alvarez, AOS Culinary Rep Joshua Dunson, AOS Culinary Arts Rep Tyler Martin, AOS Baking and Pastry Rep Melissa Pianin, AOS Baking and Pastry Rep Crystal Tan, Finance Manager Michael DiPaola, Residence Life Liason Diane Lam, Green Campus Liason Christy Scharnagle, PR Manager Camry Rusk, Secretary Eric Howard, Advisor

digital TV’s and posters. Administration hopes to promote better dress code and awareness regarding corrections rather than an authority driven campaign of enforcement. As Provost Erickson mentioned in the latest D.P.O.C. meeting “everyone is responsible for the complete education of a student at the Institute, including the way they’re dressed.”

We all need to communicate and help students understand the CIA traditions and culture, a crucial part of monitoring and encouraging each other to take responsibility for their professional attire. Students need to “buy into” the fact that their appearance is one critically important outcome to a successful career at a professional school, organization or business. Many people involved in dress code discussion, college professional staff and students alike, agree that students should dress in a way that would represent the Institute well in the workplace.

“Business professional” is certainly what we need to pick up the slack in dress code for the BPS program. But this isn’t enough. All students should not feel uncomfortable about dress code. And students should not feel uncomfortable in approaching their peers to note their attire is out of code.

It’s a common responsibility, and we need to work as a team to promote it well. So! Remember “Page 141” when you see a student in the halls who you feel doesn’t represent the CIA well. And kindly mention that you care about their success. It might just solve the problem.

Preservation Series: Fermentation

...Continued from page 3 up making this magical stuff. I quickly understood that this fermentation strictly used Lactobacilli to metabolize plant matter and create lactic acid, thus killing 199 other microorganisms, some not wanted like Streptococcus, the bacteria that causes strep throat (if only George Washington had eaten kimchi!). I gave the ramps a quick final rinse before soaking them in salt water (I used pink Himalayan salt) for an hour and a half. After the ramps were wilted from the decaying cell walls due to the salinity of the water, I started layering them in a huge glass container. I read that sugar and chile pepper paste was usually spread over the cabbage before putting them in the fermentation container, but, I chose to start this experiment with the thought, “If I cannot supply the ingredient from my foraging, I will not use it.” So I pouredmaple sap(from my front yard) for the sweetener instead of sugar and I didn’t use chiles. Yes, I know you’re thinking, “But you used Himalayan salt!” Well, I can’t make or forage for salt, but it is a fundamental part of this experiment. After the maple sap was poured over the ramps I put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the container, cut a hole in the center, put a piece of paper towel on top of that and then put another piece of plastic wrap with holes poked into it on top. This let air out but did not let dust and other bacteria in.

It has been two days since I started this project at my house. About three hours after the last ramp leaf went in the container I moved everything to my dorm room on campus.

Bad move. My Korean friends didn’t tell me how pungent the smell is, not a bad smell, it actually smells good in a, “hot dog smothered with sweet onion jam and sauerkraut sort of way.” I will let you know how this “ramp kimchi” turns out.

UPDATE: It has now been one week, and I just tasted it.

AMAZING! If anyone wants more information on foraging, contact Brad Lancaster at BL1052003@cia.culinary.edu

May 22, 2014

Roll of the Dice

BY: Kyle Longeran, AOS Culinary

In a sudden epiphanous turn of events, I found myself doubled over, clutching my stomach and staring with deadly intensity at my sprawling blue speckled dorm room floor. The intensity of abdominal pain deterred my approach to my backpack but I persisted in the interest of an overwhelming surge of self preservation. I rummaged around and took hold of a needle. I stared at it in desperate contemplation trying to justify the potential outcomes.

Miraculously in this moment, the burning pain slowly subsided, the panic melted, and I was ready for my La Papillote meeting.

What terrible course of action hath I wrought to bring upon myself such agony? Why would I possibly be in possession of a needle, if not for nefarious deeds? I’m the reason you have to make a dish over again; I’m the guy making those annoying special requests. I have a nut allergy.

Should I find myself in too severe a state, that needle is my epinephrine auto-injector much akin to “that one scene in pulp fiction where that girl gets stabbed in the heart.” This “epi-pen” is, simply put, adrenaline I get to jam into my leg which hopefully secures me enough time to get to the hospital before my stomach pains and panicked sense of breathing through a closed straw feeling turns into suffocation and ultimately, death.

My crime was assumption and irresponsibility,to be honest. I had ordered dinner from one of the production kitchens and I had assumed the ingredients of my particular dish were safe. I was wrong, and in retrospect, I really

Maple Syrup Project

BY: Yisi “Crystal” Tan, AOS Baking and Pastry This March the sap in sixteen maple trees on campus was getting turned into sweet maple syrup. Three years ago, Chef Greweling came up with the idea of creating maple syrup from the maple trees on campus.

Over these three years, this idea has been gathering interest, slowly starting and expanding into a complete sap-to-syrup project this year.

The process of creating maple syrup includes collecting sap and then boiling it to the correct concentration of sugar density. In preparation for that, the first step in that process would be to find the correct type of tree. One of the species predominantly used to produce syrup is the Acer Saccharum, Sugar Maple. Next is acquiring the correct equipment for the collection of sap. For campus sap collection, this requires simple equipment, such as buckets. For commercial production, tubes would be put in the center of the trees for a central collection of large amounts of sap. Conditions for best sap would be when temperature during the night is below freezing, and during the day, above freezing.

should have asked the chef. Due to the severity of my allergy I have conditioned myself to simultaneously avoid items and actively ask questions (before ordering). Unfortunately, I had let my guard down. Fortunately, I made my newspaper meeting with a great new article in mind.

I pose a simple question to the kitchens and administration. Why exactly is the CIA not practicing what they are preaching? From our first few days of class and onward we students are taught the risks and repercussions of neglecting food allergen awareness. I fully realize our chefs have systems in place to prevent cross contamination, and that, as a person with this condition, I need to take responsibility for my dining choices (which may be a refreshing perspective considering the dining public will not always feel so obliged). I feel I must not ask this question because current policy suffers so terribly, nor because I no longer wish to take responsibility for my actions. I must ask for the sake of accidents, of oversights, and in a humble plea for assistance.

What could I possibly want? Overall, I want a more well-informed student. There are many potential paths to this goal. Possible examples are posted allergen lists for each dish near the demo plates or an online resource where that days dishes and appropriate warnings are recorded (in an effort to save time and resources). These tasks may even be outsourced to responsible students. Most simply I ask that students remember to be mindful of others’ needs. Unlike the majority of our voracious vegetarian friends, I did not choose to be like this.

I realize that I’m asking for kitchens to do extra work, and no one likes extra work.

But far fewer like dead students.

Processing sap into syrup is a simple and sweet process.

Small scale processing of sap uses wood powered fire as a heat source for constant boiling. This is a production process that requires more energy than the modern and large method, which is usually through reverse osmosis from 2% to 30-40% sugar concentration. Here at the school Chef Greweling reduces the sap in steam kettles in his bakeshop and then further concentrates the liquid over gas flames until it reaches the correct concentration of sugar content.

Maple syrup, by legal definition, must have at least 66% sugar.

For Chef Greweling, reducing the syrups required constant overseeing to boil forty gallons of syrup down during a twelve- hour reduction process in the classroom steam kettles. The process requires constant attention so that it does not boil over.

This maple syrup project on campus is the result of collaboration between both bachelor and associate program’s students and professors. It was a great learning experience for everyone on utilizing resources on campus.

Ideally, this could become an annual learning experience for everyone.

While the syrup produced on campus is not sold, there are still many future possibilities for its usage. Campus-produced maple syrup can be utilized in on-campus restaurants (such as American Bounty), in confectionary productions, and integrated into a course of history of maple and the experience of the maple tapping culture.

This could be a project that can involve student opportunities in the following years. This year, this project required commitments from both students and professors involved in this project. One of the professors involved in this project is Dr. Deidre Murphy’s Ecology of Food liberal arts elective course for bachelor students. It seemed clear to her that the maple trees on campus could be utilized as a source for syrup production.

There are faculty members who are familiar with the

ON CAMPUS

5

Staff Member Recognized As A Top Career Professional

Ronald Hayes ’02, the CIA’s interim director of career services, was one of 150 top career professionals from six countries invited to participate in the Career Thought Leaders Consortium’s Global Career Brainstorming Day. US News and World Report featured highlights of the white paper that came out of the event, discussing the future of career planning and job searching

Feniger Inducted Into Menumasters Hall Of Fame Susan Feniger ’77 and business partner Mary Sue Milliken, the duo that made Too Hot Tamales a hit program in the early days of the Food Network, are the 2014 inductees into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame. Feniger and Milliken have been working together for three decades, and started Border Grill in Los Angeles, which has expanded to include four “brick-and-mortar” locations and a Border Grill truck.

MenuMasters Awards are presented by Nation’s Restaurant News to honor culinary creativity. Feniger and Milliken will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Chicago on May 17. They are being recognized “both for elevating the conversation about Mexican food and their commitment to creating a sustainable food environment,” according to Nation’s Restaurant News editors. production of maple syrup due to syrup processing being a northeast cultural tradition. The most interesting part for Professor Murphy was the learning process in the tapping process and participation with students.

The core value of this project emphasizes sustainability and learning to obtain natural resources from the land.

There are hopes of this becoming an annual and recurring project that will be incorporated into several different courses. There is also a possibility of a new course centered around the production, history, and culture of maple syrup production. Maple syrup production dates back to preEuropean settlers when natives were already tapping trees and creating maple syrup. It would be a useful link between classroom and kitchen and also relate to sustainability and the exploitation of natural and local resources.

Professor Murphy says “I love teaching because I love watching students learn to do new things for themselves. I deeply value the natural resources that are present on our campus. I am always mindful that Hudson Valley is the bread basket for New York City. I’d be excited for any plans that help our students understand the value of our campus as a landscape on which we can produce our own food.”

This maple syrup project was displayed on Earth day, April 22, with a tasting of the syrup.

CIA Students Tap Their Own Maple Syrup

While many college students were tapping kegs on their spring break in March, CIA students were tapping trees. Students from Chef Peter Greweling’s Chocolate and Confectionery Technology and Techniques class and Dr. Deirdre Murphy’s Ecology of Food bachelor’s degree course took part in harvesting sap to make maple syrup for the first time.

Using 16 maple trees on the north side of campus, the students assisted with each step of the process, including tapping, collecting the sap, boiling, straining, testing, and bottling the syrup. It can take up to 50 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. The four gallons of syrup produced this year will be used in Chef Greweling’s class and incorporated into desserts at the CIA’s restaurants.

“Making maple syrup is a natural fit for our students; it is as much an ingrained part of the culture of the Hudson Valley as making wine is in California,” said Chef Greweling, who is seeking to use this experience to develop an undergraduate course at the CIA that will include the history, culture, and technology of maple syrup.

6

LA PAPILLOTE

CENTER SPREAD

Center What Would McCue Do?

BY: Chef Dave McCue, CIA Faculty Contributor

Editor’s Note: Chef McCue has a Facebook page up that highlights all the goings-on in his kitchens. Of course, the funniest ones are the catastrophes and the silly things students do. With his big heart and quick-witted tongue, we thought it would be fun to hear his advice on some of the students’ problems. We asked some students what was going on in their lives that they needed help with, and here are his replies. Need advice? Submit your questions to Chef McCue by emailing lapapillote.culinary@gmail.com.

Chef McCue’s Note: First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for considering my semi-vast accrual of selectively pertinent, and often trivial, knowledge as a psychological sounding board for the sophomoric shenanigans that students engage in on an all-too-frequent basis. Nevertheless, the fact that you are turning to a media source as a means of resolution can only mean one of two things: One, you realize this is solely for entertainment purposes and that this should be taken as seriously as financial advice from a Ouji board, or perhaps even skydiving advice from a turtle. Two, you really are at the end of your rope if this is all you have to go on. In which case, hold on, your life is about to get even more messed up if you listen to me. Welcome, one and all, to the WWMD advice page. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. I aspire to offend everyone equally.

Dear Chef McCue, With the legalization of recreational marijuana use in CO and WA, if/when it becomes legal in NY do you think the CIA will include it in the curriculum? There is already a food truck selling marijuana-infused foods in Seattle (Magical Butter in Seattle) and Roberta’s in Brooklyn did a private tasting menu using it back in 2012. Plus, customers would come in to pay for food that would give them the munchies, and then order more food! Sounds like a good business model to me.

Nick, AOS Culinary

Dear “Nick”, That is a very good question. Legally, it would be within our rights to do so. However, there are so many other factors to consider.

Having a narcotic on campus in our working environment would be dangerous. Remember, a lot of students eat and then go to class. Our clientele dining in our restaurants usually travel from a distance. All these factors make using marijuana risky, even if legal. Besides, we have a hard enough time getting you guys to eat a balanced diet, Could you imagine how monochromatic your diet would become if we offered choices endowed with the magical properties of THC? Nice try, though, Matt.

Dear Chef McCue, I’m away on externship and I have a few coworkers who always scoff at me for being a CIA student. I can’t tell if I’ve done something wrong or if they are just jealous. How do I deal with this?

Angela, AOS Culinary Dear Angela, Get used to it. Being a CIA grad is like going through your career with a spotlight on you. Why? Because you went to the best culinary school in existence.... ever. People are going to expect more from you. Our students and alumni are the industry standard.

Co-workers in competition for your job are going to look for any opportunity to point out your shortcomings and bring you down, so that they can look better. Is it fair? Absolutely not. But that’s the world we live in. Better toughen up, kiddo, it ain’t gonna stop anytime soon.

Dear Chef McCue, I’m pretty bummed that I’m not gonna have very much of a summer break anymore. I know that this is one of the sacrifices that I signed myself up for but I’m pretty sick of my friends having normal college adventures while all my time goes to food. How do I go to CIA and still be able to have normal

Photo by: Maria Daniela Moreira Camia college experiences?

Stephanie, AOS Baking & Pastry

but obviously my grade is going to suffer.

Anonymous

Dear Stephanie, Ummmmm. There’s a lot of things you’re not going to have anymore because you chose to be in this industry. Vacation time is one of them. Just wait, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, New Years, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries (provided you can get someone to stick it out with you for the long-term when you’re never home)..... all extraordinarily popular restaurant days. And guess what? You’re going to be working nearly all of them. Kinda sucks? No, not at all... be thankful you have a job.

Dear Anonymous, Hatred. Now that’s a big word. And are you sure you hate him?

Hatred is the kind of word that most people misuse. Hatred will cause you to taste bile at the mere thought of the person. Hatred is reserved for the most vile, insipid, evil of creatures. Are you sure you hate your Chef ? Perhaps you dislike him, or even despise him because he pushes you and makes you work, demands more from you because he believes you are capable of more than you know.

Try taking the high road. Don’t antogonize him, that will never end well. At least you have passion, though, right?

Dear Chef McCue, I’m seeing this guy who works at my externship site. He’s not exactly my boss but he’s in charge of me. When things were good between us, there were a lot of benefits. Now I want to break up with him but am afraid of any work torture that it will bring. What do I do?

Kristin, AOS Culinary Dear Kristin, Great choice dating someone at work (sarcasm intended). Now you find yourself in the tricky situation of doing the right thing.

Well, good news, he dated a coworker, too, so he’s probably not counting on this going long-term and will forget all about you when the next extern shows up.

Dear Chef McCue, My mom is a single parent. I don’t know who my dad is but I want to find out. How should I talk to my mom about this? The topic has been off-limits most of my life.

Anonymous Dear Anonymous, I would respect my Mom’s privacy but let her know that you are an adult now and your curiosity is growing. If she sticks to her guns and won’t share the information with you, don’t push it... chances are it was a bad situation that she was trying to get away from. Save up a couple of bucks and hire a lawyer to figure it out. They can do that these days.

Dear Chef McCue: I hate my chef. I know it’s only three weeks but we are like oil and water. There is real hatred between us. I know I am partially at fault because sometimes I antagonize him. It’s fun,

Dear Chef McCue, My dad is in upper management in a high-profile food industry corporation. He wants to get me a cushy job right after I graduate, which is soon. I’m not sure I want my father to do this for me, though. I would rather work my way up in a restaurant kitchen and prove myself where no one knows me as the boss’s son. I’m afraid to tell my dad, this, though. He keeps talking about the job he has for me after I graduate.

Tyler, AOS Culinary Dear Tyler, Noble words. I agree, though. Go out there and prove yourself and after a couple of years you’ll appreciate the “cushy” job your dad has lined up. So, don’t burn that bridge. A few years on the line and you will be begging for that “cushy” job before you know it.

But at least by then, your career will have some depth... something that will not happen if you jump immediately into that position prematurely right after graduating.

Need advice? Submit your questions to Chef McCue by emailing lapapillote.culinary@gmail.com. Feel free to remain anonymous!

May 22, 2014

7

r Spread Chef

Centerfold

Photo by: Tomas Contreras BY: Freddie Brash, CIA Faculty Contributor

Chef Liz Briggs How did you enter the foodservice industry?

I entered into the foodservice when I took a professional cooking class in my high school in Bradford, VT. I was a hyperactive person with the ability to do a lot of things at once and loved it! Loved! Organized chaos! I am the type of learner that I like to teach to -- someone with a creative personality, and passionate at cooking just about everything except yellow turnips.

Did you have a mentor when you were a young cook?

My mentor and friend was my husband Chef Robert Briggs, we worked together all our lives.

We lived and talked and breathed food. We loved to cook together, we always worked at the same place. He had more experience than I did when we met in cooking school in NH. So, you can guess this worked out great as we grew up together in our industry.

What is your favorite snack food?

My favorite snack food is extra crispy pizza with hot cherry peppers, anything spicy.

Do you have any hobbies?

My hobbies are camping in my pea pod and swimming in the icy waters of the Adirondacks, kayaking, and cycling.

What advice do you have for young chefs going on extern?

Work as hard and as often as you can. I worked my shift in the morning and another 8 hours at night just to learn. Get out there and work hard, ask lots of questions, be prepared, be courteous, be professional, and have fun! This is a taste of what your future is going to be, keep your eyes open, head up, and be open to learning. I am still learning, you have a long way to go. I miss my students when they leave for extern,and I love when they return. I see the changes, their growth and confidence. After 28 years, I still hate to see my students go, but it is all a part of the learning process.

Moto Serves Perfection

BY: Connor White, AOS Culinary

I am currently doing my externship in Chicago. When I first arrived I was completely unaware of how much of a food hub Chicago is.

I felt silly for not knowing. During my stay here, I’m making it a point to experience all of the food that Chicago has to offer. This past weekend I decided to get my start at Moto in Chicago’s restaurant row, Fulton Market. Little did I know that I would be in for the meal of a lifetime.

Before going to Moto, I decided that I should probably do my research. After a few clicks on Google, I had a much better understanding of the restaurant. Moto is a one Michelin Star-rated molecular gastronomy restaurant.

In fact, it is on the same block as two of Grant Achatz’s establishments, Aviary and Next. Moto’s Executive Chef is Chef Richie Farina, a Johnson & Wales graduate who competed on season nine of the Bravo television series Top Chef. With a big reputation to live up to, I couldn’t wait to experience Moto for myself.

I made my reservation for one on a Tuesday night.

Moto offers a Chef ’s “Lab” Table Experience, an eight course menu which featured both Moto’s current dishes as well as some of their past favorites. When I made my reservation, I asked about their non-alcoholic pairings. Being only 19, wine wasn’t an option for me. I think it is still important to include beverage pairings to have a complete meal. These “mocktails” would give me an idea of what Moto was capable of creating. I ordered the pairing and my server informed me that he would be crafting these custom cocktails himself to accompany my meal. I could tell that a non-alcoholic pairing wasn’t a usual request but they went out of their way to make it happen for me.

As I waited for my meal to begin, I became captivated by the ambiance of the dining room. Playing into the lab theme, the restaurant was equipped with the periodic table of elements that illuminated the wall. Chemistry sets and beakers lined the room. Surely I would be in for more than a meal. I was there for a show.

I have to admit, I was surprised to see Chef Farina serving the plates to the guests himself. Never before had I seen the chef throughout so much of my meal. He walked out my first course, greeted me, and I informed him that I was a CIA student. I was there to study as much as I was there for a meal. He encouraged me to take pictures and truly made me feel welcome. With each course he explained the concept of the dish, where certain ingredients were sourced from, and even how certain components were prepared. He was talking food with me as if to hold my hand throughout the experience. Quickly I was taken under Moto’s wing.

Courses: Asparagus with Hollandaise- Poached asparagus wrapped in cured egg yolk and topped with lemon zest.

Green Almond- Green almond with the shell on, heart of palm puree, and cucumber Grow Room- Buffalo tartare with house grown micro greens, lemon vinaigrette, crispy potato, and olive oil Buffalo Wings- Seared quail breast, celery confit, celery root puree, and wing sauce Allium 3.0- Warm onion custard, pork belly, and various allium garnishes Bitter Roots- Beet puree, beet marshmallow, coffee, Hudson Valley fois gras, brown sugar brioche crumble, and roasted beets Sus Scrofa- Braised wild boar shoulder, charred tomato sauce, mole powder, and wild rice Chili Cheese Dog- Raspberry sorbet “hot dog”, orange reduction “cheese sauce”, chocolate “ground beef ”, on a

sponge cake “bun” Chocolate Mousse- 42% chocolate mousse, lemon sorbet, dehydrated lemon, edible flowers Each course brought its own whimsy and personality.

Every time I tasted a new course, I immediately deemed it my favorite. Partway through my meal I started comparing Moto to the best meals I’ve eaten. Surely this was comparable. When the ”buffalo wings” course was served to the table next to me, the server stated “We’re trying to make celery taste more like celery than celery itself.” When I received the “bitter roots” course, that same waiter said to me “We figured that you’d appreciate the Hudson Valley fois gras.” Finally the “chili cheese dog” was served and I stopped comparing my meal. They had managed to turn a common hot dog into a masterfully conceptualized dessert. The dish was hysterical. It was a dessert that looked identical to a hot dog. I was instructed to pick it up and eat it just as you would any other hot dog. It had me laughing through to the last bite. When the server came to clear my plate she asked me how it was. I was absolutely speechless.

Dumbfounded, really. I realized in that moment that Moto was the best meal that I had ever eaten. That realization gave me chills. She laughed and then informed me that Chef Farina wanted me to join him in the kitchen for my final course.

Before heading into the kitchen, my check arrived. I knew that the menu was $125 plus the cost of the drinks.

To me I think it’s incredibly important for us culinary students to dine out like this. It’s an investment toward your education, toward your career for that matter. I noticed that the drinks weren’t written on the check so I told my server. He informed me that they were, in fact, on the house. I was flattered. The service at Moto was spectacular. Everyone was so welcoming and genuine. It was fine dining without being pretentious. I was awestruck.

As I walked into the kitchen I couldn’t help but to notice how incredibly calm it seemed. The staff warmly welcomed me as one of them. Just then Chef Farina told me that he wanted to demo the dessert for me. I was thrilled! Chocolate mousse was placed into a bowl. It was then topped with dehydrated lemon crisps and edible flowers. Chef then prepared lemon sorbet for me using liquid nitrogen. He explained how the instant freezing technique was one that they used for all of their sorbets because of the incredible consistency that it creates. While enjoying her dish, I met Moto’s Executive Pastry Chef Claire Crenshaw, a 2007 CIA graduate. She explained to me their unique system of calling orders. Instead of a traditional ticket system, Moto uses a large television screen that shows each table, any specifications, and their current status. The tables were color coded based on the timing of their meals progression. This visual system made for a much more organized kitchen flow. The kitchen staff seemed thrilled to be fueling my education. Everyone really made me feel that they were happy to have me join them.

I thanked the entire staff once again and made my way out. I could have stayed there forever. The entire walk home I was smiling from ear-to-ear with a million thoughts racing through my mind. I was in utter culinary bliss.

Moto served food that was both flavorful and conceptual.

It was cutting edge, yet familiar. Chefs Farina and Crenshaw, along with the entire staff, were cranking out food with such personality. The service was exceptional, the food was sublime, and the meal was perfect. Quite simply, Moto was the best dining experience of my life.

LA PAPILLOTE

8

Eighth Annual Augie Awards

...Continued from page 1

scholarships.

Amy Zarichnak of West Hickory, PA, who will graduate with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts in July, was one of the students who volunteered to help. “Everyone comes from different circumstances,” said Amy, who is also the editor of the student newspaper, La Papillote. “This event is invaluable. Scholarships are appreciated in ways that cannot be measured. Only with this assistance are so many of us able to follow our dreams, be immersed in the world that we are passionate about, and realize the power of food.”

Left: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, Inc.

Half Of Nation’s Best New Chefs Are CIA Alumni

Each year, Food & Wine names the best up-and-coming chefs in the nation and six CIA alumni—half the honorees—are included in the magazine’s Best New Chefs class of 2014. The graduates are not confined to one region of the United States; they are each running the kitchens in top restaurants in different cities.

• Matthew Accarrino ’98, SPQR in San Francisco, CA • Greg Denton ’96, Ox in Portland, OR • Eli Kulp ’05, Fork in Philadelphia, PA • Joe Ogrodnek ‘02 & Walker Stern ’02, Dover in Brooklyn, NY

• Justin Yu ’05, Oxheart in Houston, TX The six CIA graduates, and other winners of this prestigious honor, will be showcased at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen this summer and featured in the July issue of the magazine.

“Food & Wine Best New Chefs set the trends for restaurants across the country,” says Dana Cowin, the magazine’s editorin-chief. In fact, some previous honorees who have gone on to chef stardom include Gary Danko ’77, Todd English ’82, Rocco DiSpirito ’86, Jonathan Benno ’93, Melissa Perello ’96, Roy Choi ’98, and Nate Appleman ’99.

Image by: CIA/Phil Mansfield

Alumni Win James Beard Awards

The James Beard Foundation Awards held each May in New York City are considered the food world’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. For 2014, five CIA alumni won Beard awards in chef, restaurant, and media categories: • Sue Zemanick ’01, Best Chef: South (Gatreau’s, New Orleans) • Stephen Stryjewski ’96, Best New Restaurant (Pêche, New Orleans) • Andrew Chabot ’02 (BPS), Outstanding Wine Program (The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN) • Francis Lam ’03, Best Profile (“A Day on Long Island with Alex Lee,”Lucky Peach) • Anthony Bourdain ’78, Best Television Program, On Location. (PBS’s The Mind of a Chef ) The CIA also had two alumni inducted into the Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who in Food & Beverage in America: • John Besh ’92, chef/restaurateur, New Orleans • Sherry Yard ’91, pastry chef/author, Los Angeles This honor recognizes people who have made “a significant and unique contribution to the American food and beverage industry.” CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan was an inductee in 2010.

In addition to the accolades earned by alumni, Greystone visiting instructor John Ash won a James Beard Cookbook Award in the Single Subject category for Culinary Birds: The Ultimate Poultry Cookbook (Running Press, 2013). This is Chef Ash’s second James Beard Cookbook Award. He won in 2005 in the Cooking from a Professional Point of View category with John Ash Cooking One on One.

....Continued from page 2...

More Honors For Up-And-Coming Alumni

The Zagat Guide for Chicago has recognized “30-under-30” young people shaping the restaurant scene in that city. Three graduates made this year’s list of “gastronomic game changers”: • Elana Green ’06, age 27, director of operations at Land & Sea Dept. restaurant group • Tim Havidic ’09, age 24, executive chef at iNG • Christopher Teixeira ’10 (Bachelor’s degree), age 26, executive pastry chef at Fifty/50 restaurant group The Zagat editors say, “These visionaries need to be on your mustwatch list. We’re certain they’ll be taking tomorrow’s dining scene to the next level.”

Above: Christopher Teixeria ‘10 Meanwhile, Nickolas Palamaro ’14 (Bachelor’s) is one of only a handful of young chefs from around the world selected to participate in the Spanish Gastronomy Training Program at the International School of Culinary Arts of Valladolid. This is a unique opportunity for young chefs to get specialized training in Spanish cuisine while learning about the culture, language, history, and contemporary issues in Spain.

Students at more than 2,000 culinary schools around the world were invited to apply for this scholarship.

Editorial

company made me sign a confidentiality agreement so that I can’t talk about it.

So, when people whine to me about the classes here, and about how the chefs are tough, or that there aren’t standards and instead each instructor is allowed to judge their cooking based on that chef ’s opinions, I laugh. I laugh because I know what I’ve seen out in the real world, and it is absolute chaos in corporations. Utter ignorance in running a company. Incredibly unethical behavior. Horrible people.

Mean people. Abusive people.

You think the CIA is tough? You think that the CIA does unethical things?

Wait until you get out in the real world, people. This is a simulated environment. You’re paying to be here.

You’re getting an education. You can leave if you want.

When you get a job, and your income is dependent upon it, and you need that income desperately, and you hate your job, and you hate your boss, and the other job prospects look just as grim? That’s when you’ll know true devastation to your soul. True vulnerability. True heartbreak. True hardship.

Unfortunately, every one of you will likely get your heart broken over something at some point in your life.

And if you’re like most of us, it will happen multiple times.

That’s when you’ll understand what I mean. Right now, the CIA might seem like an unfair, cruel, harsh world. But just wait, my friends. Just wait.

However, in an effort to not be such a suck-up, do you know what I do hate about the CIA? Let me tell you about some things at the CIA that make me crazy.

Moodle. I HATE Moodle. I don’t even like the name “Moodle.” I think Moodle, and the portal, are not intuitive, they have too much information scattered around, it’s hard to find what you’re looking for, and it feels cumbersome.

It makes me crazy that I haven’t heard much about this 5th term practical that I’m supposed to take. I know next to nothing about it. I realize that there is some information about it on the portal, but please see the paragraph above.

I’m actually quite angry about the costing exam, which didn’t have the correct answers on the test, and as a result, I got all confused, and almost failed it.

I think communication is sparse about our classes and how we are to proceed going into a new one – it almost always feels like I don’t have enough information about how we are to prepare for Day One. I think information in the course guides and on Moodle should be updated, ASAP. Those course guides are terrible. We need new page numbers for the new edition of ProChef !

But none of these issues here at the school can compare at all to the existential problems I’ve had in my life.

What I have learned in my life is, sh** really does happen.

Huge, horrible, crazy, heartbreaking, frustrating, hurtful things. This, on the other hand, is school. A very, very good school. If you are at the CIA, you are privileged.

Period. If the worst thing you have to complain about in your life is your chef or your classmates, we all should be so lucky. This is small potatoes, this kind of stress. I know it can feel like everything when you’re in it -- and I have faltered, too. But the CIA is a much softer place to fall than the outside world. You can criticize it all you want. I’ve found my happy place after twenty years of unhappiness in the workplace. I’d stay here forever if I could.

I hope no one out there has experiences like mine; but I will guarantee you, in ten years, your opinion of the CIA will change greatly.

Amy Zarichnak AZ772942@cia.culinary.edu “He who knows no hardships will know no hardihood. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of troubles.” ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick

May 22. 2014

BY: Emilio Cerra, AOS Culinary

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Ramps

Ever since spring started to creep around the corner, I’ve been hearing whispers about ramps as if they were some mystical unicornlike vegetable. I also received an email about the illegality of gathering ramps from federal land, which only added to the mysteriousness.

Allium trioccum –commonly known as mountain leeks, ramps, or wild leeks, among other names. Being the first green vegetable after winter, the people of Appalachia have celebrated it as a tonic to ward off winter ailments was a refreshing change from eating only vegetables that were able to be stored during winter such as potatoes. To this day there are yearly festivals celebrating the arrival of ramps.

Ramps are prized for their flavor, which is described as having garlic and onion notes as well as being mildly sweet.

The whole plant is edible, both cooked and raw. Ramps grow along the eastern United States and Canada, and are particularly popular in the cuisines of the rural uplands of the South as well as in Quebec, but are rapidly growing in popularity outside those areas. Ramps are generally not cultivated but rather foraged and are one of the first plants to emerge in the spring.

I was fortunate enough to be put in contact by Chef Brash with a fellow student here, Brad Lancaster, who previously ran the Foraging Club. Having grown up in this area, he has been foraging since he was 13 years old, so he is pretty familiar with the area. A few weeks ago, we drove out to one of his favorite places to forage ramps, about 45 minutes south of campus. Being right next to a spring-fed creek, plentiful would be an understatement when describing the amount of ramps. Lancaster said he, along with his friends, have been foraging for ramps there for years but have always been careful to not take too many, which has resulted in huge amounts proliferating now. It is important when gathering ramps, or any foraging in general, to be respectful of nature. Foraging relies entirely on the production of edible plants entirely by nature, so if you damage

CIA Students Win Competitions

certain areas or over-harvest, it can lead to the eradication of that plant in that area. When foraging for ramps it’s important to follow a couple of guidelines:

• Take no more than 15% of the total amount of ramps found in a given area.

• Consider only taking the leaves and leaving the bulb, allowing it to continue to grow.

• When taking entire ramps, take small amount from different clumps, this will actually help them spread more.

• Only take as much as you are going to use; there is nothing worse than taking a product that nature created and allowing it to rot in your refrigerator.

Foraging can be completely sustainable and allow an integration of flavors that are unique to that region.

So far I have used some to make a simple pasta, cooked some with scrambled eggs, fermented some, and pickled some of the bulbs in the style of maneul jangajji (Korean dish of pickled garlic in soy sauce).

Ramp season is almost over now, but there is always something to be foraged.

Jackfruit

BY: Yisi “Crystal” Tan, AOS Baking and Pastry Jackfruit, Artocarpus Heterophyllus, is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, but it is definitely not one of the more well-known fruits in the world. Jackfruit grows up to eighty pounds and reaches up to thirty-six inches in length and twenty inches in diameter! Jackfruit originates in parts of south and southeast Asia and it is the national fruit of Bangladesh.

Jackfruit has a large oval shape and generally weighs over 60 pounds. The thick skin covering has outer green spikes. These spikes protect a thick white spongey layer that cushions the directly edible orange flesh pods. The flesh is buttery and contains a large amount of dietary fiber.

Each orange fruit contains a large brown seed in the center that is edible when cooked. The roasted or baked seeds then taste like a cross between a potato and a chestnut.

The orange flesh of jackfruit tastes sweet and is similar to banana, pineapple, and mango. In fact, it is rumored that the flavor for Juicy Fruit gum is modelled after the flavor of the jackfruit flesh!

Jackfruit provides an enormous amount of energy and is a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. The seeds are a good source of protein. In fact, jackfruit is considered a miracle food by many because of its miracle-like nutrition density. “It’s a miracle. It can provide so many nutrients and calories – everything,” said Shyamala Reddy, a biotechnology researcher at the Uni-

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versity of Agriculture Sciences in Bangalore, India. “If you just eat 10 or 12 bulbs of this fruit, you don’t need food for another half a day.”

To eat a jackfruit means separating the orange pods first from the shell. To do that, use a knife to cut squares into the jackfruit and remove the area of center white pith.

Flip the jackfruit inside out and remove sections of the orange flesh. The flesh can be eaten ripe or unripe, cooked or raw, even as dessert, snacks, side dishes, or even as a meat substitute. The possibilities are endless. The seeds are very rich in protein and nutritious, they are gathered from the ripe fruit, sun-dried, and then stored for use during the rainy season in many parts of South Indian states.

This versatile fruit can be deep fried into crunchy jackfruit chips. Unripe jackfruit has a texture similar to chicken and is often used as a meat substitute. The seeds are dense and rich in starch and protein. Jackfruit can be made into sweet sticky rice, or incorporated in a smoothie or in an upside down cake in replacement of pineapples.

Jackfruit is a vegan food that is used in vegan recipes from barbecued, pulled jackfruit tacos to jackfruit “crab” cakes!

Image from: bakergal.com

Senior Melissa Gardner-Maillet was a winner in the Mid-Hudson Regional Business Plan competition held in April at nearby Marist College. Teams from five colleges in the area competed in five categories in front of judges who are investors, business executives, and community leaders in the Hudson Valley. Gardner-Maillet won the Products and Services category for her business plan for a bakery specializing in cakes. The judges were impressed with her presentation and ability to thoughtfully respond to questions. Melissa’s efforts earned her a spot at the statewide competition at the State University of New York College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany the weekend before she earned her bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry arts management on May 1.

Sophomore Timothy Alvarez won the Gold Medal among post-secondary students in the culinary arts category in the New York State SkillsUSA competition at Alfred State College in Wellsville, NY. Alvarez’s win marks the eighth straight Gold Medal for CIA students at the state level of competition. Alvarez will represent the CIA at the SkillsUSA national competition in June in Kansas City.

Baking and pastry arts management majors Arbil Lopez and Daniel Colonel earned medals at the American Culinary Federation Spring Culinary Classic at Schenectady County Community College. Lopez, a junior, made a chocolate centerpiece that won the student Silver Medal and Colonel, a senior, took home the student Bronze medal for his wedding cake.

LA PAPILLOTE

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AOS Graduation Speaker: Michael O’Keeffe Born and raised in New York City, Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe is the owner of The River Café, The Water Club, Liberty Warehouse, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and Pershing Square Café. Soon after graduating college and serving in the United States Army, Mr. O’Keeffe began his efforts to build a restaurant on the waterfront, which would combine three of his avocations—building, food, and being by the water. After 12 years of lengthy negotiations with the City of New York, he was given approval to create its first waterfront restaurant—The River Café. Located on the Brooklyn side of the East River, the Café opened in June 1977. During this 12-year waiting period, Mr. O’Keeffe built and operated eight additional restaurants.

The River Café received the Parks Council Award in 1978, The Municipal Arts Society Award in 1979, and was selected by French culinary guide Gault Millau as one of the five best restaurants in New York. The restaurant was also awarded the prestigious Ivy Award of Distinction from Restaurants & Institutions and one star in the 2009 Michelin Guide.

The success of The River Café inspired the city to propose a similar development to Mr. O’Keeffe on the Manhattan waterfront. The Water Club, located on the East River at 30th Street, opened in 1982, and currently ranks among the top-grossing restaurants in the United States.

Both it and The River Café have received the Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award and were selected to the Restaurant Hall of Fame.

Mr. O’Keeffe designed, built, and operated, for 18 years, the Cafe at Grand Central in the city’s Grand Central

Terminal. When the Cafe had to close during the terminal’s renovation, Mr. O’Keeffe chose to move it to Pershing Square at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. It was yet another extreme challenge—to build in a vast New York City Landmark located under a roadway, over a railway, and surrounded by major thoroughfares. The resulting Pershing Square Café received The Municipal Arts Society’s 1999 Preservation Award, given to recognize outstanding examples of building restoration in the five boroughs. There is only one such award given out each year.

In addition to creating numerous establishments over the past 35 years, Mr. O’Keeffe has served as a consultant for many New York City restaurants. He has also been invited to speak at the International Symposium on Ocean Space Utilization in Japan about his innovative waterfront architectural designs for the 23rd Street Development Project.

Mr. O’Keeffe has served on the board of directors of the Fire Safety Foundation, the Harbor Foundation of New York and New Jersey, and Fordham Preparatory School. He is a member of the Cardinal’s Committee of the Laity, the New York State Restaurant Association, and the Manhattan Waterfront Alliance. In addition, Mr. O’Keeffe currently serves on the board of directors of Audubon New York, The University of Limerick in Ireland, and Futures in Education, which was established to ensure the continuance of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens by providing scholarships and program support to students and schools most in need.

AOS Graduating Class of May 22, 2014

Culinary Arts Group #1

Front Row: Jim Nguy, Seth Marino, Carmine Mortellaro, Katie Ritchey, Noah Clickstein, Chad Evans, Aliosha Phillips Fridman Back Row: Nathan Lehman, Dan Shaw, Andika Patria, Konstantin Tsenovoy, Christian McKenna, Justin Josephson, Tyler Newell, Carlos Andrade

Culinary Arts Group #3

Front Row: Natasha Veloso, Tiago Freitas, Rashida Thom, Alexandra Tibbatts, Johnny Molina, Lucky Manuel, Sean Appel, Kyle Felker Back Row: Alyssa Rodriguez, Carlos Sanchez, Mijung Eun, Hafeezah Tindell, Paul Certo, John Hartman, Jess Crochet, Eric Dohrman, John Sébastien Hopkinson

Culinary Arts Group #2

Front Row: John Eboli, Alexander Tan, Hailee Catalano, Jacalyn Columbia, Selviana Christin, Arthur Kurtzman, Sean Fitzgerald Back Row: Anthony Townsend, Alexia Ayala, J. Hunter Evans, Ken Notari, Bryan Wilson, Anthony DeFrancesco, Samuel Beard, Charles Cruz

Baking & Pastry

Front Row: Marchelle Mckenzie, Sisile Maruzzelli, Jessica Colantonio, Giabriella Pirrone, Elyse Alexander, Jill Ketels, Maria Florez Back Row: Samantha Beauchamp, Megan Lent, Samantha Murphy, Jason Tucker, Eric Stock, Destiny Pearl Lucas, Jahdiel Patrick, Faye Zelepos

POT LUCK

May 22, 2014

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The Striped Bass Are Here The Way the . . . Gear Up ! ! !

Wind Blows

BY: Chef Greg Zifchak, CIA Faculty Contributor

Though I had spent two full years residing on this Hyde Park campus as a student here at The Culinary Institute of America between 1978 and 1980, I had never realized the true wonder that exists down the hill, just past those forbidden train tracks.

The Hudson River often drew me to its banks to glance at a passing barge, a sailboat, or one of its many lighthouses. Many times, I would just sit and take in the magnificent views of stately mansions from years past, which somehow eased the stresses brought on by my studies.

It was not until I had come back to the CIA as an instructor in 1989, that I realized what a prolific fishery the Hudson River is. Perhaps it was all the hype of PCB contaminants, or the fact that one of my past instructors would bellow out “Down zee Hudson!” whenever he wanted us to throw something away, that kept me from finding the Hudson River to be the world class striped bass fishery that it had become. No matter how much I now fish her waters, I am still awed by what this river produces each spring.

The Hudson is a primary spawning ground for the striped bass and from March until June, hundreds of thousands of large fish move north as far as the Federal Dam in Troy. They return from the salt water each year to their specific region of the river and wait for temperatures to become ideal for spawning and the survival of their larva.

These are anadromous fish, capable of regulating their salt and water balance to allow them existence in what might otherwise be a biologically unacceptable environment. They head for the ocean after spawning to continue the life cycle.

Other species following a similar pattern are the blueback herring, alewife herring and American Shad. Masses of these fish move into the river and small creeks, the herring being a major food source for the larger bass.

Since the striped bass comes up from the ocean, (spending only six to eight weeks in the river) and feeds predominantly on the herring (another ocean fish), I consume a few meals of a season’s catch without much fear of possible PCB contamination. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s recommendation is to consume one meal per month.

In the mid-Hudson region, the prime time to fish for “old pajamas” is May, with action beginning in April.

(Striped Bass are known in different areas by different names including, but not limited to: marone saxatilis, Latin for “dwelling among rocks,” stripers, rockfish, squidhound, linesider, herringhound, “old pajamas,” and just plain bass) The large females of the clan are affectionately known as cows, and the racy, lean males as “bulls” or “jacks.”

There have been years when fish were still being caught in June, but most years the water temperature has reached 62 or 63 degrees by then, prompting the spawn and their migration back to salt water. I personally had caught

BY: Irena Chalmers, CIA Faculty Contributor

fish as late as June 6th last season. The snow and cold weather we have been experiencing is keeping the water temperature below the ideal conditions for a full run up the river for stripers thus far. Fishing season for herring and stripers begins on March 15th and 16th respectively, each year.

The east shore of the river around the Mills Mansion can be a productive area. The water is shallow and warms a bit sooner than the deeper channel. The east shore has backwaters behind the railroad tracks that fill and drain through culverts with each tide. Some refer to these as “suckholes”and shore anglers can be found congregating around them, knowing that herring will swim into these areas, with the striped bass not far behind. The area just south of Mariner’s Harbor restaurant on the west shore can also be productive, with a 44lb’er being caught there two years ago.

The current New York inland (“sweet” or fresh water) state record for striped bass as of this writing, is a whopping 55lbs., 8 ozs.

When fishing, one never knows the exact moment that you may find yourself battling one of these monsters, which is precisely why you will probably find me easing my stress on the river these days.

The majestic views of the Catskills leave lasting impressions, and are enough to make one realize how fortunate we are to have what the Hudson River offers right here in our backyard.

For additional information on Striped Bass check out Chef Zifchak’s website at www.striperchum.com

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Poughkeepsie Plaza (Near Marshall’s)

Today we are becoming increasing aware of climate change, inequality, and issues related to fair trade. Biologist Edward O. Wilson says, “Our descendants are going to be mightily peeved to learn that they’re going to have to wait 10 million years — or five times the length of the entire history of the human species since its evolutionary origin — to see biodiversity recover from what we’ve done in less than 100 years.”

We are all in search of sustainable agriculture, without which we can’t hope to create a sustainable cuisine.

The erosion of topsoil is occurring at a rate seven times faster than it is being built up naturally. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

Some countries are living proof of the rich getting richer and the poor getting the wrong end of the stick.

When it comes to have-nots having even less, nowhere has Mother Nature been more unevenly-handed than in Africa.

This continent now suffers terribly and loss of topsoil is one among its many seemingly intractable problems.

In Namibia, for instance, as the late fall winds sweep across the dry land they lift up the topsoil and hurl it into the air where it forms swirling, dust-filled clouds that are pushed westward in the high atmosphere. Some of the particles fall into the Atlantic Ocean, providing a feast of nutrient-and-mineral-rich food for the plankton and krill that form the beginning of the food chain. The remainder ultimately falls on Florida’s farmlands, the islands of the Caribbean, and along the coast of Brazil, fertilizing the crops there free of cost — except to the hungry peoples whose lands are becoming impoverished.

These findings came from the first major atmospheric study to cover most of the South Atlantic region. Sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, it proved, rather conclusively, just how interconnected and interdependent the planet is. (The scientists, in case you were wondering, were able to identify the origins of the dust by chemically fingerprinting animal and plant residues as having originated in Africa.)

Dr. Michael Garstang of the University of Virginia, one of the study’s leaders, notes that dust from Africa has long been providing nutrients for the Amazon rainforest.

The historical record shows that the forest’s natural pattern of expansion and contraction has paralleled the expansion and contraction of African desertification. In consequence, Garstang points out, long-term strategies to protect the rainforest must also take into account its links with the global climate and the arid regions of Africa.

Have you considered the possibility of embarking on a career which uses your culinary knowledge to food legislation?

All In Good Taste

A Commentary on Life at the CIA as a Non-Traditional Student BY: Amy Zarichnak, AOS Culinary Well, it happened.

I cried. In class, to the chef.

The school finally broke me.

In my defense, I think anyone else would have cracked a long time ago.

Like, when I came back early from externship in January and didn’t have my externship manual finished. I came back early to take over the editor position of the La Papillote. So, my first three weeks back to school after externship consisted of learning the new editor position, putting out my first issue of the paper, finishing my extern manual, and working on the menu development class presentation, which was massive. I thought my brain would explode that block.

Then, the next extreme stress/time crunch came when I started Chef Pardus’s Cuisines of Asia class, which is very prep-heavy. The week I started that class, which ran from 7am until 1:30pm, we also started service class, which ran from 2pm until 7pm. It was a week of absolutely no time to do anything – and I had to put out an issue of the newspaper. The newspaper doesn’t care how busy you are. It must go out every three weeks. So, no matter what is going on in my life, I have to make it happen. It is a very time-consuming duty. So, this was my second enormously stressful period since I’ve come back from externship. You just have moments here where you panic, wondering how you’re going to get everything done.

Somehow , you do, but the stress can be really crushing.

Then there was Wines.

I didn’t think Wines class was going to be exceptionally difficult. Sure, I had heard that it was hard and that it was time-consuming, but I’ve been drinking wine for over twenty years. How hard could it be? Surely I knew more about wine than most of the students, right? I wouldn’t have to study as hard as them, right?

As it turns out, I knew nothing about wine. In fact, I was poorest at identifying any aromas in the nose of the wine. Honey?

White flowers? Salami? What? For the most part, it just smelled like the last 10 years of my life -- tears, heartbreak, and disappointment. Wine has always been my drug of choice, but as it turns out, being good at drinking it doesn’t mean that you’re good at identifying any of the parts that makes wine such a rich sensory experience.

So, this meant I needed to study and put time into it – time that I did not have.

Wine tutoring took up my evenings. I didn’t mind going, because I felt that it was hours spent on review and studying that I would not have spent studying at home. I was in the process of putting another issue out of the newspaper as my wines class was coming to a close. The editing process of the paper is long and laborious. Even when I have my copy editors go over the articles, I still go through every single article and edit it. This is a process that can take anywhere from 8 hours to 15 hours over the course of a weekend. After that, I look over the entire paper, ensuring that everything looks okay – and I still miss things. So, even a haphazard job of going over the finished product after editing is at least three hours. All of this, amidst trying to study to take a wines test, and two days later, a wines final. In addition, I had to attend three meetings in preparation for my next “class,” which was working at American Bounty. As I’m prepping to head into the restaurants, I realize that the class is from 6am – 3:30pm – 9.5 hours. That’s a much longer day than our standard 6 -7 hour days in the production kitchens. Plus, I was not assigned a regular station. I was assigned to the banquet station, serving anywhere from 13 to 88 on any given day. There was a banquet scheduled for the 2nd day of “class.” My partner for this station changed three times prior to the beginning of class, which was the week that I had two wines exams. I started the class on a Friday, and had class on Saturday.

The newspaper had to publish on Wednesday.

Kill me now.

I went into the first wines test as prepared as I normally am for exams – which means that I studied, but not as hard as I could have. I usually do fine with that amount of studying – no less than a B minus, which is what I anticipated I would get on the exam.

I took it, and realized there was more information on the test than I anticipated, things I most definitely did not know. But by process of elimination, I felt pretty good about how I answered them, and felt that I probably didn’t miss more than six, which would have yielded me a solid C. , I’m normally an “A” student, but because of my shortage of time, I was okay with a B or a C. I got my test back, and I had a 16 out of 25. That’s a 64 percent. I failed.

I failed my wines test.

I swear, the last time I failed a test, I was in third grade. I don’t fail tests. It’s unheard of in my life. But yet, I did.

And this caused me a problem: If I didn’t do well on the final, I could conceivably fail the class. If I fail the class, I’d have to wait another three week block to graduate, because I would have to re-take wines.

If I had to re-take wines, it would cost me another $4000, which I don’t have. I also would end up graduating in September, instead of at the end of July. Because of the break in August, I would end up paying rent for two additional months here if I didn’t graduate on time.

So, this was a problem for me.

Especially so because I was backed up getting the newspaper out. We have had some last minute problems with the last few issues, and we ended up having more problems again. The newspaper demands, and has to receive, my attention. This means that I didn’t have that much time to study for wines.

Somehow, I got it done. I couldn’t even tell you how, but I ended up getting an “A” on my final, which means my final grade in the class was a B minus. Normally, I would not be happy about that. However, at this juncture, my goal has changed from graduating with honors to just graduating, no matter what my grades are.

I made the incorrect assumption that by the time one makes it to the restaurants, the intensity of the demands of the school would level out. I had absolutely no idea that it gets more intense, harder, more time-consuming, more physical, and harder as you near graduation, not less.

So, as I headed into American Bounty, I was sleep-deprived, tense, I was coming off of my first failed test, which did nothing for my confidence, and I had a partner that kept changing for my station. When I finally got my final partner assignment, there was no time to really prepare with him for the station. It was sink or swim.

For the banquets station at American Bounty, you are basically preparing two courses for the banquet, which is usually at 11:30, and can be for any number of people but usually hovers around 50.

In comparison, those working on the line are prepping for about 15 covers per day. Our volume is higher than those working the line, and in addition, we can be making one of any of eleven appetizers and one of eight entrees. So, not only is our volume is higher than the line’s, but we’re also making a broader array of food, often for the first time. It doesn’t seem like much, but there are a lot of moving parts to a banquet, and we prep as much as five days in advance. So, you’re working on about three banquets every day – that day’s banquet, and you’re prepping for the next two days, as well.

The first two days my partner and I crashed and burned. I was prepared, but I had questions and was unsure about a lot of different elements to the process and procedures of pulling these events off.

I tried to lead the station, but that didn’t work because I didn’t know what I was doing. Plus, the chef, Dwayne Lipuma, had it all under control, and was leading. I felt like my partner and I weren’t coming together well, as I was trying to get control of the situation and he was content to be led by the chef. I felt that we should know our station well enough to not have the chef lead us, but my partner didn’t seem to care. I wanted to get up to speed quickly. I was working hard to ensure that happened. My partner was far more blasé than I was, and I was frustrated.

Then my partner got ill and had to leave. Mid-way through the third day of class, when we were again not doing well, my partner left for the day.

It was just me to deal with the craziness of the banquet station.

My partner hadn’t contributed anything as far as decision making, ordering, or planning, and now he was gone. Since it was day three, I figured there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be back, as you can still do an academic withdrawal up to the third day. We had gotten beat up enough and weren’t getting along very well in the few days we had together, I just figured my partner was probably going to withdraw and leave me there by myself.

In the midst of him leaving, my nervousness got the better of me, and I was getting screamed at by Chef Lipuma. Now, Chef Lipuma is one of the most spectacular human beings who has ever set foot on this planet. Always moving, he could literally run American Bounty by himself. Proficient in, well, pretty much everything – butchering, pasta making, cooking on the line, and able to mentally go through the walk-in, know what he has in-house and what needs ordered for the next day in a matter of seconds, he is the most energetic, organized, hardest working, sharpest chef I have ever worked under. However, he will ride a person if he feels they are not where they need to be in their own competencies for their station. And he can be relentless when he does that.

I had an extraordinary set of circumstances coming in: Coming off of a failed test, little sleep, chaos in my station as far as having multiple partners before Day 1, and my partner hadn’t staged in the restaurant prior to the class because he wasn’t on the original roster, which meant that he had no idea what was going on. I had had chaos with the newspaper, my station was way more work than I had anticipated, the days were longer, and I started on a Friday, and would finish my week on a Saturday, which also made that week I started seem much longer than normal - finishing Wines, starting Bounty. Then I had the pressure looming of my upcoming costing practical and the 5th term culinary practical.

What this yielded was the perfect storm of not enough preparation, not enough energy or sleep to unravel the mystery of the banquets station, a partner who was not knowledgeable about the station, and who then was just absent, and it resulted in utter discombobulation on my part.

Amidst my discombobulation, Chef Lipuma started asking me for different components of different dishes for different banquets.

Day three.

I had literally no idea where anything was, where we were on any of the prep – or even what the next day’s menu was or how many people we were to serve. I was simply losing control, and I felt like I wasn’t just losing control of the situation, I felt like I was losing control of my mind. I was literally overwhelmed with everything that I had going on in class, and everything that I had going on outside of class. I was scared that my partner was going to withdraw, and that I was going to have to continue to do everything by myself. At around the third time that Chef Lipuma told me that I was ruining his life because I didn’t know what I was doing, it got to me.

It happened.

The tears started to well up around my eyes, and I knew Chef was going to see it. He did, and he didn’t care. He kept battering me. I didn’t care that he kept battering me. The only thing I figured is that at least he knew I cared. I wasn’t going to talk back to him, disrespect him, or worse, give up and leave like two other people had already done. I tried to at least cry quietly as I worked.

There were people in the class who I didn’t know well, and this was their first impression of me: Incompetent crybaby.

This was the first time since I have come to culinary school that I have cried.

I felt like I needed a good cry after failing the wines test, but I didn’t have time. Now, all that build-up came out in class, right after service. It was embarrassing. I think everyone was stressed

in those beginning few days there in Bounty, but I didn’t see it, all I saw was the chaos of my own station and I thought everyone else was doing really well. At this juncture, I had two guys in my class, one of whom is a friend, and the other who I was just getting to know, who both said things to me in a snippy way, and I just felt the burden that I was carrying become a little too heavy. “I’m getting screamed at by chef and if you guys yell at me, you’re going to get it right back!” I snapped.

Not my proudest moment.

I rarely lose my temper, I rarely lose my composure. But I have been wound so tight for the past few weeks. I was trying SO hard to succeed at my station, only have to a partner who was, for all intents and purposes, completely not present, and literally so that afternoon. I was trying to understand and manage my station by myself. The perception was that I had help, but my partner was simply not there. So, in trying to carry this burden and lead, I was stepping out of my comfort zone, and I was doing things wrong, and I was getting beaten up by the chef for doing things wrong – but at least I was trying, at least I was present. For the last two days, my partner just gave up at ordering or planning in advance, and was just letting me do it. I snapped at him frequently. And the truth is, maybe he had just had it with me and the station, and I had no idea if he was coming back.

I realized I had to do it on my own.

I went home that night and got as organized as I possibly could be. I just wrote my partner off, and figured that I was probably by myself, and didn’t even bother to contact him. However that was going to play out, I was going to let it, as I didn’t have the energy to beg him to stay. I just figured if he showed up, that he would be bonus help. And that’s how I organized for the next day.

I woke up, and woke to a text from my partner saying that he was still ill and was not coming to class that day.

Of course. I anticipated that. As of day four, I still hadn’t had any real help from my partner. He had been missing 37.5 percent of the time since class started, so there was no point in counting on him at all, I felt.

So, I went in, and worked my butt off in American Bounty, and worked in a way that enabled Chef Lipuma to lead – which, I needed him to, because I still didn’t know how to run my station.

However, what I did was anticipate what needed to be done, and in doing so, I realized that Chef yelled at me a lot less. He was just looking for some planning and initiative on my part. So, I felt like we had a better working relationship that day. He told me that I had a much better day. Duh. I knew that because the yelling had stopped for at least thirty minutes.

It still was a rough week. It’s all very new, and when my partner did come back he still didn’t do any heavy lifting. The third day that he was back, the he cut himself and went to Emergency One, leaving me alone for another couple hours. This part has been frustrating. But, I decided to just let it go. He is free to pursue his education however he chooses. I am just very serious about my classes and I hate being unprepared. My partner can be a very hard worker and is definitely smart. I’m just way older than him, and think about things differently than he does. So, I just decided to let it be and let him work how he wanted to, and I would continue to require as much out of myself as I could muster.

The week finished out quietly, which was amazing considering that it started with yelling, chastising, and crying.

Then came the costing exam, and that experience was just as stressful and horrible as the past six weeks have been. For whatever reason, the actual correct answers are not on the test. They are not in the multiple choice answers – there are answers that are CLOSE to the correct answer, but the right answer is not on the test. I was so confused while taking this exam, and questioned what I knew, that I ended up choking and got a 65%. That means I passed. By one percentage point. Again, not like me at all, but yet, it happened.

Adversity does help you to grow, to get more confidence in yourself – but it also causes you to question yourself. However, sometimes you need that, too. No matter what, it’s always a growing experience, if you choose to embrace it as such.

My class will have ended by the time you read this, and the truth is, it never got any easier, and Chef Lipuma never stopped yelling at me/us, and it caused some issues between my partner and me. It sucks, because who wants to bicker with their partner?

I have no issues with him – but we didn’t work well together for a time there. Because I had been there by myself, I understood the intensity with which our chef wanted us to work. My partner didn’t seem to ”get” that until day ten, at which point our chef had absolutely zero faith in us.

I am not proud of myself for breaking down and crying in class. I’m not pleased that I yelled at my partner a few times. However, all things considered, the fact that I stumbled so late in the game is actually somewhat impressive. I didn’t want it to happen at all, but I think that up to this point, I have been one tough girly who has delivered consistently. I’m disappointed that I’ve had a hard time with wines, managing the newspaper, my costing exam, and dealing with my first block in restaurants, but some experiences are more challenging than others at this school. I thought when the end was in sight, it would get easier. But it hasn’t, the time commitment has gotten bigger, and the workload has gotten heavier.

And this is why we are so proud of ourselves here at the CIA when we graduate. Because we really have accomplished something huge.

We made it!

I can’t wait to say that.

At the time that this paper comes out, I have two months left.

I hope I make it!