The Culinary Institute of America

Contact:

Jeff Levine
Media Relations
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu

Hyde Park, NY, March 26, 2009 – Ferran Adrià, chef and co-owner of Spain's famed elBulli, spent a day with students at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY on Wednesday, March 25. elBulli has been selected as the best restaurant in the world four times in the last six years by England's Restaurant magazine.

In the morning, about 1,100 students came to hear Chef Adrià speak about his culinary background and cooking philosophy. The 90-minute presentation included an opportunity for students to ask questions of the man who is widely considered the best and most innovative chef in the world today.

In the afternoon, Chef Adrià's cooking style—which he calls "deconstructivist"—was on full display while he showed how he develops recipes with unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature, and texture. The two-hour demonstration was a treat for the more than 1,300 students and faculty attending, as Chef Adrià rarely cooks away from elBulli and his test kitchen in Barcelona, Spain.

The following day, Chef Adrià received the college's Augie™ Award as Chef of the Year during the annual CIA Leadership Awards dinner at Cipriani 42nd St. in New York City.

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Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees, as well as certificate programs, in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. As the world's premier culinary college, the CIA has a network of more than 37,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Michael Chiarello, Cat Cora, Steve Ells, Todd English, Duff Goldman, Sara Moulton, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The college has campuses in New York (Hyde Park), California (The CIA at Greystone, St. Helena), and Texas (San Antonio). In addition to its degree programs, the CIA offers courses for professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as wine education.

For more information, and a complete listing of program offerings at each site, visit the CIA online at www.ciachef.edu.

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