With 2018 coming to a close, we’re looking back at some of CIA’s most memorable moments and achievements throughout the year.
1. Apple Pie Bakery Café reopened its doors
Our favorite café underwent its first renovation in 18 years and was expanded to better accommodate our students and guests. The new layout also includes a full table service experience for the first time!
2. CIA partnered with Asahi Shuzo to bring sake brewery to Hudson Valley
Earlier this year, the college signed a landmark agreement with the Japanese sake producer to help further the education of Japanese cuisine and culture for CIA students, food enthusiasts, and food industry professionals.
3. Applied Food Studies (AFS) majors built an apiary
Students in the AFS Project Class led by Dr. Maureen Costura created an apiary this Spring, home to more than 30,000 bees and other pollinators. We are anticipating up to 120 pounds of honey each year, to be used in the college’s baking and pastry classes and on-campus restaurants!
4. Baking and Pastry Arts faculty gained four new master bakers
Four more CIA chef-instructors earned the title of Certified Master Baker (CMB) this year, bringing CIA’s total to 18 CMBs across all of its campuses! CIA students are truly learning from the best of the best.
5. CIA’s online master’s program was launched
The college welcomed the inaugural class of 22 master’s students for the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Food Business program, designed for working professionals who aspire to lead and help grow successful food, beverage, and hospitality business ventures.
6. We welcomed our first group of hospitality management students
We unveiled a brand new bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and welcomed our first class this fall!
7. CIA Grads were honored at this year’s Leadership Awards
The 2018 honorees were Anne Burrell, Julia Collin Davison, Amanda Freitag, Sara Moulton, and Geoffrey Zakarian. All five Augie Award recipients are #CIAGrads and “Stars of the Small Screen.”
8. Worlds of Flavor® celebrated 20 years
CIA’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary of bringing together chefs from around the world to share their techniques, ingredients, and dishes. This year’s theme was Legends of Flavor: Worlds Cuisines, Immigrant Kitchens, and the Future of American Food.
9. Our Steels basketball team was featured on ESPN
CIA Steels got in on the March Madness fun this year when ESPN produced a segment with reporter Kenny Mayne, about CIA’s basketball team being “snubbed” on Selection Sunday and not making it into the NCAA Tournament.
10. Our students swept the competition at SkillsUSA
Three CIA students went to the national SKillsUSA competition and all of them came away winners in their respective categories!
11. President Ryan was honored as an American Culinary Pioneer
As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, The Inn at Little Washington honored CIA President Dr. Ryan as a culinary pioneer.
12. Buddhist nun and chef Wookwan visited CIA
We hosted some very special guests at our New York campus this year, including Buddhist nun and chef Wookwan, who demonstrated Korean temple food recipes for students in our Cuisines and Cultures of Asia class.
13. Some incredible #OnlyAtCIA moments were captured
Throughout the year, we featured many beautiful photos from CIA students and alumni on our Instagram account, from delicious food to precious family moments.
14. We announced a new concentration in Mediterranean cuisine
In a joint initiative with the University of Barcelona, CIA announced the creation of the Torribera Mediterranean Center that will offer two master’s degrees with a focus on the Mediterranean Diet, as well as a Mediterranean concentration program for CIA bachelor’s students.
15. We gave back to our community
CIA students, faculty, and staff continued the tradition of giving back to our community throughout the year. We increased our Food Bank donations from once-a-week to three days each week, made over 3,500 PB&J sandwiches to benefit local food pantries and homeless shelters, and delivered more than 500 treats to local first responders.
16. Students raised more than $20K for scholarships and charities
As part of the Food Business Management bachelor’s degree, seniors in the Foodservice Management course develop and execute a fine-dining event as a final project before graduation, and the proceeds are split between selected CIA scholarship funds and charities. To date, students have raised over $413,000!
17. CIA students made more than 1000 pies for the holidays
What more can we say? The pie boxes were stacked high in the Apple Pie Bakery Café when students created more than 1,000 apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.
18. We heard from many great commencement speakers
From Traci Des Jardins, Julia Collin Davison, and Michael Ferraro to Emma Bengtsson, Dale Talde, Christina Tosi, and Ivan Orkin – we’ve had some amazing speakers grace our commencement stage this year.