Climbing the Culinary Ladder
Colin Whiddon ’01, co-owner and head baker at Three Brothers Bagels, was featured in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story about thriving local businesses that emerged in the wake of the pandemic.
The career journey of Steve Ells ’90, founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, was detailed in Global Brands magazine and in Forbes, as he made the World’s Billionaires List.
Kwame Onwuachi ’13, a 2025 CIA Leadership Award honoree, continues to make headlines:
- He made Time’s 2025 List of Most Influential People as an Innovator.
- He was photographed at the 2025 Time100 Gala and The Met Gala.
- He was a featured chef at the inaugural SAVOR festival in North Texas, which was attended by fellow honoree Elizabeth Blau. The New York Observer also reported in this article on other high-profile food events, including those by Rich Torrisi’s ’00 and Mario Carbone’s ’00 Major Food Group and Grant Achatz ’94.
- Forbes spoke with Chef Kwame about what makes him smile, his love of golf (and participation in the SAVOR celebrity golf tournament), and the common threads between Tatiana, his Afro-Caribbean restaurant in New York City, and Dōgon, his new Washington, DC, restaurant.
- He inspires other chefs, including Tam Pham, the chef and co-owner of Miami’s Tâm Tâm; Eric Adjepong, a CIA Worlds of Flavor® presenter; and Eric’s cookbook co-author Korsha Wilson ’07.
Openings and New Beginnings
Eloise—an American Bistro by Quincy Cherrett ’10 was one of four new concepts introduced with the reopening of Avanti Denver, a collective eatery.
Tarun Bangalore ’19 and Micha Hetrick ’18, who met while studying at CIA, have launched their Indian fried chicken (IndiHen) pop-up concept in Boston, MA.
Also in Boston, Christine Gibson ’14 will be taking over Island Creek Oyster Farm’s seasonal outdoor restaurant at the Seaport this summer.
Chef Devin Queen ’00 was promoted to executive chef at The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.
Chef Anastacia “AQ” Quiñones-Pittman’s ’05 has formed with two partners a new company, Oh Hi Hospitality, and will kickstart their venture with the opening of Eledi in the heart of Dallas, TX later this year.
Awards and Accolades
Chef Bart Nadherny ’04, owner of Burlington, Ontario’s Son of a Peach Pizzeria and The Sunshine Donut Co., earned a spot at the 2026 International Pizza Competition in Las Vegas, NV after winning first place at two national pizza competitions.
Congratulations to the alumni-owned and operated businesses that made Food & Wine’slist of the top 15 U.S. Restaurants, including:
- #1 Burdell (Oakland, CA), chef/owner Geoff Davis ’09
- #7 Yangban (Los Angeles, CA), chef/owners Katianna Hong ’05 and husband John
- #10 Stissing House (Pine Plains, NY), general manager Nathan Rawlinson ’07
- #12 Penny (New York City), chef/co-owner Joshua Pinsky ’07
Mario Carbone’s ’00 Carbone and James Tree’s ’01 Esther were both featured in travel publication Explore’slist of the best Las Vegas restaurants.
James Boyce’s ’88 Cotton Row restaurant in Huntsville, AL, was highlighted as a must-visit destination in the city.
Celebrating Heritage Through Food
Paul Carmichael ’00 has returned to New York City from Australia to open Bar Kabawa and Kabawa, a pair of Caribbean concepts, sharing his passion for the culture. Also, New York Magazine chief restaurant critic Matthew Schneier reviewed his experiences at Kabawa, which left him feeling “lighter in pocket and in spirit.”
Louis Locsin ’19 and Cara Davis ’12, both based in the Philippines, were included in a list of young, emerging chefs throughout the world.
Gregory Gourdet ’00 is bringing his vision of French food—folding in influences from North Africa, West Africa, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Tahiti, Reunion, Saint Lucia, Louisiana, Nova Scotia/French Canada, and Haiti—to the five dining concepts inside the newly opened Printemps in New York City’s Financial District. Gourdet is a lead player in the French luxury retailer’s first foray in America.
Fany Gerson ’98, an authoritative voice on Mexican sweets and founder and co-owner of Fan-Fan Doughnuts, was the featured chef on CBS Saturday Morning’s weekly food segment “The Dish.” The April 19, 2025 episode shared her culinary journey, from her very first visit to CIA as a high-school student. “The moment I entered,” she said, “I felt this sense of belonging.”
A Toast to These Wine and Beverage Newsmakers
John Walbeck ’92, wine director at Pittsburgh, PA’s Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and renowned whiskey master, was featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for his accomplishments, including being among the first five people in the world to earn a Master of Scotch certification.
Tasting Table tapped Top Chef Canada winner Matthew Stowe ’02 for an article on cooking with wine and mistakes to avoid.
Kaitlynn Bauman ’11 is expanding her culinary footprint in the Bay Area with Frankie’s, an upscale cocktail bar down the street from her successful Italian restaurant Norcina.
Lisa Brophy ’96 has opened The Wine Garden, a wine and cheese shop, in Lakeland, FL.
Jared Rouben ’06, owner of the Michelin-starred Moody Tongue Brewing Company, shared with InsideHook his insights on at-home pairing of beer and food.
Brandon Callihan’s ’07 Jean Bonnet Tavern was featured in a round up of local pubs. The Bedford County, PA, restaurant dates to around 1762 and is known for its extensive beer list, its food, and—according to Callihan—for being haunted.
Our Cooks with Books
NBC’s TODAY show invited multiple celebrity chefs—including J.J. Johnson ’07, Stefano Secchi ’02, Edy Massih ’15, CIA friend Daniel Boulud, and 2025 CIA Leadership Award honoree Marcus Samuelsson—on air to celebrate the launch of its new cookbook, TODAY Loves Food, which features recipes of the show’s culinary guests over the years.
The Star-Ledger of Newark, NJ, shared the story of staff writer Lauren Musni ’17, who found her passion for food writing while earning her associates degree at CIA at the encouragement of her writing professor.
Katie Reicher ’16, executive chef of Greens, shared her restaurant’s connection to the San Francisco Zen Center, the inspiration for her cookbook, and advice for home chefs looking to create more vegetarian recipes.
Food Is Love
Ian Willa ’04 and wife Georgia plan to open Poplar Pastries on Central Street in Evanston, IL.
Gretchen Hardy ’05 and husband Nate LaChance are celebrating their 10-year anniversary of opening Porch Café in Brattleboro, VT.
Adrian Patron ’14 and wife Dominique have opened their first standalone shop less than two years after opening Sndwch Miami in a Doral food hall. The new location on Sunset Drive expected to be just as popular.
Andy Christie ’91 and wife Catalina are opening Glazed Donut & Coffee Shop in Easton, PA.
Patrick Kenny ’07 and wife Andrea celebrate three years since launching Salt, Butter & Cream, their catering company in Rocky River, OH.