CIA alumni are always cooking up something interesting, and with a network more than 50,000 strong, there’s never a shortage of highlights! Here are just a few examples of CIA alumni in the news this past month.
Openings and Chefs on the Move
Kelly Mullarny ’83 first founded the concept of Bruxie in Orange County, CA in November of 2010, presenting a new take on the sandwich. Bruxie hand-breads and hand-batters all the ingredients to prepare delectable dishes for its diners.
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Anya Peters ’16 started Kit an’ Kin, a pop-up business based in New York City, which she refers to as a “vessel” for sharing Caribbean foodways through education, meals, and celebrations. She watched her grandmother season food and took notes, soaking in her lessons.
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Wendy Gauthier ’97 joins Ventana Canyon with 24 years of experience as a chef and 22 years in the Tucson, AZ area. During her time in Tucson, she has built an award-winning reputation within her community.
Parnass Savang ’11 and Rod Lassiter are owners of the new Talat Market in Atlanta, GA. For the past three years, they operated as a pop-up, creating menus on the fly and cooking in unfamiliar kitchens. Now, having their own space feels incredibly stable.
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Juan Placencia ’02, chef of ghost kitchen Brazas BBQ Chicken in Philadelphia, PA, opened a brick-and-mortar location. He wants to use his expertise to highlight the cuisine of his Peruvian culture.
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Jason Bamford ’08 comes back home to Birmingham, MI to open Zana, an extravagantly designed restaurant that features an alluring ambiance and bold flavor. With its lavish and elegant interior, Zana’s menu includes a selection of shared plates, salads, entrees, sides, and desserts.
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Alexander Holt’s ’13 restaurant Roxanne BYOB is the latest entry in Philadelphia’s flourishing crop of restaurants serving laid-back tasting menus. Walking the line between “fine dining” and “fun dining,” her lively six-course menu, which runs $75 per person, changes weekly and feels less like dining at a restaurant and more like attending a private dinner party.
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Paul Dimm ’87 opened Scarlet Knife, a farm-to-table concept restaurant in Latham, NY. The menu is inspired by the seasonality of the region and features sustainable and locally grown resources.
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MaMou is the new modern French Brassiere in New Orleans, LA from Tom Branighan ’09. The European continental cuisine will draw on creole influences of Branighan’s childhood in New Orleans as well as show his appreciation for French style of cooking.
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Jamie Daskalis ’04 opened the Johnny D’s Myrtle Beach, SC location after growing up and living in New York. She’s worked in the restaurant business for 20 years alongside her father.
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Jamie Baribeau ’91 has joined the culinary staff at The Lincoln Home, a retirement community, as the new director. His wealth of experience, passion for utilizing locally sourced food to provide creative cuisine, and his affection for seniors makes him a great fit.
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Todd Humphries ’88 has kept mushrooms in the spotlight at his newly debuted space, Kitchen Door, in Napa, CA. Presenting them as soup, on pizza, tossed with rice, atop carpaccio and as pasta sauce and aioli, there are no limits to his creations.
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Ed Cotton ’98 is launching a pop-up out of the Oyster Room at Jack & Charlie’s in New York City. Featuring wood-fired pizza and a style he’s created that he calls “Metro-politan,” Cotton will offer everything from a classic Margherita pie to cocktails.
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Randall Baldwin ’05 opened Vintage 2298 in Auburn, AL. His love for food and honoring his mother is seen in the restaurant and the menu. Baldwin loves the lifestyle and instant gratification of seeing people enjoy his creations.
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Sofia Tejeda ’17 will elevate Hotel Emma’s one-of-a-kind baked offerings as the new Pastry Chef. Sofia Tejeda was featured as a presenter at the 2022 Latin American Cuisine Summit.
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Joe Isidori ’00, along with Millennium Restaurant Group, opened a new quick service restaurant, JoDog Craft Hot Dogs. Located in Tampa, FL, JoDog is a new street food concept offering chef-inspired riffs on one of America’s most iconic food items
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Origin Stories
Dante Mirafiore ’10, owner of Dante’s Pizza in New Canaan, CT, spoke to CTBites about his time in restaurants and his inspiration behind finally opening his own place.
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New and Noteworthy
Nicola Blaque ’16, U.S. Army veteran and owner of The Jerk Shack in San Antonio, TX, was featured in a piece celebrating National Veterans Small Business Week.
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Chef Jonghun Won ’06 sits down with Broadway World and talks about his time in the kitchen, his journey through the industry, and what inspires him.
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Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn ’09, Chef Pichaya “Pam” Utharntharm ’13, are the world’s foremost Thai chefs, reinterpreting classic Thai dishes and creating innovative dishes using modern techniques.
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Min Yo-han ’21 participated in “COEX Food Week,” a comprehensive food exhibition that celebrates its 17th anniversary this year.
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Mason Garcia ’13 will be featured at a Mississippi State University guest chef event on November 3, 2022. They will host an exciting dining experience with his signature native Louisiana dishes.
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Bri Risk ’06 is a PhD candidate in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. She sits down to talk with CSU Magazine about her research and background.
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Gizela Ho ’13 is ushering in a delicious new decade as executive chef at San Francisco’s Rich Table. A neighborhood restaurant relaxed enough for any night but they’re serving world class food and drink.
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Ron Duprat ’94 combines prestigious French techniques with tried-and-true Caribbean flavors at The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival in Miramar, FL. He has created dishes thar have captivated palettes on the biggest stages.
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Frank Pinello ’06 brings Brooklyn-style pies to New Paltz, NY with his new shop, Best Pizza. With local brews from Poughkeepsie’s Zeus Brewing Company, a stellar staff, and a minimalistic atmosphere, Best Pizza is eager to prove it lives up to the name one slice at a time.
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Yurum Nam ’12 is the executive chef of a new Korean-inspired steakhouse called Karne Korean Steakhouse in Houston, TX. Nam is making Houston his home base to cook with the flavors he grew up on in Korea.
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Dee Lavigne ’03 runs the only African American-owned cooking school with a New Orleans native as a teacher. She calls her academy the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking.
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Daniela Moreira ’14 and her husband, Andrew Dana own Call Your Mother, a bagel shop in Washington, DC. The store is quickly outgrowing its roots with expansion to seven Call Your Mother’s in the Beltway area.
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Brett Morris ’88 will be featured in the January/February 2023 issue of Club Management magazine as the Club Management Association of America’s Club Executive of the Year. Morris currently serves as the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer of The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, FL.
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Michael Savino ’94, the namesake of Michael’s Cookie Jar in Houstan, TX, talks about his time in in the kitchen, and the inspiration behind his shop. Going against the norm, his cookies don’t rotate flavors, so your favorite is sure to be there.
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John Magsino ’09 is the chef de cuisine of Josephine, new Italian American restaurant in Jacksonville, FL. Featuring classic appetizers, antipasti, pasta, entrees and dessert courses, the menu includes four entrees and seven pasta offerings.
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Kayleigh Johnson ’14 and husband Luke Johnson work together to create an efficient kitchen at the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club in Melfa, VA.
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Joshua Needleman ’94, owner of Chocolate Springs in Lenox, MA, is celebrating 20 years in the coming new year. He talks of how he incorporates elements of Japanese design into the interior of Chocolate Springs and his inspiration behind opening up.
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