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.
Changemakers
Vice President Kamala Harris and Representative Nanette D. Barragan, met with a small group of Washington, DC-area Latina small business owners in the Ceremonial Office at the White House in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Among the business owners invited was Daniella Senior ’10, a Dominican-born restaurant owner who runs Cuban cafe and bar, Colada Shop; cocktail bar Serenata; and Latin American pop-up market, Zumo.
Awards and Accolades
Pastry Chef Daniel Budd ’87 will be honored as Red Hook, NY’s 2021 Citizen of the Year. Budd co-founded Red Hook Responds and Taste Budd’s Café. Red Hook Responds is a community outreach program that provides free meals and grocery delivery, pharmacy delivery, snow shoveling, virtual tutoring, food pantry bag delivery, and social visits to people in need.
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Perenn Bakery, owned by Aubrey O’Laskey ’13 and Tyler O’Laskey ’14, earned the top spot as Reno, NV, best bakery, as voted by Reno Gazette Journal readers. Voters chose the bakery’s almond croissant as their go-to item.
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Drive Wines was included as one of five under-the-radar wineries that people should know about in Sonoma County, CA. Co-owner and founder John Musto ’15 began Drive Wines in his garage, and has since expanded.
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Openings and Chefs on the Move
Renowned chef and TV personality Richard Blais ’98 is bringing a new tropical concept restaurant to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, FL. Set adjacent to Walt Disney World, the location is set to open later this year.
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Executive Sous Chef Seo Hee-myung, and Executive Chef Hwang Seung-hwan ’13, are opening a new café, Levain Rules, in Shinsegae Gangnam Seoul, South Korea, just six months after debuting their first location in Samseong-dong.
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The Circus Bar & Kitchen, a new restaurant in Sao Paolo, Brazil, takes patrons under the big tent, with circus-themed dishes, cocktails, and attire. Owner and chef Luis Otavio ’14, serves haute French cuisine alongside drinks with humorous garnishes including clown noses
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Chef and Owner Jeremy Salamon ’13 is set to open Agi’s Café in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. where he will showcase his grandmother’s Hungarian and Eastern European recipes. Agi’s will serve breakfast, lunch, and pastry, including schnitzel sandwiches, donuts, specialty cakes, and Shabbat dinner boxes.
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Brad Keen ’89, has been named chief operating officer of Boyne Resorts’ Maine and Michigan operations. He will oversee the company’s five full-service, four-season resorts: Sugarloaf and Sunday River, ME, and Boyne Highlands, Boyne Mountain, and Bay Harbor/Crooked Tree, MI.
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Chris Westcott ’79 was named chief executive officer of Iron Hill Brewery. He will continue the company’s growth into new markets throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Westcott most recently served as the chief executive officer of Rosa Mexicano.
Zack Wangeman ’13, the chef and owner of Sobre Masa, in Brooklyn, NY, is now opening a new venture; a tortilla factory and restaurant which will include retail and a bar. The tortillas will be made from imported heirloom corn in a rainbow of colors. Cocktails will showcase mezcals, tequilas, and other Mexican spirits.
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As part of its mission to showcase the versatility of authentic balsamic vinegar, The Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena teamed up with Michelin-starred Chef Jonathan Benno ’93 to create an original dish—Ravioli Monégasque with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. The partnership was announced ahead of Benno’s reopening his flagship New York restaurant.
Prime Time
Three CIA alumni are in the kitchen with Selena Gomez during season three of HBO Max’s Selena + Chef, which began streaming in late October: Gabe Kennedy ’10, Kwame Onwuachi ’13, and Richard Blais ’98. In each episode of the program, Gomez donates to the charity of her guest chef’s choice. Onwuachi directed his donation to the Kwame Onwuachi scholarship at the CIA.
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Origin Stories
In its monthly “Menu Masters Spotlight,” Nation’s Restaurant News featured a conversation between CIA alumni Nevielle Panthaky ’03 and Maneet Chuahan ’00. The two discussed how Chauhan mentored Panthaky, who was not only new to the CIA, but to the U.S. at the time they met. They also talked about their longtime friendship, and marketing and menu innovation—specifically, adapting global flavors and techniques for an American market.
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Chef Kenneth Foong ’16, head chef of three-Michelin-starred Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, opens up about his culinary journey and his guiding principles of teamwork in and out of the kitchen. Foong delves into his love for umami, working with Noma’s chef-owner René Redzepi, and what artists are on the Noma kitchen playlist.
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