“The best things I like about the CIA are the chefs and instructors. They focus on you to a great extent, and that is why students who get a degree from this college do wonders in life.”
Major: Associate Degree in Culinary Arts
Campus: Hyde Park, NY
Hometown: Agra, India
How did you become interested in food?
I just love to cook food! The colors, flavors, and every activity in a kitchen make me active constantly. It is a place to learn each and every day. I like to eat all different kinds of food and I want others to experience something made from my hands which makes them happy. It’s just a passion.
Why did you choose the CIA?
I would love to open a small place where I can invite everyone to come and have food. Where else could I go, but to the heart of the culinary world in America, the CIA, the home of many of the most professional chefs and instructors? This is the best culinary college in the world.
How have scholarships and/or grants helped you reach your goal of getting a CIA education?
I did receive a student loan from the Government of Canada. One of the best things about the CIA is that the college is affiliated worldwide with lots of bank and government loans, which makes things easier across the globe.
What do you like best about the CIA?
The best things I like about the CIA are the chefs and instructors. They focus on you to a great extent, and that is why students who get a degree from this college do wonders in life.
—Rahul Sethi, CIA culinary arts associate degree student
What is your favorite dish to make?
My favorite dish to make is Chicken Tikka Masala. It is an Indian dish and is spicy. It reminds me of the very first job I started back home in India playing with the coal tandoor. It is awesome.
How has your CIA education prepared you for the business side of food?
This December I have been accepted as an extern in management training at Junoon, a Michelin-star Indian fusion restaurant in New York City. This college is even connected to the best restaurants around the world.
What is the best lesson you’ve learned while at the CIA?
Most of the chefs and instructors believe they have to make the student learn all different kinds of food while teaching hands-on, and we all have to be on time under any circumstances. Hygiene, communication skills, leadership, hospitality management—there are countless things I can mention that make us all successful.
What are your career goals and how will your CIA education help you get there?
My career goal is just to open a small restaurant and to be acclaimed in international media, and with the help of the CIA I am pretty sure I will be able to achieve it.
What advice would you give to a new student or someone who is considering attending the CIA?
This is the best college of the world. This place has great connections where thousands of the top employers around the world are ready to hire you. Everybody here is behind you to help you be successful, and that is the best thing.