Occasionally, and fortuitously, a passion in life is revealed in one’s
formative years. For Christina Olivarez ’05, corporate executive chef at
GNT USA in Tarrytown, NY, hers was awakened as a young girl watching
Saturday morning television. While her peers were tuning into The Smurfs, Christina was spending time with Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Jeff Smith, and Graham Kerr. “One of my favorite shows was Cooking Secrets of the CIA,” says Christina. “I was amazed that you could actually go to school to cook!”
As Christina got older, she continued to pursue her love of cuisine,
watching more cooking shows and reading cookbooks. When her plans to get
a degree in sociology in preparation for law school fell through, her
thoughts kept returning to her passion. “I knew I really wanted to work
in the food industry, so I checked out a couple of culinary schools and
then looked at the CIA,” she says. “The impact was immediate. I knew I
was going to school in Hyde Park.”
Recalling her time at the CIA brings back fond memories. “I remember
the first day I moved in to Hudson Hall and the first time I got my
uniform. I was so excited and proud.” Some of her coursework stood out
as well. “I loved when you actually got to cook and serve for the
student body, and I gained an incredible amount of knowledge from the
meat and fish fabrication courses,” Christina says. Working in the
Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici and Escoffier Restaurant prepared her for
the volume, speed, heat, and adrenaline rush of the professional
kitchen. “The opportunity to work in the restaurants on campus, not only
in the kitchen but in the front of the house, has been a tremendous
asset,” says Christina. “While still in school, I was able to have
hands-on experience with all aspects of the restaurant industry and that
has definitely been beneficial for my career.”
That career began when Christina attended a CIA career fair and met
with representatives from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, landing a job
before graduation. That position was a cook’s helper at MGM’s Fiamma
Trattoria & Bar, where she worked every station and learned all the
aspects of the kitchen. Later, when presented with the opportunity to
become a sous chef at the company’s Mexican-themed Diego, Christina
jumped at the chance. “I’ve always been intrigued with Mexican cuisine
since I was a little girl helping my great-grandmother make tortillas,”
she says. “At Diego, I was able to hone my skills and work my way from
sous chef to executive sous chef to executive chef.” Her rapid rise
within the organization is a significant accomplishment; Christina was
the only female executive chef under 30 across all 10 MGM properties. In February 2012, Christina was invited by the Food Network to participate in Chopped. “I really never considered television, but I went through with the
audition. It was nerve-racking and pretty intense, but in the end I had a
blast.” She also came out victorious, winning $10,000 on the episode
that aired on June 19, 2012.
After working in Las Vegas for seven and a half years, Christina made
the decision to move back east to Tarrytown and accepted the position
of corporate executive chef at GNT USA, the leading brand of Coloring
Foods for the food and beverage industry. Coloring Foods are made from
fruits, vegetables, and edible plants using a physical manufacturing
processed with water.
Christina attributes another big part of her professional success to
the CIA. “The education you receive from the CIA sets you up to get into
the industry and it’s a great thing to have on your résumé,” she says.
“The alumni network is unparalleled, and you’ll have those connections
for the rest of your life. When I hire CIA graduates, I expect them to
come in, work hard, and carry themselves with poise, because they’ve
been trained at the best school in the country.” The very same school
that inspired Christina on TV so many years ago.