Alison Acquaviva is a lecturing instructor of Hospitality and Service Management on the New York campus of CIA, where she has been a maître d’ instructor for lunch service at Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici and dinner service at The Bocuse Restaurant. She has overseen service in the American Bounty and Apple Pie Bakery Café classrooms, teaching baking and pastry students the details of service and beverage management. In each of these roles, she blends academic instruction with immersive hands-on training in CIA’s student-run fine-dining establishments.
After 33 years in restaurant operations, Acquaviva joined CIA’s faculty in 2023, driven by a passion for mentoring and inspiring the next generation of hospitality professionals. Her career spans roles across both restaurant management and beverage sales, reflecting her deep expertise in front-of-house operations. She has held positions including wine sales associate for Young’s Holdings and Wilson Daniels Wholesale in New York’s Westchester and Putnam counties; restaurant manager for Village Social Hospitality Group at Pubstreet in Pleasantville, NY; assistant general manager for Blu Pointe Restaurant of Bonura Hospitality Group in Newburgh, NY; general manager for Village Social Kitchen & Bar in Mount Kisco, NY; and captain at Estiatorio Milos in New York City.
Earlier in her career, she held managerial and supervisory roles at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., TAM Corporation at Lundy Brothers Restaurant, and American Park at the Battery, all in New York City.
Acquaviva holds a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from the New York Institute of Technology and an associate degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales University.
When she’s not teaching in the restaurant and classroom, she enjoys experiencing food creations from the next hot spot. She also enjoys writing poetry and nonfictional stories. She practices yoga and walking to keep a clear mind. Alison has a son in college who brings great joy when he is home and can experience a great new recipe in the kitchen together.