Chef Ryan Luttrellis a lecturing instructor of Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts at CIA. At the college’s Greystone campus in St. Helena, CA, he teaches both lecture and hands-on courses in The Bakery Café by Ghirardelli, where students gain real-world experience operating a bakery café open to the public. Among the courses he has taught are Culinary Fundamentals, Modern Banquets, À La Carte Cooking, High-Volume Production, and Café Operations.
Before joining the CIA faculty, Luttrell built a wide-ranging career as a private chef, chocolatier, food stylist, and operations manager. He has managed restaurants, hotels, and events, including all food operations for six Super Bowls (2008–2013) and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship (2008), and prepared high-level cuisine for ultra-high-net-worth clients, including celebrities.
Luttrell also founded and was lead chocolatier of the California Chocolate Company in Manhattan Beach, CA. Known for its hand-painted confections, his artisan creations were featured on NBC, Food Network, in GQ, and at special events over his eight years in business. He also is an experienced educator, having served as dean of Culinary Arts at the New School of Cooking in Culver City, CA; artisan bread baking and plated desserts instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, CA; and program director at L’Ecole Culinaire in Memphis, TN.
Born and raised in Middleton, TN, Luttrell is also an avid artisan baker and writer. His articles have been published in national publications, including Southern Living and Veranda, and his recipes in numerous cookbooks. A basketball fanatic who passionately roots for NBA teams, his book, Blue Dream, is his firsthand account of his days spent in class at the University of Memphis and his nights researching and influencing the school’s next basketball team.
At CIA, he is the founder and faculty advisor for the student club, the Grain Gang, which works in wheat fields, tending to ancient grains. They also work on numerous academic research projects as well as research and development of recipes used by numerous elementary schools. Luttrell has spoken about the work and findings of the Grain Gang at conferences such as Worlds of Flavor® and Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives. The Grain Gang and Luttrell have been featured in a documentary produced by BBC Storyworks.
In addition to his associate degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from CIA, Luttrell holds a master’s degree in Sports Commerce from the University of Memphis (UM) and three UM bachelor’s degrees: in Legal Aspects of Sports Management, Spanish, and French. He also attended law school and won a “Best Memoriam” school award during his freshman year. He is an active member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a global initiative co-founded by CIA and Stanford University to advance healthier, more sustainable food systems.
When he’s not cooking, reading or writing, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, gardening, and listening to music, especially live concerts. He also collects autographs.