Iconic Chef Leads Top
Staff, Purveyors, and Protégés in Sense
of Urgency
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – Expecting a cooking demonstration from one of the world's greatest
chefs, students at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) instead were treated
to something completely different from Thomas
Keller on Monday, May 13.
The college hosted Thomas Keller Day at its Hyde Park campus
with a keynote address from Chef Keller and breakout sessions covering
various
restaurant business topics. The day was scheduled to conclude with a
"culinary
presentation." Instead of a traditional demo, Chef Keller made his
stage debut,
leading top staff members from his celebrated restaurants including
Eli Kaimeh '00 of Per Se, purveyors, and celebrated protégés
such as Grant Achatz '94 and Jonathan Benno '93 in a one-act play.
"You often hear it said that restaurants are like theater,
with a front of the house, a behind-the-scenes crew, a colorful cast of
characters, a creative script," Chef Keller said. "Today we thought we'd take
it literally."
Sense of Urgency was
the result—a performance developed by Keller's team that portrays an evening of
service at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA and named for the wording on a
plaque that hangs under the kitchen clocks in all of Chef Keller's restaurants.
The French Laundry is a Michelin Guide three-star restaurant that was honored as the World's Best Restaurant by UK-based Restaurant magazine in 2003. "We observe the process of execution
and the importance of relationships between the purveyors, farmers, and
craftsmen of the products these chefs will use to serve their guests," explains
the Playbill.
Close to 1,000 CIA students attended the performance and
hundreds more participated in the earlier presentation and breakout sessions,
which were simulcast to the college's campuses in Texas and California. Twenty
lucky students were selected to have lunch with Chef Keller.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Images
Photos 1–4: The
performance of Sense of Urgency by
Chef Thomas Keller with his top staff, protégés, and purveyors at The Culinary
Institute of America on May 13, 2013. (Photo
credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
View hi-res image 1 > | View hi-res image 2 > | View hi-res image 3 > | View hi-res image 4 >
Photo 5: Curtain
call at the conclusion of Sense of
Urgency, a one-act play by Chef Thomas Keller, held at The Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY on May 13, 2013. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
View hi-res image >
Photo 6: Twenty
CIA students won a lottery to have lunch with Chef Keller during Thomas Keller
Day at the college's Hyde Park, NY campus on May 13, 2013. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
View hi-res image >
Photo 7: Purveyor roundtable breakout session during
Thomas Keller Day at The Culinary Institute of America was moderated by
Jonathan Benno '93 (far
right), executive chef of Lincoln Ristorante in New
York City, and featured Rick and Michael Mast of Mast Brothers
Chocolate
(left). (Photo credit: CIA/Phil
Mansfield)
View hi-res image >
Photo 8: Grant Achatz '94 chats with CIA students following his breakout
session "From Kitchen to Restaurateur," during Thomas Keller Day at
The Culinary Institute of America, May 13, 2013. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
View hi-res image >
Photo 9: Playbill
for Sense of Urgency, a one-act play
by Thomas Keller—featuring Grant Achatz, Jonathan Beno, and others—that debuted at The Culinary Institute of
America during Thomas Keller Day at the college's Hyde Park, NY campus on May
13, 2013. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil
Mansfield)
View hi-res image >
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent,
not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in
culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and culinary science, as well as
certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the
world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the
areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines &
cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 45,000
alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz,
Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for
professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of
innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has
campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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