CIA alumni are always cooking up something interesting, and with a network of more than 50,000 strong, there鈥檚 never a shortage of highlights!
Awards, Accolades, and Competitions
Matthew Balke 鈥�07, was selected as one of 10 finalists to compete in the 11th annual Quest for Texas Best competition, a search for innovative grocery products, sponsored by H-E-B, a Texas grocery chain. Balke entered the competition with his blue corn pancake mix with butterscotch chips and was awarded the $10,000 third prize. His entry and winnings were both reported on by local Dallas news station WFAA.
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Arkansas Attorney General, Tim Griffin, nominated Payne Harding 鈥�12, owner of Cache in Little Rock, to represent Arkansas in the 20th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off on August 3, 2024, in New Orleans.
A roundup of the five best things that Minnesota Star Tribune food writers ate during the week included John Michael 鈥淛M鈥� Lynch鈥檚 鈥�05 Lucky Peach pizza from his Farina Rossa artisan pizza pop-up.
A roundup of the 鈥渂est new restaurants in metro Detroit,鈥� by Hour Detroit included Jordan Smith鈥檚 鈥�14 Coeur, in Ferndale, MI. In addition to Smith, Sean Crenny 鈥�20 serves as beverage director and curator of specialty wines.
The Hudson Reporter published their list of the top 10 restaurants in Morristown, NJ. On the list were three restaurants with CIA alum ties:
- James Laird 鈥�90 of Restaurant Serenade
- David Burke 鈥�82 of 1776
- Eric LeVine 鈥�90 of Morris Tap & Grill
Forbes Travel Guide selected their ten best brunch spots in the Bay Area, including the following locations with CIA alumni at the helm:
- Dalida, San Francisco, Sayat 鈥�14 and Laura 鈥�14 Ozilymaz
- Che Fico, San Francisco, David Nayfeld 鈥�05
- Early to Rise, San Francisco, Andrew McCormack 鈥�09
- The Bungalow Kitchen, Tiburon, Daniela Vergara 鈥�16
Celebrations and Special Events
Matthew Dolan 鈥�98, is the chef behind the pop-up event Taste of Thrones, a Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon inspired interactive, immersive dinner experience at 25 Lusk restaurant in San Francisco.
Forbes reported on Kwame Onwuachi’s 鈥�13 fourth annual Family Reunion, which took place from August 15 to August 18, with approximately 1,000 attendees and 40 chefs. Two percent of ticket sales and 50 percent of funds raised in the auction will be donated to the Kwame Onwuachi 鈥�13 Scholarship Fund.
Middleburg Life shared the story of Louis 鈥�74 and Lydia 鈥�74 Patierno who met at CIA and whose restaurant, Girasole, celebrated its 20th anniversary in August. Their three children all worked in the restaurant located in The Plains, VA.
Openings and New Beginnings
Pike鈥檚 Peak Courier wrote about the new Woodland Park, CO, restaurant, Boards and Barrels, which is co-owned by David Platzer 鈥�93 and wife Carrie.
A press release announced Patrick LeBeau 鈥�12 was named executive chef of the culinary team at the award-winning Hotel Hartness in Greenville, SC.
Roc City Magazine, a Rochester, NY, magazine, reported on the opening of Microclimate, a restaurant owned by Anthony Do 鈥�06 and his business partner, Ellie Dolan.
The lifestyle magazine, Mann 17吃瓜网黑料 Town, shared a piece on the June 3, opening of Bonito 47 in New York City by Joshua Kessler 鈥�17. Bonito 47 features a new kosher fine dining experience that combines traditional Japanese Omakase with a classic American steakhouse.
The Robb Report shared how Jake Santelli and husband, chef Julian Hagood 鈥�07, transformed a house into their first hotel property, Harry鈥檚 Guest House, in Seattle鈥檚 Capitol Hill neighborhood. The couple also own the restaurant, Harry鈥檚 Fine Foods, next door.
The New York Times announced the opening of SEA by Jungsik Yim 鈥�05, a 2022 CIA Leadership Award honoree. Yim previously found success with the restaurant Jungsik in TriBeCa, which made him the first Korean to win a Michelin star鈥攖hat star was soon followed by a second for his New York location. Jungsik Seoul was likewise awarded a star in 惭颈肠丑别濒颈苍鈥�s inaugural Seoul publication and a second a year later. He plans to open SEA Lab downstairs next year, which will have an open kitchen and 15-seat counter for special dinners.
The Tahoe Daily Tribune profiled Castle Rock Creamery, owned and co-founded by Josh Fisher 鈥�97. The creamery opened earlier in the summer in Lake Tahoe, offering small-batch, artisanal ice cream.
A press release announced chef Omar Flores 鈥�06 and the Marshi Family, have opened Even Coast in Dallas with a diverse menu. Flores has won multiple awards, including being nominated for the James Beard award for Best Chef Southwest.
Glens Falls Business Journaldeclared Jenny and Chris Dore 鈥�04 have brought new energy to their recently acquired The Peppermill Family Restaurant, a popular diner in South Glens Falls, NY.
Eater New York and Grub Street New York featured Miro 鈥�10 and Shilpa 鈥�08 Uskokovic鈥檚 Hani鈥檚 Bakery, opening in East Village in the Fall. The couple were international students who met at CIA and named the restaurant after Miro鈥檚 mother.
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The Dayton Daily News reported that Ashmore Cakes, owned by Ashley Knapick 鈥�21, would move into Spark Fairborn on September 1, 2024. In the article, Knapick expressed her appreciation for her CIA training and said her favorite class was confectionary arts.
Recipes for Success
Grace Goudie 鈥�16, shared her Calabrian shrimp and grits recipe with South Chicago鈥檚 Daily Herald. In this recipe, Goudie uses Calabrian sausage produced by fellow alum Chelsea Maschhoff鈥檚 鈥�16 Lottie鈥檚 Meats, based in Denver, CO.
Edouard (Edy) Massih鈥檚 鈥�16 new book, Keep It Zesty: A Celebration of Lebanese Flavors & Culture from Edy鈥檚 Grocer, was included in Canton, MA, publication, The Canton Citizen. In the piece, which called him a rising food star, Massih recounted that writing the cookbook was a dream come true.
Utah Stories shared highlights of Chef de Cuisine Larry Abrams鈥檚 鈥�00 new summer menu at RIME Seafood & Steak restaurant at the St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City, UT.
St. Louis Magazine shared Chris Bolyard鈥檚 鈥�00 advice for barbecues, emphasizing the importance of sides, sauces, and salads to create a crowd-pleasing, well-rounded get together.
Manu Chandra 鈥�03 was included in an Eater Chicago article about Indian cheese makers. The popular chef launched a cheese cave in Bengaluru in southern India producing cheese under the Begum Victoria label.
Interviews and Profiles
Chopped and Supermarket Stakeout winner Jesse 鈥淐hef Kirk鈥� Kuykendall 鈥�15 was interviewed about their career, restaurant Ocho in San Antonio, and their personal journey of coming out as non-binary to their mother鈥攁n experience they said was both difficult and rewarding.
Garrett Dakan 鈥�99 shared his vision for Stone House, a fine-dining restaurant in Nevada City, CA. He joined the restaurant鈥檚 culinary team as executive chef almost two years ago.
Jesikah Stolaroff 鈥�12 was interviewed as part of Martita Mestey鈥檚 ongoing 鈥�5 Things I wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur鈥� series on Medium. Stolaroff is the owner of Vim Dining & Desserts in Santa Cruz, CA.
Richard Parente 鈥�00 and his wife Cassie spoke to the Albany Times Union about their sustainability practices, including raising their own livestock for their restaurant, Clock Tower Grill, in Brewster, NY.
Mark Soliday 鈥�99 and his wife Marie, owners of Confectionary Designs in Rehoboth, MA, were profiled by The Providence Journal. The couple, whose business is fueled by Newport weddings, recently made cakes for the weddings of Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo, and Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and San Francisco 49er Christian McCaffery.
Greenpointers, a Brooklyn, NY news site,interviewedchef Samantha Short 鈥�12, who was part of the opening team at the popular local restaurant, Nura, and now also leads the kitchen at Pan Pan, a bakery by day that becomes the wine bar, Vino Vino at night. Short is currently splitting time between the two restaurants.
Dan Pelles 鈥�15, executive chef of The Coal Office in North London, was interviewed by Luxury London magazine. In the interview, which discussed his life and career, he called studying at CIA amazing and said his greatest lesson was discipline and professionalism he learned.
The Westfair Business Journal highlighted Brittany Vellucci 鈥�08 and Michael Ridd 鈥�08, owners of the award-winning gluten-free Wildcraft Baking Co. in Irvington, NY. The couple met while studying at CIA.
The Sedona Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau featured Mercer鈥檚 Kitchen Group, owned by Mercer Mohr 鈥�85 on its website. Mohr is the owner of four award-winning restaurants in Sedona, including Ren茅 at Tlaquepaque, Rascal Modern American Diner & Bar, Creekside American Bistro and Mesa Grill Sedona.
Sarasota Magazine shared the story of Chef Jordan Moore 鈥�12 who has worked with the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key since 2019 to the delight of the artists-in-residence.
Chronogram profiled the Louisiana-inspired Barbue Bar restaurant in Eastdale Village, NY. Ryan Viator 鈥�08, a Louisiana native, is a co-owner of the bar.
Rave Reviews
Orlando Weekly reviewed Schmankerl Stub鈥檔 in Orlando, FL, a German-cuisine-inspired restaurant owned by Daniel Gabor 鈥�22.
PaperCity Houston profiled The Marigold Club in Houston, TX, including a review of the British and Gallic haute cuisine menu crafted by chef/partner Austin Waiter 鈥�14.
Making a Difference
Cat Cora 鈥�95 was featured in a cover story and interview for Woman鈥檚 World about her celebrated culinary career. Cora discussed childhood cooking memories, successes and failures, inspiration, and becoming an ambassador of Little Kitchen Academy, a cooking school for kids aged 3 to 18.
A press release announced that Helping Harvest, a Philadelphia community food bank, hired Amanda Richards 鈥�05, as director of culinary operations for its Community Kitchen in Reading, PA.