Attending the Culinary Institute of America World Cuisine Boot Camp

I know, I’ve posted a lot of things already concerning by amazing trip to the Culinary Institute. But up until now, I’ve only hinted at many of the things that inspired me while there, and never really delved into the details of what really took place.

It’s time to remedy that.

Until you’ve done it, you won’t GET it. I can talk and talk, and you’ll get a better idea, but until you walk into Roth Hall, dressed in your chef whites and checkered pants, passing busy culinary students as they transition between classes, feel the rush of energy – you won’t GET IT.

I get it now. I am one of the lucky ones.

I enrolled in one of the longest Boot Camps the CIA offers – a 5 day World Cuisine Course. They offer a huge variety of options – Desserts and Pastry, Mediterranean, Basic Skills, French, even Grilling – but World Cuisine really called out to me. Learn a little from each type of cooking, and figure out how to implement it into my home life. For me, it was a great decision. I think about food in different ways now, even from a 5 day course. I choose spices I wouldn’t have thought of before taking the class. I use techniques with more confidence. I even chop better.

On our first morning on campus, the party started early. Roll call was at 6am, where we picked up our uniforms and name badges, our bags, and our recipe/class guide for the week. From there, we were lead to the dining hall to experience our first CIA meal.

Let me tell you something – other colleges do NOT eat like this.

The breakfast is prepared by students, and is incredible. Each morning it’s something new – something they are learning. I had challah French toast with caramel syrup my first morning, with a huge side of bacon and enough breakfast potatoes to feed my extended family. I didn’t manage a third of the plate. But I could have had a variety of things – breakfast burrito, biscuits and gravy, you name it. Pina Colada smoothies were also available that morning, and juice juice juice – any flavor you can imagine.

Not only was the food incredible, the dining hall itself is awe inspiring. The campus used to be a Jesuit campus, and the dining hall is housed in the room where services were held. Stained glass and soaring ceilings, details like you can’t imagine in a campus dining hall. Maybe I am easily impressed, but geez – I was IMPRESSED.

After breakfast, we headed off to change into our uniforms, and were in class by 7. That’s the way it worked the rest of the week – breakfast, then class at 7. Our Chef Professor was Chef Bruno. He is an amazing teacher – stern when needed, praising, and available and approachable. We were not hand held all week, we were treated as students. I’ll be honest – this is NOT a class you want to just up and take if you’ve never really cooked. I felt behind, but I hung in there. Luckily, there were student helpers that really did a great job of assisting as we needed it.

Each day we would have classroom time for about an hour and a half to 2 hours, then get into the kitchen. There were 11 of us in the class, divided into 4 teams. Each team was assigned a different region of the world each day, but each day was a similar theme. For example, one day was Asian Foods, so there was a Japanese team, Chinese, Thai, and Indian. One day we tackled the Mediterranean, so Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turkish…you get my drift.
The flavors – wow – the flavors! I got to experience things I would have never had the courage to do on my own! And the set up was amazing…anything and everything you can imagine was there at the ready. Spices, vegetables, every type of milk, cream, flour, sauce – it was all there. And the butter in the cooler – All Cabot, or Plugra – not the cheap stuff, folks! Pounds and pounds of it. I could have died right there.

We would cook each day for 3 to 4 hours in that amazing kitchen – never having to wash a dish, unless there was just a shortage of the utensil we needed (which was kind of often, but no big deal.) – so Awesome. From time to time, Chef Bruno would call out to us that he was doing a demo, and we’d gather around to learn some new technique, like how to roll sushi, or making fettuccine from scratch, or how to quarter a chicken. I recorded a few for you to enjoy, and will add them to my site when I post recipes that coincide with them. I’ll definitely be doing a sushi post!

After we cooked it all, believe it or not, our goal was to get every dish –all 15-20 dishes each day from 4 teams – on the buffet at the same time. And we did! Then we relaxed and enjoyed the meal together, complimenting each other on how great it all was – like a little family. It was fantastic.

After lunch, we’d head back into class and talk over every single dish with the Chef. he’d point our what worked, and why, and was very helpful in his analysis. After that, we would have some other foodie activity. One day it was a wine tasting, another was a cheese tasting. One afternoon was spent learning about and consuming foie gras. (That deserves it’s own post.) One day we had free time…and gosh, I NAPPED. There was ALWAYS something going on!

Every evening, save for one, we gathered again for dinner at one of the ridiculously exceptional CIA restaurants. I have never eaten like I did there. I tried things I would have never considered. I drank wine. I TASTED every bite of my food, finding inspiration in the flavors, taking notes in my mind about how to recreate things once I got home. I felt so alive. And I made friends, friends who, on the first day of class were strangers, and by day two we were sharing desserts off of each others spoons. It was…wonderful.

Here’s YOUR CHANCE…

Now that I have been, I want everyone to go. Especially you other food bloggers. You would absolutely LOVE it. Luckily, I have been given the green light to offer you a one time deal – one that I hope you won’t turn down.

On September 29 and 30, there is a Skills Development Class at the CIA in Hyde Park, New York. Typically, the class itself is $895. but, if you want to attend, and you are a food blogger, I have a deal of $716, PLUS, that will included your hotel stay in the area, as well as the CIA meals, and a third day of some foodie excursions to farms/wineries and other tourist attractions in the Hudson River Valley. What a DEAL! The space is VERY VERY limited, and travel expenses to and from are on your own, but please don’t let that stop you. If you can do it, DO IT. There are only 8 remaining spots available, and I fear they will go quickly. Just email me and let me know if you are interested!