May 4, 2015

CIA Alumni in the News, April 2015

Kelvin-Fernandez-'05-at-the-cia

Here are some exciting CIA alumni stories from this past month.

1. Kelvin Fernandez ’05 Wins Beat Bobby Flay

Kelvin Fernandez ’05, head chef at New York City’s La Marina, is the first Latino to “beat Bobby Flay” on the Food Network series. Read the full story.

2. Two CIA Alumni are James Beard Journalism Award Winners

Two CIA alumni received awards at the 2015 Book, Broadcast, and Journalism ceremony on April 24. Congrats to Nicolaus Balla ’02 and Anthony Bourdain ’78!

Nicolaus Balla’s “Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes” won in the Book Awards, Cooking from a Professional Point of View category. Anthony Bourdain’s “The Mind of a Chef” won for best Television Program, on Location.

View the complete list of winners here. Additional James Beard Foundation Awards will be awarded on May 4.

3. Food & Wine Names Best New Chefs

Congrats to ‪CIA grads‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Michael Fojtasek ’10 & Grae Nonas ’08, partners at Olamaie. They’ve been named Best New Chefs by Food & Wine. Check out the full 2015 list.

4. CIA Grads Among Food & Wine’s People’s Choice Winners

Two ‪‎CIA grads‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ were voted as regional People’s Choice Best New Chef winners. Ari Weiswasser ’03 of Glen Ellen Star earned the title for California. Eric Sakai ’04, who owns Restaurant Marron with his wife and fellow alumnus Zarina Sakai ‘05, won the title for the Northwest and Pacific region.

5. Street Food with Roy Choi

CNN has a new online series hosted by CIA graduate Roy Choi ’98. Street Food with Roy Choi features interviews with trendsetters inside and outside the foodservice industry. Guests have included Chef & TV Show Host Anthony Bourdain ’78‬‬, Director Jon Favreau, and YouTube Star Michelle Phan. Watch now.

6. Bryan Voltaggio ’99 Releases New Cookbook

“It’s not a coffee-table book. It’s not a collector’s piece. It’s a book you can cook from every day.” —Bryan Voltaggio ’99 talks about his new cookbook, Home. Read more.

7. Chipotle Makes a Big Change

Chipotle, owned by CIA graduate Steve Ells ’90, is the first major restaurant chain to stop using food with genetically engineered ingredients. Read the full New York Times story.