CIA alumni are always cooking up something interesting, and with a network more than 50,000 strong, there’s never a shortage of highlights! Here are just a few examples of CIA alumni in the news this past month.
New and Noteworthy
David Burke’s ’82 new Morristown, NJ, restaurant 1776, which opened in the fall of 2021 is already earning accolades—it has landed on the NJ Monthly Best New Restaurant List. 1776 features some of Burke’s classics like Clothesline Bacon as well as new, soon-to-be favorites, like his Paperboy Shrimp–prawns wrapped in thin pastry dough, deep-fried and dusted with mint and fruity Peruvian Chilies.
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Headed by chef Katianna Hong ’05, The Yangban Society in Los Angeles, CA, opened in the beginning of 2022 as a tribute to Korean food with a Jewish twist. Hong’s expert ability to combine and honor both cultures was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal as one of the chefs bringing a new spin to traditional American Jewish cuisine.
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As COVID-19 restrictions pull back, the LAX Flagship Lounge has chosen to celebrate re-opening by turning the spotlight on local chefs including Douglas Kim ’02. Kim will be treating travelers to his creative style and amazing combinations of Asian flavors.
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Hudson Valley Magazine highlighted Reserva Wine Bar in Beacon, NY, owned by partners Tanner Townsend ’08 and Pedro Sousa ’19. The couple also owns HV Food Photography, and Townsend, owner of several Hudson Valley cafés, as well. Reserva features wines from underrepresented winemakers and winemaking regions, like Brazil, that are not typically found in the Hudson Valley. The wine bar hosts live music on the weekends, and the menu features local ingredients into traditional Brazilian cuisine.
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Openings and Chefs on the Move
Brianna Wellmon ’14 is ready to revive the Philidelphia neighborhood of Old City’s night life as the new executive chef at Frame. Wellmon developed a fresh late-night menu filled with new additions, including plant-forward options like spaghetti squash and vegan meatballs.
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Inspired by his sons, Michael Madigan ’92 opened the Jett & Sons Retro-Robo Cafe, in Charleroi, PA. The café, with its futuristic Jetsons theme, claims to be the first metaverse restaurant, incorporating a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection. Aside from burgers and donuts, a dining experience at Jett & Sons might include tipping a dancing robot, playing with Nerf guns, or paying homage to “patron saint” George Jetson.
The Dutch, owned by Lee Styer ’04 and Jessie Styer ’04, has been one of the highly anticipated spots opening in its new location in Philadelphia, PA. The Dutch, moved into the space previously occupied by Fond, which also was owned by the couple. The Dutch will be brunch-oriented, with dinner courses, including a few Fond classics, coming soon.
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Anthony Burd ’10 has brought Italian American cooking to Bangkok with his eponymous Tony’s restaurant. Burd aims to bring fun to Italian food as well as adapt the Italian American food he grew up with for the Thailand market by adapting those dishes to the flavor palate of his Thai customers.
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Michelin-rated Montrio Bistro in Monterey, CA, reopened its doors with a fresh interior, a new second-floor dining room, and an updated menu curated by new executive chef, Sascha Lyon ’92, who has been working in the industry since he was 15.
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Recent CIA Singapore graduate, Lim Wei Keat ’20, is forging his own path, choosing to leave restaurant cooking behind and open his own chicken rice hawker stall, taking advantage of a mentorship program, low startup costs, and the support of his family to get his own business off the ground even during the pandemic.
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Darwin Acosta ’20 was the February Beard House Fellow. Through the fellowship, each incoming member will have a one-month residency at the Beard House gaining personalized training curated for them. Darwin is passionate about creating a community of diversity and inclusivity in the wine space and making their mark in the industry. The incoming March Fellow is current CIA student Steve Gutierrez.
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Prime Time
Roy Choi’s ’98 Emmy Award winning show Broken Bread is back with a new season on PBS. Broken Bread explores social justice issues through the lens of food as he connects with people who use food as a platform in Los Angeles. Roy draws inspiration from Anthony Bourdain to display and help confront issues like gentrification, cultural erasure, and corporatization of food and farming.
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Recipes for Success
Brandon Baptiste ’09 shared three of his favorite chocolate recipes with The Billings Gazette. Baptiste describes his love of cooking and the love of chocolate, particularly Hawaiian chocolate, as an ingredient. Baptiste co-owns Wailu Drive In, which was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Wailu Shaved Ice.
Matthew Raiford ’06 shared his seafood boil recipe and Gullah Geechee culture with the Connected Table from Sante Magazine. The magazine profiled Raiford in addition to the podcast episode, highlighting his culture, his return home after time in the military and working in various restaurants before returning home to his roots and his family farm.
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Putting Roots Down
CIA alumni Buffy Arbogast ’04, Daniel Baganell ’16, Andrew Chase ’12, and Rachel Wyman ’04 talk to the Times Union about why they stayed in the Hudson Valley after graduation and opened restaurants there instead of heading to a big city. With the additional Influx of people moving upstate from New York City since the start of the pandemic, there has been a greater demand for authentic food made with local ingredients, both of which are a hallmark of the Hudson Valley.
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