On Friday and Saturday nights, beginning August 2nd and 3rd, Napa and Sonoma residents and visitors are invited to enjoy a fine dining experience like no other. The feast takes place at The Culinary Institute of America’s student-led “crop-up” restaurant. The CIA’s “American Food Studies: Farm-to-Table Cooking” is a conservatory-style educational model for students who want to be part of a community working to create healthy, sustainable and delicious food systems. The classes take place inside theWilliamsCenter for Flavor Discovery on the St. Helena campus, and bring students to Northern California from the CIA Bachelor’s degree management program in Hyde Park, New York.
Guests dining on the gourmet meals in this farm to table program allow students to study the fine art of professional cooking with Chef Larry Forgione at Greystone. Whether you only have time for a quick bite or you plan on spending several hours with the students, you’ll discover a new flavor or special regional food, enjoy a story from one of the students, or learn a bit more about the lively world of food and wine. Meals are expertly prepared using all seasonal ingredients, grown and harvested by the students themselves. Forgione shares his superstar chef secrets with the students; teaching them the concepts of environmental stewardship and food ethics. The 15-week course offers students a hands-on education in our beautiful California Wine Country.
For more information on the $65 a plate dinners, visit www.ciachef.edu. You can also call 707-967-2300 or reserve online. Enjoy the rewards of the students’ culinary lessons while discussing Napa Valley real estate. Call me at 707-963-9195. Bon appetite!
