We were visiting friends in the Hudson Valley this past week for a few days and had a chance to tour the Culinary Institute of Americain Hyde Park, NY. Its right next door to Poughkeepsie NY and the campus of Marist College and has spectacular views of the Hudson.
It also had spectacular views of the pastry kitchen as the future chefs prepared butter cream deliriums of all sorts and molded chocolate psychedelia. So I left thinking A. I’m suddenly feeling hungry and B. food is and ought to be FUN!Local food should be the tastiest and best prepared food possible. I know I’m in the flush of food hysteria, but we need a “Chef Culture” where culinary arts are revered and the local Newburyport equivalent of Michelin Stars are awarded. I think I’ll make a sandwich now
If you are every in Colorado you should visit Culinary School of the Rockies. We are a small culinary school with a Culinary Arts program that features a farm to table externship. Our students spend 5-weeks on farms in Boulder and the North Fork valley where they experience first-hand the blood, seat and tears that bring locally-produced ingredients to the kitchen. We hope that we are having an effect on the “Chef Culture” by producing chefs that understand and appreciate serving local, seasonal food.