HYDE PARK N.Y. The Culinary Institute of America said it has received the largest gift in the history of culinary education - $35 million pledged by a Texas philanthropist to build a new CIA facility in San Antonio called the Center for Foods of the Americas. The facility would promote Latino diversity in the U.S. foodservice industry.
Christopher "Kit" Goldsbury, the billionaire who sold salsa maker Pace Foods to Campbell Soup Co. in 1995, has committed to giving $28 million to the CIA - $20 million of that for scholarships, for about 150 students annually - and spend $7 million to build the CFA branch campus. The new facility would extend an education system that includes the school's main campus in Hyde Park and CIA Greystone in St. Helena, Calif.
"Our vision is for the CFA to help raise awareness of Latin American cuisines as being among the world's leading culinary traditions, with Latino chefs at the forefront of this movement," Goldsbury said. He called his gift "a chance to give back to an industry that was the source of my success by creating educational opportunities that will open doors for others."
CIA president Tim Ryan said the CFA would initially enroll about 120 students a year in a 30-week certificate program, and expanding over time to accommodate up to 1,500 continuing-education professionals annually. The new outpost will "advance the CIA's strong commitment to respect diversity in people, culture and food," he said.
The foundation of the Center for Foods of the Americas is a pilot program established in 2006 at San Antonio's historic Pearl Brewery, which already has graduated 26 students taught by CIA faculty. Future CFA graduates will be able to go on to earn associate or bachelor degrees at a new Latin American facility at the CIA's Hyde Park campus.
