Sponsored by Ghirardelli
Napa Valley is known as a world-renowned wine producing region and culinary destination. It’s also home to one of The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) primary campuses in St. Helena, where aspiring professionals learn the culinary arts and operating a restaurant business. It is here where the CIA will unveil the new Bakery Café by Ghirardelli this month, which may become another destination on a food-lover’s travel agenda.
The café provides a hands-on learning environment for students in the Baking & Pastry associate degree program. Students will operate the café in their final semester at the CIA utilizing the culmination of their learned skills. The café will feature “Made with Ghirardelli” dessert items and specialty coffee drinks, as well as seasonal sandwiches, and salads. All created and served by student bakers and baristas. It will be open to the public five days a week from 10:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Ghirardelli, which is considered America’s longest continuously operating chocolate manufacturer, has been a longtime supporter of the CIA: the café is situated adjacent to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Discovery Center, a classroom for CIA students that opened in 2014. It is here where students have access to Ghirardelli’s range of chocolate products, among other ingredients, to learn the nuance of chocolate flavor and how to work with chocolate, a staple on dessert menus everywhere.
“It is with great pleasure that Ghirardelli supports The Culinary Institute of America with our donation for the renewal of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Discovery Center and the creation of the new Bakery Café by Ghirardelli,” said Chris Eklem, the company’s vice president of professional products. “The new Bakery Café by Ghirardelli offers a delicious experience for both students and visitors, and I am happy to be a part of this collaboration that supports CIA students as they learn their trade to become the future of the foodservice industry.”
Though known to consumers for their chocolate confections and the historic landmark in San Francisco, Ghirardelli has been supplying the specialty beverage and restaurant industry with reliable premium ingredients for more than 25 years. 100% of their chocolate’s cocoa beans are traceable back to the farmers and externally verified. Combined with Ghirardelli's proprietary bean blend and unique methods of roasting and processing, operators can expect the highest quality and richest products from Ghirardelli.
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Ghirardelli Chocolate Company with this new imagining of Greystone’s Bakery Café,” said Thomas Bensel, managing director of the CIA’s California campus. “The new café will give students interested in someday operating their own establishment the skills and know-how, in addition to product knowledge.”
The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college, dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality. The independent, not-for-profit CIA offers associate, bachelor’s, and master's degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 55,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world.
