My Visit to the Culinary Institute of America at Copia

On my recent trip to Napa, California, as part of my Hestan training, I was invited to take a class at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia. I had heard of the CIA, assumed it was a culinary school, and didn’t think much more about it, but the CIA at Copia is much more than a culinary school. First, it is open to the public and features a full-service restaurant and lounge. All proceeds from the restaurant go to support the school. Also, the general public is welcomed to sign up for continuing education classes that are not part of the normal 2-year curriculum.

The school grounds feature an extensive garden which the school and restaurant harvest for their meals. There is also a “museum” of items donated to the Culinary Institute by Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma. I toured the Hestan Test Kitchen, which is currently under construction. The school will have a 10,000 sf Hestan kitchen in addition to the commercial ranges Hestan has already donated to the school. In fact, Hestan is the largest donor on record for the CIA.

The class that I took was An Introduction to Wine & Food Pairing, which was eye opening and very informative. Once we complete the showroom remodel at Distinctive Kitchen & Appliance World, I plan to try to recreate the class at a hosted event. If you ever get the opportunity to go to the CIA at Copia, I highly recommend it. I had a blast. Thanks to Hestan, and Pinnacle Sales Group, for including me on this trip!