Learn from the Chefs

You are what you eat.  At Celebrating Great Taste, you’ll discover how some of the best chefs in New York State use regional ingredients from local farms and wineries to create dishes that taste, well... just great. Recipes will be available.

You are what you eat.  At Celebrating Great Taste, you’ll discover how some of the best chefs in New York State use regional ingredients from local farms and wineries to create dishes that taste, well.…just great. Recipes will be available.

Jasper Alexander, Co-Owner/Chef, Hattie’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs, CIA graduate and master of soul food. After honing his culinary and management skills at top restaurants in the nation, Chef Alexander ventured into his current position as chef-owner of Hattie’s Restaurant, a long-time Saratoga icon. He brings great soul food and southern charm to Hattie’s and has been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, and other prominent publications.

Olivier Andreini, Certified Master Chef, C.H.E., Certified Master Chef, C.H.E., professor in Culinary Arts at the CIA. Chef Andreini currently teaches the cuisines of Europe and the Mediterranean, focusing on the techniques, ingredients, and spices unique to the foods of countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. An award-winning chef, he was born in Switzerland and completed his culinary apprenticeship at the Hotel Montreux-Palace in Montreux, Switzerland. While at the CIA he contributed to Garde Manger, The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, second edition, Gourmet Meals in Minutes, The Professional Chef , eighth edition, and other volumes.

Jake Brach, C.C.C, Regional Culinary Manager, Rich Products Corporation, Food Service Division and CIA graduate.  With more than 25 years of food and beverage experience behind him, Chef Brach joined Rich’s Culinary Team, where he conducts product demonstrations and training sessions for brokers, distributors, and Rich’s customers.  Named Rich’s Regional Culinary Manager of the Year in 2004, Chef Brach also teaches basic culinary tech classes at the company’s headquarters in Buffalo and other locations in the Northeast.

David Britton, Co-owner/Chef, The Springwater Bistro in Saratoga Springs. 
Chef Britton’s passion for food starts with the freshest local ingredients to which he brings French classic technique.  The result is meals made to please the palate, based on a strong French foundation but prepared with a uniquely American regional style.  Chef Britton, with his emphasis on using locally available ingredients, is involved in the farm-to-restaurant program and bases his daily menu on what is seasonal at local growers.

Thomas W. Griffiths, Certified Master Chef, C.H.E., Professor in Culinary Arts at the CIA, and CIA graduate. Currently chef of St. Andrew's Cafe, one of five student-staffed restaurants at the CIA, Chef Griffiths teaches the principles and preparation of wholesome, nutritionally balanced meals using traditional foods and ingredients. He emphasizes the importance of alternative preparation techniques using the basics of nutritional and dietary cookery.  Before joining the CIA faculty, he was chef at notable establishments including The United Nations, Le Delices Côte Basque, and Le Cirque.

David Haviland, Executive Chef of the Castle-on-the-Hudson and CIA graduate. With responsibility for overseeing the cuisine and culinary staff of the award-winning Equus Restaurant, Chef Haviland brings brilliance, care, and grace to the position as he orchestrates private functions from intimate dinner parties to elaborate weddings.  His menus are designed to use seasonal and local products, and dishes prepared from regional ingredients are a special feature of the restaurant’s popular Tasting Menu.

Anand Jayapal, Executive Chef, The Edison Club, Rexford, New York.  Honored by many culinary awards, including three merit awards in 2006 for the prestigious British Open Cookery, Chef Jayapal has experience cooking for both intimately sized restaurants and larger facilities with banquet-style dining.  Prior to coming to The Edison Club, he was Executive Chef at the popular Carmine’s Restaurant in Albany, where he also created recipes and worked as food stylist for the regional award-winning cooking show, Carmine’s Table.

Richard Leach, Executive Pastry Chef at Park Avenue Cafe, CIA graduate, and author of Sweet Seasons: Fabulous Restaurant Desserts Made Simple.  Chef Leach has been making customers of Park Avenue Cafe happy for nine years with his artistic pastry creations, which are always seasonal and always creative.  He was twice named among the 10 pastry chefs in America by Chocolatier Magazine and recognized in 1997 as Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.

Waldy Malouf, Chef/Owner of Beacon in New York City, a restaurant and wholesale bread bakery, and of Waldy’s Wood Roasted Pizza and Penne, 1975 CIA graduate, and author of The Hudson River Valley Cookbook: A Leading American Chef Savors the Region’s Bounty and High Heat.  Chef Malouf is a mentor to many in the food industry, has established long-term relationships with local growers, and has a commitment to hunger-relief causes and culinary education.

Dale L. Miller, Certified Master Chef, A.A.C, Executive Chef and Vice President of Jack’s Oyster House in Albany, a 1979 high honors CIA graduate.  Chef Miller brings artistry, élan, and high standards to his progressive American cuisine, which is imbued with international overtones.  His philosophy is to create fresh and honest food using the highest quality ingredients.  Chef Miller believes that cooking is an art form that expresses not only the individual personality, but also love that comes from the heart to create a culinary masterpiece.

Ric Orlando, Chef/Owner of New World Cooking Cafe and New World Catering, Saugerties, host, creator, and writer of “Ric Orlando’s TV Kitchen” (PBS), and author of We Want Clean Food.  Chef Orlando bridges the gap between the gourmet and health food worlds and brings a lust for life, irreverent humor, cultural altruism, and a nationally renowned cooking prowess to his roles as chef, author, and PBS cooking host.  He shuns fads and low-fat cookery for real ingredients and sustainable resources, emphasizing organic and whole foods.

Jeff Raider, Executive Chef, Valley Restaurant at The Garrison, 1993 CIA graduate, and Hudson Valley native.  Chef Raider is known for his pristine American cuisine with its focus on fresh and local ingredients.  His passion for these ingredients leads him to farmers who grow vegetables, raise animals, bake bread, and make cheese in the fertile Hudson Valley.  Right out the back door, the Valley Restaurant’s own kitchen garden provides him with just-picked herbs, berries, and vegetables for his Garden Tasting Menus.

Jose Sanchez, C.E.C, C.H.E, Lecturing Instructor in Culinary Art at the CIA.  Recipient of numerous awards including the A.C.F. Diploma of Participation in the Culinary Olympic Tryouts, Chef Sanchez has held positions at impressive restaurants around the world.  His global experience includes Executive Sous Chef at the Sofitel Hotel in New York City; Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Pachon, Tokyo; and Pastry Sous Chef at Masais in San Francisco.

Fritz H. Sonnenschmidt, Certified Master Chef, A.A.C., Culinary Dean of the CIA (retired),  member of the American Culinary Federation, holder of the 1973 Escoffier Chair, and editor of The American Harvest, AAC Cookbook, Lebhar & Friedman.  Fritz Sonnenschmidt, who worked at the CIA from 1968 to 2002, reminds us that “cooking and baking is an art; a science; and a way of sharing.”  Chef Sonnenschmidt has been sharing his culinary knowledge and talent with us for many years, and his career is indeed an international affair, from his early work in Germany, his apprenticeship in Bavaria, his work in London and the Jersey Channel Islands, in New York City as Executive Chef of the Sheraton Hotels, and his summer seasonal work in Fire Island, Port Jervis, and Bombay, New Delhi, India.  In addition to his four cookbooks, this multiple award-winning chef has also participated in three PBS television series, including Cooking Secrets of the CIA, Grilling Maestros, and Seasonings.

Rudolph Speckamp, Certified Master Chef, Senior Culinary Consultant for the Industry Solutions Group at the CIA. Chef Speckamp is responsible for the execution of custom client programs created for professional foodservice operations.  The Industry Solutions Group, the CIA’s consulting division, tailors solutions for the foodservice industry in R&D, flavor exploration, product testing and development, and training and certification.  Chef Speckamp has more than four decades of kitchen experience in fine dining, and his culinary travels have taken him to Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Canada, and the United States. He has earned numerous awards, including 28 gold medals in national and international competitions.

John Walsh, Executive Chef, Mindy’s Restaurant at the Helmsley Hotel, CIA graduate, and native New Yorker.  Chef Walsh has carefully overseen the transformation of Mindy’s at the historic Helmsley Hotel in midtown Manhattan.  His menu boasts the freshest ingredients, hand-picked at the peak of the season, and purchased locally from New York State farms, purveyors, and vineyards in Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

What’s a Certified Master Chef?

           Many of the featured chefs at Celebrating Great Taste are Certified Master  Chefs (CMC), a designation that is the highest and most demanding level of achievement of all American Culinary Federation (ACF) certification levels. It is granted only after the candidate has passed an intensive 8-day test of culinary skills and knowledge.

            The Certified Master Chef test consists of both written and oral testing, but mostly the candidates are required to perform extensive hands-on cooking practicals.  The tests are judged by other Certified Master Chefs and run the gamut from Nutrition and Sanitation to International Cuisines, Classical Cuisine/Pastry and a Mystery Basket segment which focuses on American Regional cooking. The exams and lectures are 12 to 16 hours a day for 8 consecutive days.