New at the CIA

For food enthusiasts and professionals alike, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena has introduce a new line of cookware and cooks tools, the Masters Collection, which has been designed by the school's certified master chefs.

The CIA introduced the Masters Collection in response to the growing interest in amateur culinary arts and the demand for professional quality tools for the home kitchen. The CIA's faculty of certified master chefs -- considered the highest degree of professional culinary knowledge and skill certified by the American Culinary Federation -- created the collection as an extension of their time-tested "tricks of the trade."

The initial launch offers nearly 100 new products in six different categories: cookware, bakeware, cutlery, kitchen gadgets and tools, utensils, thermometers, timers and scales.

Celebrating its 10th year of operation, the CIA Campus Store Spice Island's Marketplace is now selling this new line of cookware. A source for everything culinary, the 3,000 square foot facility offers a unique international assortment of ingredients and specialty food products, a cookbook selection featuring more than 1,700 cookbook titles, imported linens, clothing and chef attire, culinary jewelry, wine accessories, kitchen equipment and cook's tools.

The store is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. More information is available at the Web site, www.ciaprochef.com/spiceislands. The Masters Collection is also in use at the DeBaun Theatre on campus, which conducts daily cooking demonstrations.

For more information, contact the CIA Campus Store at 967-2309./Register

Get a CIA degree

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone will begin offering an associate degree program in culinary arts starting Sept. 18.

Students working toward their associate in occupational studies degree will be immersed in the same curriculum offered at the college's main campus in Hyde Park, N.Y. Classes emphasize extensive hands-on cooking experience in classic and contemporary culinary techniques, both American and international, as well as basic baking techniques. Courses cover topics such as nutrition, management, cost control, wine and beverages, finance, menu development, communications, marketing and restaurant design.

Students pursuing their degree at Greystone will have access to Greystone's 15,000 square feet of teaching kitchens, as well as the expertise of chefs and faculty members who are acknowledged leaders in their fields. The campus includes state-of-the-art Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, the Ventura Foods Center for Menu Research and Development and the Williams Center for Flavor Discovery.

Students will also receive hands-on restaurant operations experience in both the front and back of the house at Greystone's celebrated Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. A practical externship experience completes the 21-month program, or may be waived for those students whose professional experience provides them with knowledge equivalency credits.

All students earning their A.O.S. degree at the CIA at Greystone will be offered housing in one of two modern student residence halls in St. Helena.

"I'm truly excited to offer The Culinary Institute of America's A.O.S. degree program in California," said Dr. Tim Ryan, president of the CIA. "After graduating from the program myself in 1977, I have seen it change and expand in many ways to meet the needs of the hospitality industry. Our 37,000 successful alumni are living proof of the CIA's impact on the profession. By bringing this program to our Greystone campus, we are making this CIA education available to even more aspiring culinarians."

Applications for admission to the CIA at Greystone are now being accepted. For more information about the new associate degree program, call 1-800-CULINARY (285-4627) or visit www.ciachef.edu. /Register

Long Meadow at the Oxbow

Long Meadow Ranch will become an anchor tenant in the Oxbow Public Market, a new public market, which will be located at 600 First St. in Napa, adjacent to Copia.

The new 30,000 square-foot project is being led by Steve Carlin, former CEO of Oakville Grocery and project director of the highly successful Ferry Building in San Francisco. The project received its final approval from the City of Napa Planning Commission April 6.

With the planning commission approval in hand the project will break ground in time for a planned opening in the late summer of 2007. The new public market overlooks the Napa River and the plans provide for easy pedestrian access from Copia along a walkway adjacent to the river.

The new market will be open seven days a week and will feature more than 20 vendors in the main food hall or "arcade." The project also includes a wine pavilion, several restaurants, a deck overlooking the river, and ten permanent exterior market stalls. The popular Napa Valley Farmers' Market will continue to use the Copia site reinforcing the Oxbow Public Market's location as a central meeting place for shoppers and producers.

The Oxbow Public Market's mission is to "create a public market of unique character, spirit and content as a place to display and sell organically and sustainably produced local crops, regional specialties, and other high quality and unique food products. Oxbow Market also strives to actively support -- through education and community outreach -- sustainable and organic farming practices, owner-operated businesses, local food producers, and the agricultural community of the Napa Valley and surrounding regions."

"We expect the Oxbow Public Market to become a focal point for our community where artisan producers, everyday shoppers, restaurant foragers and visitors will all have the opportunity to buy extraordinary food at reasonable prices for everyday use." said Steve Carlin. "The Oxbow Public Market is committed to providing locally-produced, seasonal foods. We are delighted that a producer of Long Meadow Ranch's credentials has committed to be a core part of the market," Carlin added.

"We see the Oxbow Public Market as an extraordinary opportunity to present the full array of our products -- including our wines -- to a vibrant group of local and visitor shoppers in an environment consistent with our own mission," said co-owner Ted Hall. "We believe we have the capacity to continue to supply the St. Helena Farmers Market, our LMR Rutherford Gardens roadside stand, and our restaurant customers, as well as the Oxbow Public Market."

Long Meadow Ranch has been increasing its organic vegetable production capacity through intensive planting of its nearly 6-acre property in Rutherford and by converting the ranch's original vegetable gardens to commercial herb and flower production. Wine production has expanded with the addition of a soon-to-be-released sauvignon blanc and new plantings of olive trees are now coming into full commercial production.

The upcoming season will be the seventeenth year for Long Meadow Ranch at the St. Helena Farmers' Market where its eggs, heirloom tomatoes, sunflowers, olive oil, wine, and grass-fed beef have been staple offerings, all produced through the Ranch's integrated organic farming approach.

Also a Napa Valley fixture for many years, the LMR Rutherford Gardens roadside stand will reopen in May in a newly constructed pavilion. Located on Highway 29 in Rutherford, the stand will be open on Saturdays from May to November and feature the property's vegetables, flowers and fresh fruits, including heirloom tomatoes, fresh figs, and strawberries.

"We are very pleased that we will soon be able to offer our customers three locations where they can buy our products," said co-owner Laddie Hall. "We will feature a taste bar at both the Oxbow Public Market and Rutherford Gardens. Our taste bar will allow customers to taste everything we are selling -- from heirloom tomatoes and olive oil to fresh figs and strawberries. And, at Rutherford Gardens visitors will have the additional opportunities of viewing firsthand our gardens, poultry, and cattle and learning directly about our organic farming practices."

"This commitment to Oxbow Public Market is another component of our forward-looking strategy which was accelerated by the devastating warehouse fire last fall," said co-owner Ted Hall. "We are committed to producing the finest wines, olive oils, and other healthful, flavorful foods for our customers' tables and to finding ways to directly reach our customers wherever we can." added Hall.