Hyde Park, NY 鈥 A program at The Culinary Institute of America to feed the hungry of the Hudson Valley has proven so successful among the
college鈥檚 faculty and students that it has expanded from once-a-week delivery
to three days each week.
With 42 teaching kitchens and bakeshops on the CIA鈥檚 Hyde Park campus, there is often more
food produced than can be eaten by students. In the past, food that wasn鈥檛
served was composted and sent to an organic farm. A few years ago, spearheaded
by Professor Robert Perillo,
the college began working on a way to put that food to even better use, so he
contacted the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.
Instituting a plan to make sure food safety would not be
compromised and that resources of the not-for-profit college wouldn鈥檛 be strained, Perillo and his colleagues on the faculty started
small, with food that could be frozen鈥攎ostly soups from the Culinary
Fundamentals course.
In 2017, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley volunteers picked up
almost three tons of food from the CIA, enough for 4,870 meals. As more faculty
members began to contribute, finding space in the storeroom was becoming an
issue. So, as of March 2018, Food Bank employees now stop by campus three times
a week. An added benefit of the more frequent pickups is that freezing is no
longer necessary, meaning a greater variety of food can
be donated.
鈥淲e are truly grateful for the ongoing support of the CIA,
and we look forward to having even more of their delicious food to share,鈥 says
Paul Stermer, director of the Food Bank of the Hudson
Valley. 鈥淓very day, the Food Bank is helping fight hunger for more than 100,000
food-insecure people throughout the Hudson Valley, and we couldn鈥檛 do this work
without our many partners, including the CIA.鈥
Perillo says he had three reasons
for wanting to create the program at the college: reducing food waste, helping
the community, and educating students about the first two points. Through the
campus Student Government Organization, a survey found 95% student support for
the effort.
鈥淢any students who were unaware of food insecurity in their
own community are now being made aware,鈥 Chef Perillo says. 鈥淚 want students to be more conscious about what they鈥檙e throwing away
before putting it in compost or the trash.鈥
He adds that students are naturally drawn to social and
environmental causes, and expects some may pursue careers in non-governmental
organizations dealing with hunger issues. 鈥淭he more people become aware, the
more they look at their own opportunities,鈥 says Perillo.
As the program becomes the cultural norm on campus, Perillo expects donations to triple this year.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Images:
Rich Johnson of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and Angel
Rivera of The Culinary Institute of America load food donations from the
college onto a Food Bank truck on April 20, 2018. The CIA now provides food to
the charitable organization three days a week. (Photo credit: CIA/Jeff Levine)
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Writer
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world鈥檚 premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor鈥檚 degrees in management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along with 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 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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