Hyde Park, NY 鈥 Daniel Skurnick, executive pastry chef at Buddakan NYC and Le Coucou in New
York City, was keynote speaker during commencement at the New York campus of The Culinary Institute of
America on September 7. The two restaurants are part of Stephen Starr鈥檚 multi-concept
group of Starr Restaurants, and Le Coucou won the
2017 James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant.
鈥淩emember that we鈥檙e doing an amazing job and we have a
really lucky, wonderful life,鈥 said Chef Skurnick,
who earned a degree in baking and pastry arts from the CIA in 2000. 鈥淲hen an
accountant is having a horrible day, they鈥檒l go home to relax and unwind by
baking cookies. When I鈥檓 having an awful day, I don鈥檛 go home to do my taxes.
We already have that next level of an awesome life.鈥
After graduating from the CIA鈥攁nd with a degree in
anthropology in hand from SUNY Binghamton鈥擲kurnick spent a year in Thailand, living with a migratory hunter-gatherer tribe and
learning their culture and cooking techniques. Once back in the U.S., he worked
in the pastry departments at Gramercy Tavern, Bouley,
and Jean-Georges in New York City and was executive pastry chef for both Morimoto
NYC and Morimoto Waikiki.
Chef Skurnick spent much of his
formative years in Hawaii, although he was born in the Hudson Valley, not far
from the CIA.
The entire CIA commencement ceremony, including Chef Skurnick鈥檚 address to 60 recipients of associate degrees in
Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts, can be .
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Daniel Skurnick delivers the
commencement address at the New York campus of The Culinary Institute of
America on September 7, 2018. Chef Skurnick is a CIA
graduate and executive pastry chef at Buddakan NYC and
Le Coucou in New York City. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
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 master鈥檚, bachelor鈥檚, and associate 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 more than 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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