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Pangea Debuts with Focus on Conscious and Globally Inspired Cuisine

Media Contact:

Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu

Hyde Park, NY – The has a new addition to its slate of restaurants at the Hyde Park campus of The Culinary Institute of America. The CIA announces the opening of , a pop-up themed restaurant that will have a limited run through June 2015. Pangea can be found in the college’s J. Willard Marriott Education Center.

Pangea showcases a menu that features an array of inspired dishes that both celebrate and bring together the most diverse cultural flavors and influences from around the world. As the world’s population continues to grow and earth’s resources labor to keep up with demand, the need for conscious dining has become increasingly important. Pangea provides a platform for conversations about how we produce and harvest the food we eat and the effect these actions have on the health of our planet and ourselves. Pangea explores the world’s interconnected foodways while uniting and transforming them.

“Pangea restaurant exposes our students to some of the leading trends in the restaurant world,” says Waldy Malouf, senior director of food and beverage operations at The Culinary Institute of America. “First and foremost it is a plant- and grain-focused cuisine that emphasizes the flavors and culinary possibilities of cooking with less animal proteins and more vegetal elements. This allows us to develop new delicious dishes that also have a positive nutritional value. Secondly, students are introduced to the logistics and excitement of developing a pop-up restaurant.”

Pop-up restaurants are opening across the country and around the world as temporary outlets in which diners can enjoy fine food and beverages in a unique location, often started on a very limited budget. These elements have been integrated into Pangea and, according to Chef Malouf, provide a wonderful educational opportunity for CIA students and a delicious culinary experience for guests.

The pop-up was conceived to invoke a uniquely exciting dining experience with a shared sense of adventure. Pangea’s seasonal offerings include two separate pre-selected menus. One menu contains meat and seafood as protein components and the other is entirely based on vegetables and legumes as a source of protein. During each course, one dish is served family-style in its cooking vessel, and another dish is individually plated for each guest. Dinner patrons enjoy five courses—a total of 10 dishes—for $29. Lunch, which begins February 17, will include four courses—a total of eight dishes—for only $19.

Aligned with the conscious dining theme, the restaurant’s design incorporates reused and recycled elements. The decor relies mostly on the use of “found” objects, artifacts, furnishings, china, and glassware.

Pangea is open Monday through Friday. Dinner is served from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and lunch service will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pangea is located at The Culinary Institute of America, 1946 Campus Drive (Route 9), Hyde Park, NY 12538. For more information, visit .

Photo Caption and Hi-res Image

Pangea, the CIA Restaurant Group's newest concept, opened on The Culinary Institute of America's Hyde Park, NY campus in January 2015. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 47,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.

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