St. Helena, CA 鈥 Roland Passot, chef and proprietor of several renowned
French restaurants in Northern California, was commencement speaker at The Culinary Institute
of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA on December 20.
鈥淭he CIA has prepared you to understand not only the balance
of flavors and techniques, but also the fundamentals of how to read a profit
and loss statement and how to run a business,鈥 Chef Passot told recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking
& pastry arts. 鈥淚f you keep your focus, you will become like the chefs,
pastry chefs, sommeliers, and restaurateurs who inspired you to pursue this
dream in the first place.鈥
Growing up near Lyon, the culinary capital of France, Chef Passot began his cooking career as a 15-year-old
apprentice. Coming to the United States at age 21, he spent four years in the
Chicago area at Le Fran莽ais鈥攖hen considered the best
French restaurant in America鈥攂efore settling in San Francisco. Chef Passot鈥檚 restaurants include La Folie Restaurant and La Folie Lounge in San Francisco, Left
Bank and LB Steak in both San Jose and Menlo Park, and Left Bank in Larkspur.
His long list of career accolades include winning the 1990
Rising Star Chef of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation and
receiving the Chevalier de l鈥橭rdre du M猫rite Agricole from the French
government in 2001. La Folie was inducted into the Nation鈥檚 Restaurant News Fine Dining
Hall of Fame in 1998 and, to this day, it continues to earn four-star reviews
from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Chef Roland Passot addresses
graduates of The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA
on December 20, 2017. (Photo credit:
Charlie Gesell/CIA)
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
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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