Hyde Park, NY – According to a classic rock song, you know you’ve made it when
you get your picture in “the Rolling
Stone.” Four graduates of The Culinary Institute of America have definitely made it, being named Rolling
Stone Ա’s .
The CIA alumni who have achieved what Dr. Hook and the
Medicine Show only dreamed about in their 1972 hit song are ,
Abraham Conlon ’01, Roy Choi ’98, and JJ Johnson ’07 (Management).
After a successful run on Top Chef, Onwuachi opened his first
restaurant in 2016. The article calls his Shaw Bijou in Washington, DC “the
most hotly anticipated restaurant of the decade in the District.”
Conlon has brought the Portuguese/Chinese cuisine of Macau
to Chicago at Fat Rice, “the most delicious argument for culinary diversity.”
Conlon also recently wrote his first cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice.
Choi made a name for himself as a food truck pioneer. He now
has a brick-and-mortar restaurant, LocoL, bringing
both jobs and high-quality food at affordable prices to underserved urban
communities in California. “LocoL is making a
long-term impact that goes beyond lunchtime.”
Johnson, a graduate of the CIA’s
bachelor’s degree program in management, has brought the cuisines of the
African Diaspora to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood at The Cecil. The
restaurant’s sign is “a beacon, letting passerby know that inside is the
incarnation of what American cuisine should be.”
Rolling Stone’s
Regan Hoffman concludes that, “it’s chefs like these…who are using their
notoriety to make big changes in the way we eat, think, and even understand one
another.”
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
CIA graduates (from left) Kwame Onwuachi ’13, Abraham Conlon ’01, Roy
Choi ’98, and JJ Johnson ’07 (Management) were recently named among
Rolling Stone Ա’s Breakthrough Rock Star Chefs for 2016. (Photo credits: CIA/Phil Mansfield; Nick Murway; Laylah Amatullah Barrayn)
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degree
majors in management, culinary science, and applied food studies; associate
degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; and executive education
through its Food Business School. The college also offers certificate programs
and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences and consulting
services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its
worldwide network of 49,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the
food business. The CIA has campuses in New York, California, Texas, and
Singapore.
# # #