CIA Boot Camp taught by Chef John Ash is really more like a Culinary Fantasy Camp

Most people perk up when they hear the term "CIA" and wonder if someone is secretly watching, recording or tapping their phone line. But anyone who pays any attention to culinary education knows in the foodie world the acronym stands for Culinary Institute of America. They began in Hyde Park, New York and moved southwest adding a campus in San Antonio, Texas. The expansion to the west coast was directly into to the heart of the wine country in Napa, California. My first photo is the front of their incredible Napa facility which was once the Greystone Winery and then later run by the Christian Brothers. This centerpiece of the campus is 117,000 square feet of classrooms, theaters, shops and restaurants. It is premier culinary training in the middle of a wine mecca which is a pairing that makes perfect sense.


In November I had the opportunity and pleasure of enlisting in the CIA Basic Boot Camp at this amazing Greystone campus. I was one of just twelve students who got to spend one week under the guidance of the renowned chef, author and educator, Chef John Ash.

We wasted no time jumping right into the swing of things at the CIA. Chef John Ash is a pioneer of using local, seasonal ingredients to complement the regional wines of the area at his restaurant, John Ash & Co. in Santa Rosa, California. And it didn't get any more local for us than just a few steps across the driveway to the CIA's own herb garden. We toured it on the first day of class and had the luxury of picking from this plethora of fresh herbs all week long.


There were so many varieties of just chives alone that I lost count. As Chef John gave us the tour of this extensive garden we sampled along the way. My personal favorite was called Sanguisorba Minor or more commonly, Salad Burnet. It is absolutely delicious and I'm predicting it to be the next basil.


On our very first night we got off on the right foot with a CIA hosted dinner in the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. It was no surprise that the food was spectacular and nicely paired with wines from the Sauvignon Republic. As an ice breaker Chef Ash asked each of us to share one of our favorite stories at dinner. Comradery blossomed and it was a great start to a great week.


As pleasant as the surroundings were it was still boot camp and that meant starting everyday sharp at 7:00 a.m. We covered everything from basic knife skills to some of the most popular cooking techniques like poaching in oil. It was great to see rigid protocol like dress codes enforced. Our chef's toques were to be worn at all times in the kitchen area. Pictured here is my entry in our knife skills competition.


Every day began with lectures and ended with us preparing enough food for 96 people. We formed four teams and each team made four dishes in quantities of six. The results meant some serious good eats for the dozen students, Chef John and his two assistants. Pictured here is Dan Williams as he tenderizes some meat with the back of a saucepan. Dan lives in Orangevale near Sacramento and was the only other guy in our class. Dan is not only a great cook, but also loves wine and golf which means that he and I will definitely have a few more stories to tell down the road.


Chef John Ash knows a lot about flavors. He also knows a lot about wine and we were treated to a session at The Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies where he used tiny bits of food to play with our palates. This experiment was part of the greater discussion of flavors to which we dedicated an entire day and was the highlight of my week.


My only complaint of the week was the proverbial "so much information, so little time." The realm of culinary is massive and impossible to squeeze into five days. We had a great group of students. We had our own private kitchen called The Williams Center for Flavor Development separate from the main teaching facility. We had Chef John Ash as our mentor. If we only had some more time. I liken cooking instruction from Chef Ash to taking an art class from Michelangelo because every lesson is augmented by real first hand experience from around the world. If it's tempera, then he has a story to share about cooking with Japan's top chef. Education just doesn't get much better than this. They call it "Boot Camp" but it was truly like living out a fantasy for me.


It's no surprise that I have chalked this one up to a truly great experience. In my parting shot here Chef John Ash is pointing to one very happy boot camper.

MC Skills Workshop - Never Stop Honing

In the culinary world we are taught to hone our knives every time we use them. A quick run across the honing stone enables your knife to easily go right through a ripe tomato. It is really all about maintenance and keeping your tools effective. I feel this same sharpening habit goes for your talents. Last month I had the opportunity to return to school and take a unique MC Skills Workshop in Las Vegas where we learned what makes great speakers and presenters.

Workshops and seminars for self-improvement are quite common. However, emcee/MC/ master of ceremonies skills are often learned innately or stem from acting, film, television or drama disciplines. Fortunately, my good friends, Mark and Rebecca Ferrell, have produced several workshops for disc jockeys who seek to improve their MC skills. The Ferrells are well qualified to teach this workshop because they come from an extensive entertainment background including Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, as well as television, radio and voice over work. They created The Love Story concept in 1989 for their wedding clients and have been teaching the Marbecca Method to entertainers all over the United States and Canada. You can follow them on their blog at Mark Ferrell.com.

The Marbecca Method training is both intimate and intense. I was one of only six students in this small meeting room at Hilton Homewood Suites in Henderson, Nevada. The tables were strategically positioned to optimize communication between everyone.


And then there was the dreaded camcorder. Yes, the only way to see your mistakes and watch your improvements is video. It was constantly rolling and revealing every little nuance you want to see and many you'd rather not see. In this shot I am on the hot seat with somewhat of a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face while Mark seems to be chuckling at the footage.


Part of our training included watching many examples of speakers. Time and again the best example of great MC work we witnessed was Marc Summers. Marc is the quintessential Master of Ceremonies. Marc hosts a show called Unwrapped on my favorite channel, The Food Network, where you can enjoy his amazing speaking skills weekly.

An important part of being the Master of Ceremonies is to have a working knowledge of the ceremonies themselves. There is much folklore and history that has made ceremonies endure over hundreds of years. We took turns role playing as bridal couples while each of us explained these traditions in our announcements. It could have been the intensity or just the moment but I decided humor was the best medicine when it was my turn to play the bride so I turned a napkin into a veil for that shabby chic look. I am posing here over the cake cutting with my new "hubby" Glen Bacarro who traveled all the way from Ontario, Canada to take the workshop.


This parting shot is our graduating class. Some came from as far away as Australia and England just to improve their skills. Our sincere thanks goes out to Mark and Rebecca for sharing their many years of experience with us. I learned an awful lot about MC skills from this workshop. It also reminded me just how important it is to never stop learning. Even if you think you've mastered everything, then get outside your comfort zone and take on the challenge of a brand new skill where you are the rookie. The learning curve will be exhilarating and it will jump start your senses. After all, it is never too late to learn and hone your brain cells.