San Diego Jewish World

Saturday Evening, June 2, 2007    

Vol. 1, Number 33
 

Mayor Noam Bramson and city council members, will promote mutual appreciation between the cities, cultural activities, learning about each city’s history, and people-to-people exchanges.

The foregoing article was provided by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

ADL's Foxman raps Swiss for proposing
to Iran the conference on the Holocaust
 

The article notes that there has been no follow-up on the seminar since it was first proposed at the meeting, and that Ms. Calmy-Rey, through a spokesman, indicated that she made clear to her Iranian counterpart that the Holocaust was historical fact.

The foregoing article was provided by the Anti-Defamation League.
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Wiesenthal Center urges investigation
of Hizbollah activities in Paraguay

LOS ANGELES— The Simon Wiesenthal Center is urging the government of Paraguay to launch an official ininvestigation into  Hizbollah- related activities in Ciudad del Este, at the Tri-Border area bordering Argentina and Brazil.

In a letter to Interior Minister Rogelio Benítez Vargas, Shimon Samuels (Director for International Relations of the Wiesenthal Center) and Sergio Widder (Latin American Representative) refered to an NBC – Telemundo report , which includes testimony by Mustafa Khalil Meri, who openly supports the terrorist group Hizbollah, and threatens to carry out violent actions, as well another individual, identified as the person in charge of a mosque in Ciudad del Este, who stated that “Shiite mosques have the moral obligation to finance Hizbollah”.

“Beyond its criminal activities in the Middle East, Hizbollah was accused as the main responsible for the terrorist attacks against the Israeli Embassy and the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires (1992 and 1994, respectively), and permissiveness towards any action aimed at strengthening that group is against all regional cooperation policies on terrorism”, said Samuels and Widder.

The foregoing article was provided by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
 

AJC congratulates law enforcement
for thwarting a terror attack at JFK

NEW YORK (Press Release)—The American Jewish Committee praised law enforcement today for preventing a large terrorist attack at John F. Kennedy airport in New York. Law enforcement announced that they have arrested one man, and are seeking the extradition of three from Trinidad.

“This plot to cause a major catastrophe at JFK airport is a vivid reminder that utmost vigilance is necessary against ongoing threats from Islamist radicals,” said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. “For all in New York and across the United States, complacency is not possible in the post-9/11 era.”

The four, who allegedly have ties to a radical Muslim group in Trinidad, and include a former member of the Guyana Parliament, reportedly were planning for more than a year to bomb fuel tanks at JFK airport and underground fuel lines in adjacent residential neighborhoods.

The arrests come shortly after law enforcement prevented a terrorist attack on Fort Dix in New Jersey.

The foregoing article was provided by the American Jewish Committee
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Ban-ki delivers closed-door report on Middle East
to members of United Nations Security Council

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y(Press Release)—The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and tense, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the Security Council on Friday, with fresh clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the resumption of fighting at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Briefing Council members in a closed-door session after returning from Berlin, where he took part in a meeting of the principals of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, Mr. Ban said he has spoken to several regional leaders to try to help alleviate the situation.

He noted that the Quartet voiced support for the ongoing bilateral talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as regional efforts – particularly the Arab Peace Initiative – to find a solution to the conflict.

The Quartet, which comprises the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States, decided to meet at an undetermined location in the Middle East on 26 June or the day after to continue the momentum of international peace efforts, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Quartet members will meet with Israelis and Palestinians and will then hold a separate meeting with members of the Arab League to follow up on the Arab Peace Initiative, Ms. Montas added.

In northern Lebanon, fighting has again resumed between Lebanese army forces and Fatah al-Islam gunmen entrenched in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp near the city of Tripoli.

The shelling on Friday heavier than on previous days, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported, and it has meant the agency is unable to obtain first-hand information on the latest conditions for civilians living in the camp.

UNRWA estimates that about 5,000 people remain at Nahr el-Bared, less than two weeks after the deadly clashes erupted in a camp that was home to about 31,000 people. Most refugees fled to Tripoli or the nearby camp of Beddawi during lulls in the fighting.

The foregoing article was provided by the office of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
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Wexler, Crist on bipartisan trip to Israel
 

WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Robert Wexler (Democrat, Florida), a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee, is leading a bipartisan delegation to Israel with Governor Charlie Crist (Republican, Florida) through June 3. During their meetings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the delegation will focus on strengthening bilateral economic, security, and military relations between the United States and Israel. In addition, the delegation plans to meet with Israeli officials and business leaders to enhance trade and economic cooperation between Israel and the State of Florida.

Wexler and Governor Crist will met with top Israeli officials, including Prime Minster Ehud Olmert, Knesset Speaker and Acting President of Israel Dalia Itzik, Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Deputy Prime Minister Simon Peres, as well as members of the Knesset. While in Israel, the delegation will visit holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as Yad Vashem and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s gravesite.

“It is an honor to lead this bipartisan mission to Israel with Governor Crist. I hope it will serve to strengthen our nation’s relationship with Israel as well as increase economic cooperation and foster people to people cooperation between Florida and Israel,” Wexler said. “Like Governor Crist, I strongly believe America must stand with our ally Israel in its fight for security and peace, and it is the goal of our visit to express our solidarity and support for the Israeli people.”

The delegation joining Congressman Wexler and Governor Crist includes business leaders from Florida, as well as Democratic and Republican state and federal legislators, including US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), US Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Florida State Senator Nan H. Rich (D-FL), Florida Representative Adam Hasner (R-FL), Florida Representative Dan Gelber (D-FL), and Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter (D-FL).

Congressman Wexler is Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee and a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Judiciary Committee; and he also sits on the Financial Services Committee.
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Your specialist in cruises and tours           Upcoming 2007 San Diego  sailings: Now-December 29: Carnival: Elation: multiple 4-and 5-day sailings, round trip to Mexico. Sept 23-Dec 30: Princess Cruises: Dawn Princess: 7-day round trip to Mexico Sept. 28: Celebrity Cruises: Summit: 14-day Hawaii Sept. 29: Holland America: Oosterdam, 7-day Mexico.

National Intelligence Estimate to determine what
threat global warming poses to American security
 

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)— The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week approved the FY’08 Intelligence Authorization bill, which includes a provision sponsored by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), John Warner (R-Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) to require the Director of National Intelligence to produce a formal intelligence assessment on the potential national security impacts of climate change. 

Specifically, the unclassified amendment offered by the Senators requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to produce a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the impacts to national security from global climate change within 270 days. It requires other agencies with climate change-related expertise to cooperate in writing the NIE, and authorizes the DNI to work with outside groups as needed.  Unlike a similar provision in the House version of the authorization bill, this amendment incorporates suggestions from the DNI.

 “Climate change projections call for massive disruptions to the global economy and health, including potential humanitarian crises, massive migrations, and impacts on energy resources.  The Intelligence Community should help prepare our nation’s leaders for these scenarios,” Senator Feinstein said.

Dianne Feinstein
“That’s why Senators Hagel, Warner, Whitehouse, Snowe, Mikulski and I offered a bipartisan measure to require the preparation of a formal National Intelligence Estimate on the potential national security impacts of global warming – and this amendment is now part of the bill approved by the Committee.  Let me make clear one point:  this estimate will not divert resources from other critical Intelligence Community priorities, such as the gathering of intelligence on rogue nation states, terrorist groups, or potential proliferation activities.”
The foregoing article was provided by the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein

Wyden contrasts his and Obama's health care plans

PORTLAND, OREGON (Press Release)—U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (Democrat, Oregon) issued the following statement concerning health care legislation proposed by Senator Barrack Obama (Democrat, Illinois):

I am very pleased that Senator Obama (D-IL) has come forward with a proposal to fix the nation’s broken health care system and that his plan is based on some of the core principles contained in the bipartisan Healthy Americans Act.  I look forward to seeing the details.

Like the Healthy Americans Act, the Obama plan appears to ensure that every American has quality, affordable private health coverage similar to what Members of Congress have. Both plans also emphasize prevention and wellness, so that our citizens have health care instead of “sick care.”  And our plans also call for reform of the insurance market so that no one would be denied health care because of pre-existing conditions.

There also are, however, some key differences between our plans: first, the Obama plan calls for a single, national health insurance exchange to monitor insurance companies offering coverage.  While it’s important to have minimum national standards, I’m not sure creating a new federal bureaucracy is the best approach. By contrast, the Wyden-Bennett legislation would allow each state the flexibility to innovate as long as minimum federal standards are met.

The Obama plan also relies heavily on the current employer-based system which leaves workers at risk of losing their health care if they lose or change their jobs.  It also puts U.S. companies and workers at a disadvantage in the long-term when they have to compete in a global economy against overseas companies whose workers get their health care paid by their government.

Finally, it’s not clear if the Obama plan does anything to change the current Federal tax code that gives the biggest tax breaks for health care to the affluent and subsidizes inefficiency.

While I will wait to see the details of his proposal, I’m very pleased that Senator Obama has come forward with some health reform ideas and hope that other presidential candidates will do the same.

The foregoing article was provided by the office of Senator Ron Wyden.  He introduced the Healthy Americans Act in January 2007.  The chief Republican sponsor in the Senate is Senator Bennett, a senior member of the Republican leadership.  U.S. Representatives Brian Baird (D-WA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) plan to introduce a companion bill in the House

Jews in the News          
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 Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy. Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are,  if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net.  To
see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

*Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad have contributed $26 million to build an art museum at Michigan State University, his alma mater.  The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of Los Angeles County Health Services, branded as "inexcusable" the manner in which Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, succumbed to a perforated bowel. She writhed in pain at King-Harbor Hospital as personnel and other patients looked on indifferently.  The story by Charles Ornstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*At a news conference, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders denounced Sunroad Enterprises  owned by Aaron Feldman as an "irresponsible" company "willing to thumb their nose" at the law.  His anger was prompted by disclosures that even as Sunroad is in the midst of a controversy with the city and the FAA over a building near Montgomery Field, the company has plans for another controversial building near Lindbergh Field. The story by Maureen Magee and David Hasemyer
is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  The newspaper also ran an editorial on the subject.

*U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, San Diego), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told a forum at the University of California San Diego that VA facilities around the country cannot physically keep up with the number of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars who still need treatment.  More than 200,000 of them have filed claims.  The story by Steve Liewer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel will hold hearings in October to determine whether the state's method of executing prisoners—lethal injection—constitutes unconstitutional "cruel and unusual punishment."  The story by Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Patrick McGilligan, in writing the biography Oscar Micheaux: The Great and the Only, weighed the impact of the Leo Frank lynching in Georgia on the African-American film-maker.  Frank, a Jew, had been accused by a black janitor of raping a factory girl—an accusation later proven false.  Micheaux obsessed on the case, resulting in some works that border on anti-Semitism.  The
review by David Ehrenstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Labor arbitrator Sam Kagel, perhaps best known for his work on the 1982 National Football League strike, has died at age 98. His obituary is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*An April 1 fire that burned down Bais Yehudi synagogue in Monsey, N.Y., was caused by a 15-year-old boy playing with matches, and not by anyone angry at the Neturei Karta congregation because of its pronounced anti-Zionist views, police have reported. The Associated Press story is included in a briefs column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Risa Levitt Kohn, curator of the upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum, provides background on the scrolls in an interview with Kelly Bennett printed today on the Voice of San Diego website.

*The Legislature will debate a bill by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Democrat, Van Nuys) next week to permit terminally ill patients to be provided means to self-administer drugs that could end their lives.  The "right to die issue" is back in the news with the release from prison of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, whose moniker became "Doctor Death" because of all the suicides at which he assisted. The story by P.J. Huffstutter is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Robert Rosenthal, managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, has resigned his position as the newspaper, like others in California, has been forced to trim its staff because of rising costs and competition.  The story by James Rainey is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*When NBC Entertainment was under the control of the late Brandon Tartikoff, the slogan was "first be best, then be first."  With Ben Silverman coming in, it may be "plug our sponsors, before they unplug us."  The story by Scott Collins is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Irving Zeiger, a man with a passion for the Los Angeles Dodgers and liberal politics, died at age 89.  His obituary by Valerie J. Nelson is in today's Los Angeles Times

(return to top)
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The Jewish Grapevine                                                    
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AROUND THE TOWN—Joseph Shapiro has been promoted from associate dean to dean of
San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies...

CYBER-REFERRALS—Hillel Mazansky passed on this clip of Jennifer Grey—granddaughter of comedian Mickey Katz—singing "Dovid Crockett" on the Conan O'Brien Show.




SPORTS—Bruce Lowitt notes that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, one of 13 Jewish major leaguers, has launched his own blog on MLB.com and is asking fans to come up with a name for it. "So far, the leading contenders are Yoooouuuukkk, Youk's Scoop, Youk Nation,
Youk's Yackings and Youktastic."
 

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The Jewish Citizen
              by Donald H. Harrison
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Finding a Jewish story wasn't a fair challenge

DEL MAR, Calif.—Our continuing campaign to prove that "there is a Jewish story everywhere" took us to press preview night at the San Diego County Fair.  In this case, we didn't have to search for a story, it found us in the form of David "Leapin' Louie" Lichtenstein, who cordially describes himself in the official program as the "most explosive Jewish Cowboy Juggling Comedian from Oregon (or any where else for that matter)."

Walking on stilts and brandishing a lasso, Lichtenstein dropped a loop over my wife, Nancy, within a few moments of our crossing the threshold of the fairgrounds, adjacent to the famed Del Mar Racetrack.

Lichtenstein is a street performer who has made it big: instead of doing his shtick for tips, he travels from fair to fair, where he is paid by management to keep people amused as they stroll the midways.  Not only can he juggle, he can demonstrate the fine art of the bullwhip.  After stepping down from the stilts, he found a volunteer to hold up some toilet paper, and after some suitable patter to heighten suspense, crack, his whip cut a single section of  toilet paper in half without harming the nervous looking volunteer.

Lichtenstein has a website on which he posts his press clippings.  In one of the them, a reporter asked how difficult it was for him, as a Jew, to work on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. He responded by describing himself as a "West Coast Jew," not an Orthodox one, which evidently I must be too, because there I was on the fairgrounds on a Friday night.

I brought some other West Coast Jews with me, and ran into a few more at the event intended
to raise public consciousness of the fair, which will open June 8 and continue through July 4,
with closures on June 11, 12, 18, 19 and 25.  A ticket is $12 for people in the half-century range between 12 and 62.  But if you're either older or younger than that, it admission is only $6. And children under 6 get in free.

This year the fair's running theme will be a "Salute to Heroes," both living and dead, with one
in the former category being Holocaust Survivor Gussie Zaks, today a San Diego resident, and in the latter category being Dr. Jonas Salk, discoverer of the polio vaccine. More Jewish angles! 




The fun of fairs, of course, is that people can meet and learn a little bit about each other. Judging by media night, there will be plenty of interesting people to meet. Just walking down the midway,
I encountered the strolling Mariachi Juvenil Azteca, made up of students; chatted with Ted Platis, operator of the Mediterranean stand which sells gyros, falafel, and Greek salads; saw a modern dance routine on stage; talked to fierce costumed wrestlers, who were there to advertise an upcoming exhibition, and learned that at a county fair people will line up to eat anything, even deep-fried cola.

I also watched in fascination as my 88-year-old father-in-law (with the neon lights of the midway reflecting off his head); 58-year-old wife Nancy and a young boy unknown to us competed fiercely at a Giambra Concessions booth to be the first to squirt sufficient water at a target to cause a balloon to inflate and pop.  Nancy had extra motivation: one of the prizes she could win was a stuffed Spiderman toy for our 6-year-old grandson Shor. (Yes, she eventually bagged one!)

"Hey Don," said a voice in the darkness. It turned out to be Joe Naiman, a Jewish community member who covers the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for a number of small newspapers, including the Ramona Sentinel. He and brother Allan Naiman were fascinated by the live turkeys of the Turkey Stampede.  Races are conducted by having the turkeys chase a toy truck filled with grain. Other critters walking around fairgrounds included a variety of farm animals raised by 4-H Club members.

As we were leaving another Jewish reporter, Marsha Sutton of the Rancho Santa Fe Review, arrived with her husband Rocky Smolin and son Noah Sutton-Smolin. By the standards of Leapin' Louie, they must be hybrid Jews.  Before arriving at the fair, they attended Friday night Shabbat services at Congregation Beth El.


Left to Right: Joe and Allan Naiman check out the turkeys; a young woman pets a goat, and Rocky Smolin,
Noah Sutton-Smolin, and Marsha Sutton, make ready to check out the bright lights of the midway.
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Max Siegel Congratulations on your graduation! Now it's off to UC Berkeley! Grandma Paula

Arts in Review

 by Carol Davis
                     __________________________________________

Babies, Babies, Babies

SOLANA BEACH, Calif.—Baby is a musical about…well… babies; how to get them; what to do
while waiting for them; what to do if it doesn’t work, and how to behave when the news is
positive. And, if you are in that could be gestation mode, that’s great. Yours truly just clicked on
“How to handle those Hot Flashes ….New Menopause Survival Tools” headlining my AOL News
Feature. That’s where I am!

Don’t be misled. I’ve done the baby thing five times, three of mine and two grandsons, and in
retrospect, there were parts about it that were funny. It wasn’t then and it probably isn’t now if
you are in the middle of it so I guess that’s why two guys, Richard Maltby, Jr. who wrote the
lyrics and David Shire who wrote the music along with Sybille Pearson  (the only one who really
knows) who penned the book, wanted to give those unsuspecting, prospective parents who
weren’t as worldly, a ‘heads up’ or ‘heads out’ or whatever.

Baby opened on Broadway in 1983 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It ran for 241 performances
and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. Unfortunately it was up against some pretty tough
competition: La Cage aux Folles; Sunday in the Park With George, and The Tap Dance Kid.
And…….the winner was…La Cage which walked away with six Tony’s. But for a revival in
2004 where Pearson revised and updated Baby, we might not be seeing it today.

Director Paula Kalustian, who heads up the MFA Musical Theatre program at San Diego State
University, and who along with Jill Masaros co- produced (Miracle Theatre Productions years)
shows at The Theatre in Old Town for 14 years, until this year has directed Baby no less than
four times. She obviously has an affinity for it. So now, it is in its current state at The North Coast
Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach where Artistic Director David Ellenstein gave her the nod to
do what she loves doing best.

If there is a plot, well, there really isn’t. It’s more of a time line following three couples through
the beginnings, the middles and the ends of approaching parenthood. In one case; a false start.
One might call this little ditty a musical play. Every situation has a matching song. There isn’t a
lot to write home about or hum on the way home, but it’s not unpleasant, either.

It’s easy, pleasing to the eye and somewhat of a no brainer. With minimalist sets (Marty Burnett
was still able to be creative with his primary colored wooden shapes and building blocks which
were easily moved around and of course the bed in the center of the stage.), and Ali Bretches,
the company who either supplied the clothes, designed them, (I doubt) or suggested them, the
show has a casual look. Jeans, tennies and workout suits with a few conventional skirts, blouses
and trousers are the style of the day. The cast, with few costume changes needed, is nimble and
gifted.

The music performed by Danny King on percussion and Andy Ingersoll on piano and musical
direction might have sounded better had I not been sitting right in front of one of the speakers
which were  literally less than two feet from my space and ears. That’s the luck of the draw.

The best part, the redeeming part of the show and production (and we saved it for last) is the
versatile and talented cast of eight; three couples whose lives are in the balance because of either
unplanned pregnancies or  unwanted ones, or nuttin’ happen’ here, and a fourth couple who is
everyone else or the ensemble.

Nick and Rebecca Spears, the couple whose false start
set them on the path to planned conjugal experiments,
carried the comedy workload, and they do it well. Both
were students under Kalustian at SDSU and both are
talented singers and actors. Rebecca’s funny little
twitches and turned up smile seem to be her trademark.
They were relaxed and looked like they were having
fun. As a real life couple, one can imagine this is a
dream come true. Steve Gunderson and Susan Jordan
are the more mature couple with grown children who
are about ready to settle for the ‘empty nest’ when lo
Nick and Rebecca Spears

and behold, on an anniversary vacation…. Now they struggle about whether to carry the baby
and start all over again. Gunderson, who is an all time San Diego favorite having stacked more
stage time to his credits than the total of all the others, is perfect for the part of the more mature,
more serious and more determined Alan. Jordan, as Arlene, is just right as his counterpart. Her
voice is soothing and her acting smooth and convincing.

Ashley Linton (Lizzy) and Jason Maddy (Danny) are the college students whose lives will be
forever changed by her pregnancy. Both of these young folks are a welcome treat to San Diego
audiences. Maddy was last seen in The Welk’s Fiddler as Perchick. Charming, spirited and gifted,
both, theirs was the most interesting relationship to watch. The fact that they each have a fine set
of vocal chords, endless energy and good looks helps. Paul Morgavo and Lindsay Gearhart prove
to be talented in their own right as the ensemble.

Baby is the 6th production of the theatre’s 25th season. According to Artistic director David
Ellenstein, the theatre is in‘great shape’. We wish them well on their future plans for expansion.

POSTSCRIPT:

David Shire met Richard Maltby, Jr. while both were attending Yale. They wrote two musicals
Cyrano and Grand Tour which were both produced by the Yale Dramat. He also co founded a
jazz group at school, The Shire-Fogg Quintet and was a Phi Beta Kappa honors student, with a
double major in English and Music.

At graduate school at Brandeis University he was the first Eddie Fisher Fellow. Shire is married to
Didi Conn (Edith Bernstein) whose brother Richard Bernstein was the featured tenor recently
seen and heard in the San Diego Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro .

Baby will play through June 24. For more information on Baby, the theatre can be reached by
calling (858) 481-1055 or logging on to www.northcoastrep.org

See you at the theatre.

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What's Good to Eat in

San Diego?Lynne Thrope 
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A Visit to the Renown Culinary Institute of America

HYDE PARK, N.Y.—I have been to mecca.  For the would-be actor; that would be Hollywood; Jackson Hole for the outdoors enthusiast. This mecca, however, percolates in the narrow swath of land known as the Hudson River Valley in the picturesque town of Hyde Park, New York, a mere two-hour jaunt from Manhattan and well worth the escape from the never-ending city lights and hectic pace.

This mecca known to professionals of the culinary world is the prestigious Culinary Institute of America which, with unparalleled deft direction, trains, molds, and graduates some of the finest chefs, sommeliers, entrepreneurs, and restaurateurs who have endowed the world with their visionary leadership. Today, we diners are the beneficiaries of 37,000 talented alumni who hold key positions in the foodservice and hospitality industries making their marks in such culinary destinations as New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, Aspen, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Founded in 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut, the Culinary Institute of America is the oldest culinary college in the United States.  It later moved in 1972 to its current location, once home to Jesuit seminarians. In 1995, the college opened the CIA at Greystone, its
center for continuing education in St. Helena, California, in the heart of Napa Valley where wine studies, flavor discovery, and research and development are featured.

Classes in both locations span the culinary globe, exploring great cultures, cooking techniques, and cuisines to prepare students
Student dining hall at Culinary Institute of America

for the diversity and creativity of the food service industry. Two 38-month programs are offered resulting in a bachelor’s degree, one in culinary arts management and one in baking and pastry arts management. In addition, an associate degree prepares students in food safety, nutrition, product knowledge, and menu development before the real-world experience of an 18-week externship at renowned restaurants, hotels, resorts, and publications, such as Allen Wong’s in Honolulu, The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, The Lodge at Pebble Beach and Chocolatier Magazine
in New York.

   
 Columnist Lynne Thrope with master staffer and author John W. Fischer.  At right, Jeff Levine of the CIA

My education about life inside the CIA began with lunch in one of the five student-staffed
public dining venues in which sophomores work. Learning about service etiquette from
master staffer, John W. Fischer, this rotation practices his principles discussed in his book
At Your Service: A Hands on Guide to the Professional Dining Room.

Charming and full of wit and humor, John shared with me the importance of competency, friendliness, and knowledge of the dining experience which I observed first hand in the
American Bounty Restaurant, my choice pick, because of the regional specialties prepared
with local Hudson Valley ingredients and because of the raves it received from Tim Zagat
of Zagat Survey who touts the venison quesadillas as “out-of-this-world cuisine.”
                                                                                        
   
An extraordinary trio at American Bounty Restaurant          Some results from a pastry class

It took but one bite of this imaginative twist on a San Diego staple to agree.  Exceptional
with its morel essence was the Cream of Asparagus Soup surpassed only by the warm
elegance of the Durham Ranch Rabbit Pot Pie and the extraordinary trio of Buffalo
Taquitos on Yellow Mole, Indian Corn Stuffed Quail on chocolate Port Sauce, and
Venison Tamale on Chimayo Chile Sauce.  Dessert deserved a closer look for me since
one of my favorites is a Mexican Chocolate Soufflé topped off with a peanut butter chocolate sauce.

After lunch, I met Jeff Levine, communications manager and my student guide Michael
Sterner (who, I predict, will one day become as recognizable as Jacques Pepin) for a tour extraordinaire.  Strolling the halls of this hallowed culinary college, I easily conjured the
images of its elite graduates marinating together in the 41 kitchens and bakeshops including mainstreamers Anthony Bourdain (’78) author and executive chef, Les Halles, Michael
Chiarello (’82) CEO and Founder, Napastyle.com, Sara Moulton (’77) television personality
and executive chef, Gourmet, Todd English (’82) owner, The Olive Group, Bradley Ogden
(77) chef/co-owner Lark Creek Restaurant Group of which San Diego’s Arterra is one, and
Roy Yamaguchi (’76) chef/owner Roy’s Restaurants, to name a mere familiar few.  I was
humbled, indeed, to walk in the paths of these legends.

Campus life at the CIA bustles with a kinetic energy unlike any college I’ve experienced. No problem keeping pace with students,  however, as they hurried to the Anhauser-Busch Theatre, General Foods Nutrition Center, J. Willard Marriott Continuing Education Center, Colavita
Center for Italian Food and Wine, the Betty Axleroad Language Lab, and the Conrad N. Hilton Library which boasts nearly 74,000 volumes and 3,500 videos and DVDs of food related titles.

Fantasizing about turning back the clock to be amongst these energetic, aspiring masterful chefs
on a daily basis, I did take peaceful time, too, to gaze at the east bank of the majestic Hudson which wends its way past the 170-acre campus before departing to the town of Hyde Park, made famous by the nearby home and presidential library of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Oh if wishes were to come true…B’Tayavon

Lynne Thrope can be contacted at www.TheReadingRoom.net Tours of CIA Hyde Park campus are available on Mondays at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Wednesdays at 4 p.m., and Thursdays at 4 p.m., at $5 per person. Reservations are required. For more information, or to schedule a tour, call 845-451-1588, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Group tours for restaurant guests (groups of 20 or more) may be scheduled by calling (845) 451-1544