Culinary institute's chefs spill into community

By Jennifer McGraw Karchmer
Poughkeepsie Journal

‘‘Many CIA graduates decide to stay in the area after completing their studies. This has led to tremendous diversity in our dining options,’’ said Lori Pierce-Abendschein, the Poughkeepsie Journal’s restaurant critic.

An eclectic dining experience can start with a meal at one of the Culinary’s four restaurants on the campus on Route 9 in Hyde Park, Dutchess County.

Enjoy American cuisine at the American Bounty restaurant, French recipes at the Escoffier Restaurant, and Asian meals at St. Andrew’s Cafe. Try ‘‘authentic Italian’’ at the CIA’s Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici located in the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine, said Pierce-Abendschein, a CIA graduate and member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.

For light lunch, desserts and coffee, try the Culinary’s Apple Pie Bakery Cafe in Roth Hall. No reservations are required.

There are over 1,000 graduates of the CIA working in Dutchess, Ulster and Putnam counties, the admissions office at the CIA said.

Going home to cook

Spencer Ainsley/Poughkeepsie Journal The Culinary Institute of America, established in 1946, moved to Hyde Park in 1972.

For example, Jim Jerkowski, an Ulster County native, opened the Postage Inn Restaurant in his hometown of Tillson after graduating from the CIA in 1986. The inn, formerly the Tillson Post Office, serves American Continental cuisine.

The Haymaker Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, run by owner and chef Scott Holtzhouser, a 2000 CIA graduate, includes chicken satay appetizer, duck salad and St. Louis style ribs on the menu.

The Culinary, established in 1946, was originally the New Haven Restaurant Institute in New Haven, Conn. The school became the Culinary Institute of America in 1951, and in 1972, moved to Hyde Park, taking over St. Andrew’s Seminary.

For dining with beautiful views of the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, be sure to eat at the Mohonk Mountain House, the famed resort owned by the Smiley family, or enjoy outdoor dining at the Harvest Cafe on Main Street in New Paltz, Ulster County. Owners Mark & Kim Suszczynski make meals with fresh ingredients from local farm markets.

Or join chef Alberto Vanoli from Bergamo, Italy at his Ristorante Locust Tree in New Paltz. Traditional Italian courses of antipasti, minestre, secondi, dolci and formaggi make up the basis for the menu.

Husband and wife team Janine & Todd Gray offer fine dining at the Inn at Osborne Hill in Fishkill, Dutchess County. Dining at the inn is especially quaint because it was built in the 1930s.

For a Sunday champagne brunch, go to Hotel Thayer on the U.S. Military Academy’s campus at West Point, Orange County, and for waterfront dining, there’s Nikola’s at The Newburgh Yacht Club in Newburgh, Orange County.

If you’re craving Mexican fajitas, exotic Indian spices or sushi, you don’t have to trek to New York City to satisfy your palate.

Samurai Sushi Cafe and Tokyo Express are near Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. Yobo in Newburgh, Orange County, has a menu enticing diners to try Korean, Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese specialties.

The Hudson Valley is home to an increasing number of ethnic restaurants thanks to a mixed population of immigrants.

Janet’s Jerk Stop on Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie and West Indies Market and Restaurant on Main Street both serve oxtail, jerk chicken and other Caribbean foods. Enjoy soft tacos and beef burritos at Mexico Lindo or Lulu’s Cafe, recent additions to Main Street in the City of Poughkeepsie.

And the Piggy Bank Restaurant on Main Street in Beacon, Dutchess County, specializes in gourmet southern cooking, featuring an authentic Southern slow-cooked smokehouse barbecue. The Piggy Bank is in Beacon’s East End Antique District.