The CIA, Hyde Park, NY
Stephan Hengst
s_hengst@culinary.edu 845-905-4288
The CIA at Greystone
Tyffani Peters
t_peters@culinary.edu 707-967-2322
The CIA, San Antonio
Stephan Hengst
s_hengst@culinary.edu 845-905-4288
Bios
Adam Busby, CMC
Director of Education, Greystone
Adam Busby is director of education at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, the college's campus in California's Napa Valley.
Chef Busby joined the faculty of the CIA at Greystone in 2000 and was named chairman of the culinary arts faculty in 2003. He was previously director of culinary programs at the Dubrulle International Culinary and Hotel Institute of Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.
His culinary career began with an apprenticeship in Canada, after which he moved to France to work in Michelin starred restaurants in Dijon and Paris, rising steadily through the ranks. Chef Busby then served as executive sous chef in the five-diamond Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa for several years before moving back to Canada.
Adam Busby is a Certified Master Chef (CMC), having earned this prestigious designation in February 2004.
Iliana de la Vega
Chef-Instructor
Iliana de la Vega is a chef-instructor at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, where she is a Mexican/Latin Cuisines Specialist. Chef de la Vega develops curriculum and teaches professional development classes dedicated to the study of Latin American cuisines and she is a founding member of the CIA's Latin Cuisines Advisory Council.
Before joining the CIA in 2007, Chef de la Vega had won worldwide acclaim for her interpretation of Oaxacan moles at her restaurant El Naranjo in Oaxaca, Mexico. Born and raised in Mexico City, Chef de la Vega learned to cook from her Oaxacan mother. After attending university and beginning her career in professional cooking in Mexico City, she opened El Naranjo in 1994, preparing modern interpretations of Oaxaca's traditional dishes.
In addition to teaching, Chef de la Vega conducts culinary research throughout Latin America by traveling to interview chefs, home cooks, culinary historians, growers, and producers. She and her team document detailed information about the ingredients, recipes, culinary techniques, and cultural influences shaping cuisine throughout Latin America. This effort is part of the Center for Foods of the Americas, a multifaceted research arm of the college based at the CIA San Antonio dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Latin American cuisine.
In 2010, she and her husband opened El Naranjo Mobile, an Austin, TX-based food truck that within months of opening was named "Best Mexican Restaurant in Austin" by several food critics and publications.
Iliana de la Vega has been featured in top U.S. publications including The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Conde Nast Traveler. She often presents at conferences.
Greg Drescher
Vice President—Strategic Initiatives & Industry Leadership
Greg Drescher is vice president—strategic initiatives & industry leadership at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He is responsible for the college's thought leadership, strategic partnerships and initiatives, industry conferences, and new media. Mr. Drescher assumed his current title in 2011 after serving as executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA. In this role, he created the college's influential Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival series, Worlds of Healthy Flavors Leadership Retreat in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, and other CIA "think tank" initiatives.
Mr. Drescher joined the CIA in 1995, and served nearly 10 years as the first director of education for the college's campus in St. Helena, CA, where he oversaw the development of the CIA at Greystone's program of continuing and advanced studies.
Previously, Mr. Drescher was co-founder and program chairman of the Boston-based Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust. In this capacity, he designed programs in the United States and throughout the Mediterranean region, and jointly spearheaded a collaboration of some of the world's leading health experts and organizations—including the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization—in researching and authoring "The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid: A Cultural Model for Healthy Eating." The results of this research were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1995, creating much of the academic, public policy, and media interest in the Mediterranean Diet that followed.
In the 1980s, he served as national program director and later as associate director of the American Institute of Wine & Food, an organization co-founded by Julia Child and Robert Mondavi.
Mr. Drescher was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2005. The following year, he was honored with Food Arts magazine's Silver Spoon Award. He has shared two James Beard Awards for his work in developing the CIA's "Savoring the Best of World Flavors" DVD and Web cast series.
In 2008, he was appointed by the President of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine to its "Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake," whose final report was published in 2010.
Mark Erickson '77, CMC
Vice President—Dean of Culinary Education
Certified Master Chef (CMC) Mark Erickson is vice president—dean of culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In this role Erickson is responsible for all aspects of the college's culinary programs including degree programs, professional development, consulting, intellectual property development and conferences, as well as the college's department dedicated to menu research and development. He also oversees the CIA's branch campuses in St. Helena, CA and San Antonio, TX.
An honors graduate of the CIA class of 1977, Chef Erickson was director of culinary education at the Hyde Park campus from 1988 to 1990. Prior to that, he was a faculty member for three years and department head for one year. His career also includes serving as chef garde manger of the Palace Hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland, executive sous chef of the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV, and executive chef of Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, GA.
A native of Alexandria, MN, Chef Erickson was a member of the gold medal-winning United States Culinary Olympic Teams in 1980, 1984, and 1988, and part of the U.S. team that won the 1985 Culinary World Cup. He earned "Crystal Chef" honors by having the highest score in the ten-day Certified Master Chef examination administered by the American Culinary Federation in 1985.
Mr. Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant & Hotel Management from the University of New Haven and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Marist College.
John W. Fischer '88
Associate Professor in Hospitality and Service Management
John Fischer is an associate professor in hospitality and service management at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Mr. Fischer teaches the senior-level Beverage Management course, a class that incorporates theoretical and practical information about organizing a beverage program within a business's overall operation. Mr. Fischer's students learn about purchasing, marketing, cost control measures, and inventory, as well as sanitation laws and practices and the legal and moral responsibilities that come with the sale of alcoholic beverages. The class also covers distillation, brewing, and mixology and the preparation and service of spirits, beer, coffee, and tea.
Mr. Fischer also served as maître d' instructor in the college's Escoffier Restaurant. The Ivy Award-winning restaurant is also a classroom for students in the CIA's culinary arts degree program. He is the author of the CIA's book about service and customer relations, At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room (John Wiley & Sons, 2005) and co-author of The Culinary Institute of America Dining Series cookbook Bistros and Brasseries: Recipes and Reflections on Classic Café Cooking (Lebhar-Friedman, 2008).
A 1988 CIA graduate, Mr. Fischer completed his externship field experience at Le Bernardin in New York City. Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2000 as a faculty member, Mr. Fischer held managerial positions at renowned New York City restaurants. He was general manager of Morrell Wine Bar & Café, manager of Carmine's and Arizona 206, cellar master at Rainbow!, manager and wine director of Fresco by Scotto, wine and floor manager at Manhattan Ocean Club, wine director and beverage manager at Campagna and Hudson River Club, and maître d' and wine director at Mondrian.
Mr. Fischer also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA.
Francisco Migoya, CMB, CHE
Associate Professor in Baking and Pastry Arts
Francisco Migoya is an associate professor in baking and pastry arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chef Migoya serves as executive pastry chef and instructor in the college's Apple Pie Bakery Café, a retail operation staffed by students in the CIA's baking and pastry degree programs. His class, titled Café Operations, provides students with realistic "hands-on" industry experience using their professional baking, pastry, and service skills.
Before joining the CIA faculty in 2005, Chef Migoya was executive pastry chef for renowned chef Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery, and Bouchon Bistro, all in Yountville, CA. He also served as pastry chef at Veritas Restaurant and pastry sous chef at ILO Restaurant in New York City. He held various pastry positions at The River Café in Brooklyn, NY, including head pastry chef.
A native of Mexico City, Chef Migoya holds a certificate in culinary arts from La Universidad Anáhuac and a hotel and restaurant management degree from CESSA University, both in his home city. He also holds a French culinary diploma from Lycee d'Hotellerie et de Tourisme in Strasbourg, France.
Chef Migoya was the winner of a silver medal in the New Star Dessert Search Contest at the Beaver Creek Culinary Classic Pastry Competition in 2000. He was the CIA's Faculty Member of the Year for 2008.
Jennifer M. Purcell '96, CHE
Associate Dean for Restaurant Education and Operations
Jennifer Purcell is associate dean for restaurant education and operations at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Dean Purcell directs dining room operations at the American Bounty Restaurant, Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, Escoffier Restaurant, and St. Andrew's Café on the college's Hyde Park campus. She is responsible for the quality of education and the quality of service of all four restaurants.
She joined the faculty of her alma mater in 2003, and most recently served as an assistant professor in Business Management. She was maître d' instructor in St. Andrew's Café, teaching Introductory Table Service; and at the Apple Pie Bakery Café, teaching Beverages and Customer service.
Ms. Purcell earned both associate and bachelor's degrees from the CIA, graduating in 1996. She also holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Prior to teaching at the CIA, she worked for foodservice contractor Sodexho, in on-site management positions at Showa Boston, Denver University, Bentley College, and Wellesley College.
Chef Purcell is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE). Her professional kitchen experience includes executive chef at Kaffeehaus Restaurant in New York City and La Luna Ristorante in Bethesda, MD; and various chef positions with the Hyatt, Marriott, and Park Place Hotel companies in the Washington, DC and Miami areas, and Ladbrokes Seven Hills Hotel in Cobham, England.
Brannon Soileau, CHE
Lecturing Instructor in Culinary Arts
Brannon Soileau is a lecturing instructor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chef Soileau teaches Culinary Skills Development in the college's degree programs. His course focuses on the techniques of basic cookery, with special emphasis placed on sautéing, roasting, poaching, braising and frying. Chef Soileau's lectures and demonstrations cover vegetable, starch, meat, poultry, and fish cookery; as well as the fundamental preparations of stocks, soups, and sauces.
An expert in Cajun and Southern cuisine, the Louisiana native is a 1991 CIA graduate and a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE). Before returning to his alma mater as a faculty member in 2008, he was chef/owner of Maize: An American Grill, Maize Catering on Columbia, and Buon Appetito in Lafayette, IN; executive chef of the Pump Room in Chicago, IL; banquet and private club chef at the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas, TX; executive sous chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, CA; and cook at the Four Seasons Hotels in Austin, TX and Chicago, IL.
Thomas L. Vaccaro '85, CMB, CEPC, CHE
Senior Director for Baking and Pastry Education
Thomas Vaccaro is senior director for baking and pastry education at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). A 1985 alumnus of the CIA, Chef Vaccaro joined the college's administration in 2005. He returned to his alma mater from Atlantic City, where he was executive pastry chef at the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino. He was also executive pastry chef at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City and Trump's Taj Mahal and Tropworld Casino and Entertainment Resort in Atlantic City.
Vaccaro was the American Culinary Federation's National Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004. He coached the U.S. Culinary Team to gold medals in the 2000 and 2004 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and earned a perfect score in the pastry competition as the team's pastry chef at the 1992 Culinary Olympics.
A native of Belleville, NJ, Chef Vaccaro is a member and former vice president of the South Jersey Professional Chefs Association. He is the chef coordinator of fundraisers for the Ruth Newman Shapiro Cancer Society.
Richard Vergili
Professor in Liberal Arts
Richard Vergili is a professor in liberal arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Vergili teaches Nutrition and Food Safety to students in the college's degree programs. Students in his classes learn the basic concepts and principles of nutrition, and the importance of nutrition in the foodservice industry; and food safety, in which his classes learn how to prevent food-borne illnesses.
Mr. Vergili joined the CIA faculty in 1981, and has served as the department chair for hospitality management. Vergili has taught chemistry, biology, marine science, and physical science at St. Mary High Schoo, Greenwich, CT, and in Pearl River, NY and Newburgh, NY. He was also an administrator in the Hope Farm Union Free School District in Pomona, NY.
Mr. Vergili is a member of the Central Atlantic States Association of Food and Drug Officials and the International Association of Food Protection. He has frequently presented at food safety conferences, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Protection Seminars. He is on several standing committees for the Conference of Food Protection, the nation's leading organization on retail food protection.
He earned his masters degree from Fordham University in Bronx, NY, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. He holds a permanent education certification from New York State in biology, chemistry, and physical science.
