CIA San Antonio, Culinaria Brunch, and The Grand Tasting 2013

culinary institute of america san antonio

*As a reminder, I was invited on an all expenses paid trip to San Antonio, Texas to attend the city’s 14th annual food festival, Culinaria.

On Friday, our group got the chance to explore the Culinary Institute of America’s newest campus, located at the old Pearl Brewery site, San Antonio’s newest community along the river.

cia bakery

First order of culinary business: breakfast provided by the CIA Bakery Café. The scones—particularly the cranberry orange—were fantastic.

cia bakery

Next, we took in a lecture from one of CIA San Antonio’s chef-instructors, Brian West, who had just the kind of personality that I’d want in a teacher—very knowledgeable while also proving funny and approachable.

The CIA’s Food Enthusiast Courses range from food demonstrations and tastings to full on Boot Camp Cooking Vacations for the everyday cook. Culinary classes are offered for all ability levels—from those who aim to pursue a career in culinary arts to those who simply want to bump up their cooking skills from basic to more advanced. I love that aspect, because often I find myself wanting to enroll in cooking classes—to learn something new and to experiment with new techniques—but I shy away from ones that lead to something grander professionally.

We were then put through our own mini boot camp and prepared our own Latin lunch.  We made three kinds of roasted salsas, agua fresca, guacamole, rice, beans, and more. My team was tasked with making beer-battered baja-style mahi mahi tacos.

culinary institute of america san antonio

 

culinary institute of america san antonio

culinary institute of america san antonio

cia san antonio

After lunch, we observed a ceviche cooking demo by chef-instructor Elizabeth Johnson.

nao ceviche

Our last cooking demo of the day was by self-taught culinary expert and food historian, Melissa Guerra, who specializes in the food of Texas, Mexico, and Latin America. Melissa shared with us her signature Tex Mex enchiladas. Watching her easy confidence mixed with a sort of irreverent humor actually reminded me a bit of Julia Child.

melissa guerra

I left the CIA very, very impressed with the Latin Cuisines Program they offer. By the end of the day, it was abundantly clear to me that the team there cares immensely about authenticity, using local ingredients, and immersing students in cultural traditions—all things that will make these future chefs better at their craft. There’s at least as much education about the genesis of the food and the cultural roots of the methods of preparation as there is about using proper knife skills and butchering meat, and that is something I deeply respect.

NAO

Dinner that evening was held at CIA’s newest restaurant, NAO: New World Flavors.

nao

 

nao

Check out the dinner menu here.  

nao

“The Entrance” cocktail.

seared turkey galantine

One of our shared appetizers was the Seared Turkey Galantine: tomatillo green mole, escabeche of mushrooms, carrots, onion and jalapeños, crisp turkey chicharrón. Tasty, but not necessarily something I’d order again.

grilled shrimp and fufu

Another app: Grilled Shrimp and Fufu, which was described as, “fresh Gulf shrimp, mashed plantain fufu, pearl onions, piquillo peppers, garlic chives puree.” Flavorful and spicy without being overpowering, these large shrimp were so perfectly grilled that my tablemates and I fought over the last one. I’ll let you guess who won.

pork chop mojo cubano

For my entree, I chose the Pork Chop Mojo Cubano: cashew-crusted pork chop, Cuban tangerine-cumin gastrique, baby cucumber rocket salad, taro root purée. While I appreciated the union of flavors in the dish, my chop was overcooked, a bit dry and verging on tough, so it’s hard to fairly judge how much I might have liked the overall meal had the pork been prepared to a more ideal doneness.

Others in my group ordered the “Grill-Roasted Rib Eye” and had nothing but rave reviews of it, so I’d recommend trying that dish if you visit.

chocolate encounter

Dessert brought us to the Chocolate Encounter: chocolate meringue & chocolate mousse, rum sorbet on chocolate soil. This was dark, bold, and intense—a real treat for the chocolate lover. I’d come to the restaurant for one decadent bite. Of the three desserts on the menu that I sampled, this is the only one that I’m still thinking about.

 

Saturday

pearl farmers market

On Saturday morning, the group headed to the Pearl Farmers Market, located on the grounds of the historic, newly restored Pearl Brewery.

pearl district

The area that surrounds the market is home to some great restaurants, the CIA, apartment buildings, and a handful of cute shops and boutiques.

pearl farmers market

 

pearl farmers market

The farmers market is limited to producers only, so you’re assured that all of the goods available are harvested within 150 miles of San Antonio.

pearl farmers market

When we finished browsing the market, it was time for Culinaria’s Sabado at Casa Hernan with Chef Johnny Hernandez. Barbacoa, chilaquiles, tamales, mole negro…

brunch at casa hernan

The night before, I was lucky enough to be able to go to Casa Hernan and join Chef Johnny Hernandez in his outdoor kitchen in preparing the traditional Mexican barbacoa for Saturday morning’s brunch (it’s pictured in the bowl at the bottom right of the picture above). I watched as he grilled massive agave leaves, wrapped those around well-seasoned and herbed lamb, then submerged the lamb into an eight-foot-deep pit, where the meat cooked over wood and charcoal for 10 or so hours, absorbing the the sweet juices of the agave leaves all the while.

Now, I feel I should mention that Chef Johnny Hernandez is one of those people who seems to be smiling nonstop. You wonder how anyone could be so jolly so much of the time. It’s infectious and it’s telling. His brunches and restaurants are as popular as he is.

The barbacoa that I watched Chef Johnny prepare on Friday night was served in a way I’d never experienced or expected. After the lengthy cooking process down in the pit, he made a broth with the meat drippings, then shredded the meat and dished it up in small bowls with garbanzo beans and finely chopped onion, ladling the broth over the top like a soup. It was spectacular. Tender, aromatic, and flavorful, it was something I feel lucky to have been a part of, to have tasted.

sabado at casa hernan

Chef Johnny hosts this delicious, authentic brunch at his home, Casa Hernan, once a month. The day and time is always changing, so if you’d like to attend, check his Facebook page for up-to-date information. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Late in the afternoon, I took part in Culinaria‘s “Wine + Cocktails” seminar at Arcade Midtown Kitchen.

arcade midtown kitchen

 

arcade midtown kitchen

 

arcade midtown kitchen

 

arcade midtown kitchen

This boozy course was, I discovered, as fantastic a mid-day pick-me-up as a venti Starbucks coffee. We explored a bunch of modern, creative cocktails that can be made even better with wine.

culinaria wine and cocktails seminar

 

White wine spritzer

 

culinaria wine and cocktails seminar

 

arcade midtown kitchen hand chipped ice balls

Arcade Midtown Kitchen believes in hand-chipping their own ice blocks into perfectly round “ice balls” that fit neatly into cocktail glasses. These balls ensure that the ice does not melt too quickly and dilute the drink, thus preserving the integrity of the cocktail. Slowly melting ice also allows for longer, more leisurely sipping (it will take approximately 30 minutes for the ice to begin to melt).  Now that is attention to detail and dedication to quality.

culinaria wine and cocktail seminar

 

the arcade cocktail

“The Arcade” cocktail, my favorite. Blanco, grapefruit, simple syrup, Peychaud, Champagne. (One thing I discovered in Texas is that the grapefruit here—and perhaps all citrus fruit for that matter—is killer.)

I really can’t say enough good things about Arcade. I’ve sampled a few appetizers there (the meatballs were memorable) and now have had my fair share of their fine cocktails, so I feel confident recommending this spot for a visit when you’re in or around the Pearl—be it for drinks or dinner.

Culinaria’s Grand Tasting

Saturday evening’s Grand Tasting was touted as the main event, the highlight, of Culinaria. For nearly two hours, I strolled around the convention center where it was held and sampled the creations of all of the brilliant chefs and restaurants featured this year. The fare ranged from classics to contemporary and trend-oriented. More than 100 wines from across the world were there for sampling.

culinaria grand tasting

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

Carrot cake macaron!

culinaria grand tasting

 

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

Peanut butter pie.

 

culinaria grand tasting

 

Full.

 

*Disclosure: All of my travel and accommodations were covered by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of San Antonio. All of my entry fees to attend Culinaria events were paid for by the CVB as well. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. 

 

Question: Have you ever been to a food festival or a “Grand Tasting” of sorts? If so, what was it? If not, would you ever travel to attend a food festival? What kind of food would you want to be featured?

 

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14 thoughts on “CIA San Antonio, Culinaria Brunch, and The Grand Tasting 2013

  1. Arlene

    Enjoyed your trip outline very much, very well written and the pics were a big plus. New to your site, but I really like it. I hope to be able to enjoy and be around food again without the constant nagging “food issues” that I have carried around with me my whole life. It is such a bore to be fat or on the way to being fat ‘yet again’, and miss out on the simple enjoyment of living and experiencing. It seems you have been able to get it right!
    You are a beautiful Spirit….

    Reply
  2. Hootie

    Looks like an awesome experience! Is it bad that my My favorite parts are not the food itself but the copper stained concrete floors (WANT), your genuine smile around the food, and the fact that now I know the logic behind the celebrity gossip that beyonce requests that her ice be hand carved into balls while she is on tour :) not quite the message you were intending but beneficial nonetheless :) Love always

    SN: sliced zucchini and squash vertically?? Into thin slices and grilled em with olive oil. Yum! Beef spare ribs on grill, and pork chops, steaks, all since Saturday. Guess I finally caught that bug :)

    Reply
  3. Julie

    I went to the paella cook off a couple of months ago in the same location! You should check that one out! Delicious :)

    Reply

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