CIA offers glimpse of campus life in Web reality show

HYDE PARK N.Y. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

For the first time in its 60-year history, the CIA, based here, is allowing cameras into its classrooms and giving the general public a close-up view of life on the 150-acre campus and its more than 40 kitchens and bakeshops. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“Inside the CIA” is not a high-drama cable program with concocted conflicts, fabricated deadlines and gossipy infighting, but a 12-week, day-in-the-life series of four students. Two are pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in culinary arts and the other two are going after associate’s degrees in baking and pastry. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

The students’ personal stories and adventures in their culinary classes are being aired through a Web-only video series on Epicurious.com. In addition to weekly episodes filmed by a professional crew, the four students were each given a camera to post their own video blog on the website, as well as post a written blog about their experiences. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

The CIA often receives media requests to film the campus and its students, and usually declines the offers, but the Web video series presented a chance to give a realistic portrayal of what life is like in a culinary school, said CIA spokesman Stephan Hengst. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“There have been shows that wanted to shoot and involve our students, but the nature of such programming is usually to make people look bad and create drama,” Hengst said. “That is not something we wanted to get our students involved in. There’s no sabotaging soufflés, but a genuine real-life experience.” —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

The students on the program are Markos Doyle, 25, from Ipswich, Mass.; Jared Braithwaite, 18, from Kingston, Ontario; Claire Crenshaw, 19, from Flagstaff, Ariz.; and Erin McDowell, 19, from Lawrence, Kan. All are in their first year at the CIA. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

The four were selected out of more than two dozen students who auditioned for the program, Hengst said. Epicurious.com wanted students in their first year, but because of the three-week course-rotation format of CIA’s curriculum, only about 100 students who were all halfway through their first year by Jan. 23 were eligible to audition. CIA’s total enrollment is around 2,700. Students submitted videos of themselves to Epicurious.com, which selected the final four. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“I wanted students from the CIA because those students really are attending the Harvard or Cambridge of cooking schools,” said Tanya Wenman Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious.com. “We chose these four as they were intelligent, articulate, likeable and clearly talented.” —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

Doyle, the oldest of the four, worked in restaurants while going to a film school before deciding to be a chef. In his audition tape, he showed the small dorm room he shares with two other students. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“I’m 25 years old and I have a bunk bed,” he said. “I feel like an 8-year-old, but with less toys. I get knives though. Knives are cool.” —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

Crenshaw and McDowell have described in their Web entries the ups and downs of making truffles in their chocolates and confections class. The chef instructor had recently reprimanded Crenshaw’s class for mistakes. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“He put us back in line, which was good for him to do that,” she said in her video log, which was shot outdoors. “Our group needed it. We also know for tomorrow and days after that we can handle it and how to get through it.” —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

Braithwaite has written about the pressure of preparing meals for 500 students in the production class on his blog. —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.

“It turned out that day one was more [than] just a little disorganized and hectic,” he wrote. “In fact, it was chaotic!” —Given the popularity of television cooking shows and chef competitions, The Culinary Institute of America is throwing its toque in the reality TV arena.