Faculty and Instructors

At the heart of any fulfilling education experience is a talented, dedicated faculty. With the most Certified Masters Chefs in culinary education, The Culinary Institute of America draws upon credentials and industry experience that are unequaled in culinary training. And these faculty members continue to learn even as they teach, through continued training, conferences, cultural immersion overseas, and certification programs. As a result, our instructors are always on the cutting edge of the foodservice industry. Learn from this culinary expertise as one of their students in the Advanced Culinary Arts Certificate program, and gain unparalleled culinary training that will guide you throughout your career.

William M. Briwa '80, C.E.C., C.H.E.
Chef-Instructor

William Briwa was the resident chef for the Hess Collection Winery in Napa, CA before becoming an instructor at Greystone. He then served as the executive chef in the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant for a year before returning to the faculty. Chef Briwa is a board member of the Napa Valley Farmers Market.

Aaron Brown, C.B., C.H.E.
Baking Instructor

Aaron Brown was bakery manager for Big River Breads, where he designed and equipped a new bakery facility. His extensive industry experience includes serving as head baker for Il Fornaio America Corp. in Denver, CO (where he won the company-wide Baker of the Year award) and in Las Vegas, NV. He was also baker/pastry chef for Il Fornaio in Portland, OR. Chef Brown previously owned Spent Grain Baking Company in Seattle, WA.

	Tucker Bunch Chef-Instructor Tucker Bunch brings more than 16 years of industry experience to the classroom, having worked at a wide variety of Houston, TX foodservice establishments. Most recently research and development chef for the 150-unit Joe's Crab Shack casual dining chain, Chef Bunch was also chief operations officer and executive chef for Crescent City Beignets, Inc., the winner of the Nation's Restaurant News Hot Concepts! Award in 2004.
	Patrick Clark Chef-Instructor Before joining the faculty at Greystone, Patrick Clark was the chef at the critically acclaimed Sutro's at the Cliff House in San Francisco, CA. He previously served as executive chef at a variety of top California establishments, including California Café, Santa Barbara Grill, and the Silver Creek Valley Country Club. A member of the American Culinary Federation, Chef Clark has won numerous medals in competitions around the world, including eight team gold medals at the 1992 Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany as a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Culinary Team USA.
	Almir Da Fonseca, C.E.C. Chef-Instructor Almir Da Fonseca studied culinary arts in his native Brazil and during an apprenticeship with Chef Jacques Arpi in France. His vast industry experience includes chef and executive chef positions in establishments throughout Northern California, including the Lucas Wharf Restaurant, Jack London's Creekside Restaurant, the Marconi Conference Center, and Café 450. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at Greystone, Chef Da Fonseca is chef/consultant for the San Francisco Towers and chef/owner of Flavor Source Sauces and Catering Services.
	John Difilippo Pastry Instructor John Difilippo was executive pastry chef at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, CA prior to joining the CIA faculty. Chef Difilippo has held a number of professional pastry positions in California, and served as pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. He also attended Chef Ewald Notter's International School of Confectionery Arts.
	Stephen L. Durfee, C.E.P.C., C.H.E. Pastry Instructor A pastry instructor at Greystone since 2000, Chef Durfee was previously executive pastry chef at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA, during which time he won the 1998 James Beard Award for Pastry Chef of the Year and was named one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier in 1999. He was also a pastry chef at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco and the Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, MA, and a pastry instructor at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School, where he earned his Certificate in Pastry and Baking in 1991. Chef Durfee has traveled, worked, and apprenticed in France. In 2005, he represented the CIA at the National Pastry Team Championships, where his team finished 4th.
	Robert Jörin, C.M.B., C.E.P.C., C.C.E., C.H.E. Team Leader, Baking and Pastry Arts Arts Robert Jörin brings a wealth of experience to Greystone as past owner and pastry chef of the highly successful Upscale Downtown Bakery in Petaluma, CA, and as an instructor with more than 13 years teaching baking and pastry professionals. Chef Jörin was a member of the U.S. team that won the coveted Grand Prize at the 1999 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (The World Cup of Baking).
	Lars Kronmark, C.W.P. Chef-Instructor Lars Kronmark was hand-picked from the finest culinary educators in the United States to help open the Greystone campus in August 1995. Chef Kronmark has taught leading industry professionals in many custom and catalog programs and been involved with the Worlds of Flavor® International Conference and Festival since its inception in 1996. His interest in wine has led him to conduct wine-related cooking classes, become involved in wine auctions, and earn CIA Certified Wine Professional™ status. Chef Kronmark lives with his family in St. Helena, CA, where he grows Cabernet Franc grapes and makes his own wine that includes grapes from the CIA property.
	Toni Hendrickson Sakaguchi '84, C.E.C., C.H.E. Chef-Instructor Prior to coming to the CIA, Toni Sakaguchi was the grill chef for the fine-dining restaurant in the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, CA. She also served as executive chef in two of the nation's top restaurants, Border Grill Restaurant and City Restaurant in Los Angeles. Chef Sakaguchi has published recipes in Time Life Books, several newspapers, and Vegetarian Times magazine.
	Scott Samuel Chef-Instructor With more than 20 years in the restaurant industry, Scott Samuel is an accomplished chef with a wide range of experience. Chef Samuel was most recently a chef-instructor for Seattle Culinary Academy and the owner of Simply Brilliant, a business specializing in catering and private culinary instruction. He was previously a private chef; sous chef for the four-star Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville, WA; and the original executive chef at Brie & Bordeaux in Seattle, where he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation "Rising Star Chef of the Year" award. In addition to other chef positions in Hawaii and Washington State, Chef Samuel completed an apprenticeship at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. He holds a B.A. in hotel/restaurant administration from Washington State University.
	Victor J. Scargle Chef-Instructor Victor Scargle brings a wealth of professional culinary experience to the Greystone teaching kitchens. He was executive chef at such premier California restaurants as Go Fish, Julia's Kitchen at Copia, and the Grand Café-Hotel Monaco. Chef Scargle also honed his culinary talents in restaurant kitchens across the country that included Jardinière in San Francisco, Aqua in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Tribeca Grill and Patria in New York City, and Colony Bistro in Miami Beach. Before launching his restaurant career, he studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
	Thomas Wong '86, C.E.C., C.H.E. Chef-Instructor Thomas Wong's culinary career has taken him to a variety of restaurants, resorts, and hotels. Just prior to joining the Greystone faculty, Chef Wong was executive sous chef for the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows in Kohala Coast, HI. He was previously executive chef for several other Hawaiian hotels, including the Hotel Hana Maui in Hana, and the Waialae Country Club and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, both in Honolulu.
	Ken Woytisek, C.E.C., C.C.E., C.H.E. Chef-Instructor Before joining the Greystone faculty, Ken Woytisek held a variety of foodservice positions in California for more than a decade, most recently serving as chef de cuisine and consultant at Insalata's Restaurant in San Anselmo, CA. His career has also included stops at Square One, China Moon Cafe, and South Park Cafe in San Francisco.
	* Note: The CIA reserves the right to alter its instructor assignments as may be deemed necessary.