Put Our Master Chef-Consultants on Your Team

When you partner with CIA Consulting, you will have a team of expert food and restaurant consultants working for you—including American Culinary Federation-Certified Master Chefs (CMCs). Each member of the CIA Consulting core team brings unparalleled insight and skills honed over years working in some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants, hotels, schools, and competition halls.

Supported by Renowned CIA Faculty
In addition to the CIA Consulting core team of food consultants, your project will benefit from the talents and thought leadership of the world-famous CIA faculty. With more than 140 acknowledged experts in culinary arts, table service, baking and pastry arts, wines, foodservice management, nutrition, and restaurant operations available, we can form a custom team of foodservice and restaurant consultants for your project. And you’ll discover that when you’re looking for professional culinary education for your staff, there is no one else with the depth and breadth of knowledge like CIA Consulting and The Culinary Institute of America.

Strengthened by Strategic Partnerships
Because developing the best solution for your business is our top priority, our chef-consultants work with other specialists both within the CIA and throughout the foodservice and hospitality industry. For example, we call on our colleagues in the CIA Department of Menu Research & Development for additional insights into food science, consumer behavior, and foodservice operations. And we collaborate with respected industry leaders such as The National Food Lab, whose product development, manufacturing, and commercialization expertise is invaluable.

Project Resources

As seasoned food and restaurant industry consultants, we know about a lot of great sources of data and other information you can use for your projects. One such resource is Prepared Foods, “the industry’s leading product development magazine providing information on global new product introductions, culinary trends, ingredient technology, and practical applications.”

Core Team of Consultants

	Brad Barnes '87, CMC, CCA, AAC CIA alumnus Brad Barnes is senior director of continuing education and the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers professor at the CIA. Before returning to his alma mater in 2009, Chef Barnes was president of GigaChef, LLC, a consulting company for hotels and high-volume foodservice. He previously held executive chef positions for a variety of establishments, 64 Greenwich Avenue and Nancy Allen Rose Catering in Greenwich, CT. Active in the American Culinary Federation, Chef Barnes is chair of its Certified Master Chef Committee, a certified competition judge, and the recipient of several honors, including the ACF President's Award. The co-author of three books, he served as coach for Team USA at the Culinary Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008.
	Mark Erickson '77, CMC Mark Erickson is the CIA's vice president—dean of culinary education and also oversees all operations at the CIA at Greystone. Chef Erickson was previously director of culinary education at the Hyde Park campus and served on its faculty. His career in foodservice includes positions at some of the industry's most prestigious operations, from the Palace Hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland to the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV to the Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, GA. In addition, Chef Erickson is the founder and co-owner of Woodsmoke Provisions, a producer of smoked and value-added seafood products for wholesale, retail, and airline catering distribution. He was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Culinary Olympic Teams in 1980, 1984, and 1988, and part of the U.S. team that won the 1986 Culinary World Cup. A CIA alumnus, Chef Erickson also holds a BS in Restaurant & Hotel Management from the University of New Haven and an MBA from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.
	Dr. Victor Gielisse, CMC, CHE The associate vice president of business development, Victor Gielisse previously served for seven years as the CIA's dean of culinary, baking, and pastry studies, overseeing faculty, curriculum, and education for these areas in the college's degree programs. Dr. Gielisse's culinary expertise was honed in the kitchens of the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Southern Africa, and the United States. He was chef/owner of the Ivy Award-winning Actuelle restaurant in Dallas, TX and president of the consulting firm CFT/Culinary Fast-Trac and Associates Inc. Chef Gielisse was also manager of the CIA's gold-medal-winning Culinary Team 2000 and a member of the 1984 U.S. Culinary Olympic Team and the 1986 U.S. National Team that won the first Culinary World Cup. His many industry honors include being named one of "The 50 New Taste Makers" by Nation's Restaurant News and "Best Seafood Chef in America" by Restaurant Business. The author of Cuisine Actuelle and In Good Taste, Chef Gielisse holds a BS, MBA, and DBA from California Coast University in Santa Ana, CA.
	David Kamen, PCIII, CHE Chef David Kamen is a project manager for CIA Consulting. Prior to joining the CIA Consulting team, Chef Kamen served on the CIA faculty for 12 years, where he worked on training programs, recipe and concept development projects and certification plans with several large organizations such as Coke, Sodexo, Compass group, and the US Military. He has also served as speaker and presenter for many food service organization events and annual meetings. Chef Kamen holds an AOS degree from the CIA, and Bachelors degree from Empire State College. He has attained ProChef level III certification, and holds a Certified Hospitality Educator credential (CHE) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. Chef Kamen has won numerous gold medals in both hot and cold food competitions throughout the United States.
	David P. Kellaway, CMC, CCE The managing director of the CIA, San Antonio, Certified Master Chef David Kellaway lends his expertise from more than 30 years in foodservice and hospitality to CIA Consulting clients. Before returning to the CIA—where he previously served as chairman of the Education Department at the Hyde Park campus—Chef Kellaway was corporate director of culinary operations for Station Casinos, Inc. in Las Vegas, NV. Other career highlights include positions at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and THEhotel and The Mirage Resort & Casino, all in Las Vegas; Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls in Washington; and The Plaza Hotel in New York City. A veteran of international culinary competitions, the Houston, TX native boasts a long list of awards in both hot and cold food competition, from a Gold Medal of Le Société Culinaire Philanthropique to the Medal of the French Government.
	Rudy Speckamp, CMC Rudy Speckamp is the senior culinary consultant for CIA Consulting. Chef Speckamp was previously executive chef and proprietor of Rudy's 2900 restaurant in Finksburg, MD, which for 16 consecutive years earned the DiRoNA Award from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America. As a CIA adjunct faculty member, Chef Speckamp has taught Advanced Cooking in the bachelor's degree program as well as a variety of continuing education courses for industry professionals. He has more than four decades of kitchen experience in fine dining in the United States and Europe. Chef Speckamp's many accolades and awards include receiving the Governor's Citation from the State of Maryland four times, "Best Chef" honors from Baltimore magazine seven consecutive years, the 1994 Restaurateur of the Year Award from the Maryland Restaurant Association, and the 1990 Outstanding Culinary Achievement Award from the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.
	Thomas L. Vaccaro, CEPC, CMB Thomas Vaccaro is the Senior Director for Curriculum and Instruction for Baking and Pastry Arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chef Vaccaro is responsible for developing the college's baking and pastry arts curriculum, monitoring food quality and cost, evaluating faculty, and fostering student development. 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,Trumps Taj Mahal and the Tropicana Casino and Entertainment Resort. He was also executive pastry chef at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Vaccaro is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef (C.E.P.C.) and a Certified Master Baker (C.M.B.) He was the American Culinary Federation's National Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004 and he coached the U.S. Culinary Team to gold medals in the 2000 and 2004. Throughout his illustrious career, Vaccaro has earned gold medals in competitions around the world.