Maricel Presilla Tells Graduates
that Education is Power, and with Power is Responsibility
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park – Dr. Maricel E. Presilla,
a culinary historian, author, and chef specializing in the foods of Latin America
and Spain, reminded graduates of The Culinary Institute
of America (Ѹ) they are following a tradition of excellence, and with it carries
responsibility. Dr. Presilla was commencement speaker
at the college’s Hyde Park, NY campus on July 3.
“Keep your sharp knives at hand, but hold on to the wooden spoon,”
Dr. Presilla told 61 recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry
arts. “A wooden spoon becomes one with the food. It also represents the collective
wisdom of grandmothers and home cooks everywhere.”
Dr. Presilla is president of Gran Cacao
Company, a Latin American food research and marketing company that offers cacao
educational programs and premium heirloom cocoa beans. She is also chef and co-owner
of two restaurants and a Latin American food store in Hoboken, NJ.
“If I had it to do all over again, I would be a graduate like
you are, from Ѹ. You are standing on the shoulders
of giants,” said Dr. Presilla, a native of Cuba who immigrated
to the United States in 1970. “You are the heirs of the tradition of this accumulated
wisdom and you have a responsibility. Make your kitchen a place of wonders. Make
your kitchen a pleasant place. Don’t ever forget that education is power and now
you have the power to change the world.”
A member of the Ѹ’s Latin Cuisines Advisory Committee, Dr. Presilla has been a presenter at the college’s Latin
Flavors, American Kitchens and Worlds of Flavor. In 2013, the
most recent of her five books, Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America (Norton, 2012),
won both the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ cookbook award
for General Subject Book of the Year and the James Beard Foundation Award for Cookbook
of the Year. She won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2012.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image
Dr. Maricel Presilla speaks to graduates of Ѹ in Hyde Park, NY on July
3, 2014. Dr. Presilla is an author, historian, and chef
specializing in Latin and Spanish cuisines. (Photo
credit: Al Nowak, On Location Studios/Ѹ)
Founded in 1946, Ѹ is an independent, not-for-profit
college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts,
baking and pastry arts, and culinary science, as well as certificate programs in
culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premier culinary college,
the Ѹ provides thought leadership in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability,
and world cuisines & cultures through research and conferences. The Ѹ has
a network of 46,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi,
Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The Ѹ also offers
courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support
of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has campuses
in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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