< California Wine Country’s Top 10
Culinary Institute of America
Façade, Culinary Institute of America
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, the castle-like Greystone Cellars rises majestically over Highway 29 immediately north of St. Helena. Once the Wine Country’s largest winery, today it is a branch of the New York-based Culinary Institute of America (CIA) serving as a teaching campus for the culinary arts and offering courses for professionals, plus cooking and wine-appreciation demonstrations for visitors. Added draws for the public are a herb garden, vineyards, educational theaters, plus a café and restaurant, making a visit here a rounded educational experience about food and wine.
Top 10 Features
Greystone Cellars
Built in 1889 of native tufa stone in Richardsonian-Romanesque fashion, this three-story edifice features grand arches and cathedral ceilings. Greystone’s original oak front doors open to an atrium that soars 90 ft (30 m).
Student Garden
The Sutter Home Organic Garden, also known as the Student Garden, supplies much of the fresh produce for the institute’s kitchens. The garden is open to workshop participants. In-garden lectures provide insights into sustainable agriculture.
Cannard Herb Garden
Located in front and to the left of the Greystone Cellars building, this small terraced garden grows more than 60 species of culinary herbs and 11 species of berries. Salad greens, onions, herbal tea, apples, and edible flowers are also grown.
Spice Islands Marketplace
A wish-list of culinary-related items are sold in this store, from cookware and cutlery to CIA culinary class DVDs, local specialty ingredients, wine accessories, and more than 1,700 cookbooks – many autographed by the author.
Brother Timothy’s Corkscrew Collection
More than 1,800 corkscrews from around the world were amassed over several decades by Brother Timothy, Christian Brothers’ wine-maker, who began his collection in 1949.
Flavor Bar
Here, visitors enjoy a “Taste Like a Chef” sensory experience that gives insights into how chefs decide what ingredients to use. The Oleoteca introduces them to the production, tasting, and use of “super-premium” olive oils made from olives harvested at the peak of freshness and flavor.
Food and Wine Museum
Illustrating the history of Greystone Cellars, this exhibit includes an ancient stone olive press, a copper still, and miscellaneous wine-making artifacts.
Cooking Demonstrations and Courses
The De Baun Theatre hosts cooking demonstrations, and amateur chefs can choose weekend courses or 2- to 5-day “Boot Camp” courses offered in the top floor teaching kitchens.
Vintners Hall of Fame
With its beamed ceilings and historic 2,200-gallon wine barrels, the Vintners Hall of Fame celebrates individuals who have contributed to California’s wine industry, marked by sculpted bronze plaques.
The Ecolab Theatre
Rising two levels, the 125-seat amphitheater-style Ecolab Theatre is designed for cooking demonstrations, lectures, and tastings. Tiered seating and video monitors offer grandstand views of the 22 ft (7 m) cooking center.
Tip: The CIA Greystone Cellars website includes an online tour of the campus.
Tip: Dine at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant and watch chefs working at open cooking stations. The De Baun Café sells breads, pastries, and other baked goods produced by the institute’s students, as well as coffee and tea.
The Christian Brothers
Visitor Information
- 2555 Main St., St. Helena, 94574
- 800 888 7850
- www.ciachef.edu/california
- www.ciastore.com
- Cooking Demonstrations and Courses Reservations
- 707 967 1010
- Flavor Bar
- Open 10am–6pm daily