New Leadership Announcements from Pearl and The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio as Site Continues to Grow as Culinary Destination

Grieshaber to join Pearl as Director of Culinary Operations; Kellaway joins The Culinary Institute of America as Managing Director

San Antonio, TX, February 18, 2010 – In a move that reflects its growing presence as a food destination, Pearl has named Shelley Grieshaber to the newly created position of director of culinary operations. Grieshaber was formerly the director of education at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, one of the anchors of the Pearl Brewery redevelopment project. Concurrently, the CIA has announced that David Kellaway, a Texas native and Certified Master Chef, will assume the role of managing director for the college's third campus.

Grieshaber begins her new role immediately but will also continue to work closely with the culinary college until Kellaway officially begins his new job on March 4.

A San Antonio native, Grieshaber was a 1994 honors graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and worked as a chef and restaurant owner in New York before returning to Texas to work for Central Market, managing its five cooking schools statewide. In 2005 she was recruited by Silver Ventures, owners of the Pearl Brewery, to open the Center for Foods of the Americas, a culinary school developed in collaboration with the CIA. The school became the third CIA campus in 2008.

"We are excited about what our partnership with the CIA has meant to the development of Pearl as a culinary gathering place, and we know that impact will grow as a result of the expansion of the school," said Pearl Managing Director Darryl Byrd. "And now, bringing someone of Shelley's caliber on board at Pearl to focus on all the culinary aspects speaks to Pearl's purpose, which is fundamentally about great food, along with other complementary elements. It also speaks to our commitment to culinary excellence and to creating extraordinary food experiences here."

Under Grieshaber's leadership, the CIA, San Antonio has grown its Culinary Arts Certificate Program and introduced professional development courses and conferences, as well as programs for non-professional cooking enthusiasts. A significant expansion of the school is underway, which—when completed this fall—will enlarge the current 5,000-square-foot facility to 30,000 square feet, allowing the CIA to double the size of its Culinary Arts Certificate Program while making room for new programs in the future.

The addition of Chef Kellaway to the CIA, San Antonio as managing director will bring his culinary expertise and innovative thinking to the San Antonio foodservice community. In addition to having taught at the CIA's flagship campus in Hyde Park, NY, he has spent the last 15 years as executive chef and director of culinary operations for some of Las Vegas's finest destinations.

"After revolutionizing dining at resorts ranging from the Mirage to the Mandalay Bay, David Kellaway will have a profound impact on the CIA's growing San Antonio campus and its contributions to the culinary scene," said Dr. Tim Ryan, president of The Culinary Institute of America. "We are delighted to see how the Pearl site has developed since the founding of our branch campus, and we know that Chef Kellaway will ensure that the CIA continues to support the growth of San Antonio as an exciting, national culinary destination."

Pearl is already known for its year-round weekly Pearl Farmers Market and for restaurants including 1996 CIA graduate and James Beard Award-nominated Chef Andrew Weissman's Italian osteria, il Sogno, and his Sandbar Fish House and Market, as well as Chef Brian Montgomery's Texas Farm-to-Table Café. Pearl also boasts a Latin American kitchen store owned by Melissa Guerra, a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and PBS Television cooking show host. Under construction alongside Pearl's San Antonio River Walk frontage is a new restaurant, La Gloria, which will feature regional street foods of Mexico, from 1989 CIA graduate Johnny Hernandez.

"Shelley is stepping into the critical role of nurturing and developing these existing elements, so we are constantly elevating the food experience," Byrd said. "She will also be involved in the next phase of planning at Pearl, identifying opportunities and developing powerful relationships with food-related partners such as what we have already done with the CIA to add to what we have here," Byrd said. Grieshaber will work to bring new restaurants, bars and coffeehouses to the mix at Pearl, as well as other culinary partners and food-focused events. She also plans to explore a mobile food truck program and how that could contribute to the kind of authentic street food culture that has thrived in cities including Portland, San Francisco and Austin.

Photo caption: David Kellaway, Certified Master Chef, has been announced as the new Managing Director for the CIA, San Antonio. Kellaway will oversee the CIA's new 30,000 sq. ft. expansion to the existing campus, pictured above, which will open in October 2010.

Photo credit: Sprinkle & Company

Contacts:
Mary Uhlig
Dublin & Associates
210-227-0221 x223
muhlig@dublinandassociates.com

Stephan Hengst
The Culinary Institute of America
845-905-4288
s_hengst@culinary.edu

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