The Culinary Institute of America

Exploring the Evolution of Food Chopping Inventions

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, is home to more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The exhibit includes a collection of early examples of food choppers.
One hundred years before food processors became ubiquitous in American home kitchens, there were ingenious hand-cranked food choppers to help cooks cut meat and vegetables. Examples from our collection include the Starrett meat and vegetable chopper from 1877, as well as the cast iron and steel Enterprise Vegetable Slicer made in Philadelphia between 1876 - 1900. We owe a debt of gratitude to these ingenious creations for paving the way for the convenient food processors we enjoy today.
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-williams-culinary-arts-museum/
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtTKvDDq_huEOZFb2GNC3ybFk_WnGFyX
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.

From Ancient Cures to Medieval Ales: The History of the Copper Urn

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, houses more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The exhibit includes a collection of copper water urns.
By the end of the 18th century, in the homes of the upper and the middle classes of England, no dining room was complete without a silver or copper urn. They were used to hold clean water for drinking, or to hold ice or ice water for chilling foods, which were to be served cold during a meal. Copper urns ranged in style, from purely functional to imposing and decorative Neoclassical designs.
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-williams-culinary-arts-museum/
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtTKvDDq_huEOZFb2GNC3ybFk_WnGFyX
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.

Pressing Matters: The Juicy History of the Duck Press

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, houses more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The exhibit includes a collection of duck presses from France, dating from 1910 - 1945. Also known as a canardière in French, a duck press is used to prepare canard à la rouennaise, or "duck in blood sauce," an iconic dish in classic French cuisine and the epitome of extravagant tableside service.
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-williams-culinary-arts-museum/
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtTKvDDq_huEOZFb2GNC3ybFk_WnGFyX
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.

The Udderly Charming History of Cow Creamers

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, houses more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The exhibit includes a variety of porcelain cow creamers dating from the 1870s through the 1970s.
The collection’s early examples of cow creamers are quite realistic, depicting lifelike cows with intricate, hand-painted features. During the Victorian era, cow creamers took on a more quirky aesthetic, with exaggerated expressions or humorous poses. In the 1900s, a more modern aesthetic took hold, as we can see in the museum’s simple white Apilco cow creamer. Chuck Williams discovered this cow creamer during a trip to France in 1960, and began selling them in his Williams Sonoma store to great success. In fact, he is credited with starting a white cow creamer fad across the United States.
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-williams-culinary-arts-museum/
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtTKvDDq_huEOZFb2GNC3ybFk_WnGFyX
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, is home to more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The museum is free and open to the public, and celebrates the craftsmanship, beauty, and diversity of cookware and kitchen tools. The CIA is delighted to be the recipient and steward of these spectacular and fascinating pieces of culinary history. Throughout the museum, you’ll have an opportunity to see and hear the stories behind some of the items in the exhibit. We can’t wait to share it with you!
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-williams-culinary-arts-museum/
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtTKvDDq_huEOZFb2GNC3ybFk_WnGFyX
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.

Mango Sev Puri

Sev Puri is a popular Indian street food, full of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors. The sev, a crunchy garnish, is paired with the puri, crispy crackers that get all sorts of tasty toppings. Chef Toni Sakaguchi from The Culinary Institute of America uses mangos at various stages of ripeness in this recipe. The puri are topped with a mixture of Mango Tamarind Chutney, Green Chili Chutney, sev, cayenne, and cilantro.
Get the recipe and watch the video with closed captions here!

Mango Flavor Pairings

The flavor of a mango has been described as a mixture of peaches, oranges and pineapple. This video explores how mangos make the perfect pair with many spices, herbs, nuts, fruits, vegetables, condiments, proteins and spirits. Because mangos are indigenous to so many cultures, they are naturally a part of the cuisines in the countries where they grow. Mangos are popular in street food and on restaurant menus throughout Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Brazil, India, Mexico, Caribbean Islands and everywhere mango trees thrive.
Find mango recipes and more here!

Mango Prep and Cooking Techniques

Mango is an amazingly versatile fruit to cook with. Chefs can manipulate mango’s texture and flavor by using various cooking techniques and working with mangos at various stages of ripeness. Unripe (also referred to as green) or ripe — mangos make perfect menu partners all year-round.
You can mix and match mangos with savory, sweet, hot and spicy ingredients at breakfast, lunch and dinner – in appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts, beverages and condiments. Exploring the many ways in which mango can be prepared, opens many doors creatively. You can use mango across the menu, and take consumers on a culinary adventure!
Find mango recipes and more here!