The Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program (CEIP) is a rigorous program of study designed for proven culinary professionals. CEIP is the only professional development program to offer advanced culinary leadership training specifically created for commercial and non-commercial chefs. Launched in 2008, the program was developed and is presented by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Hormel Foods.

The elite innovation-and leadership-focused program is offered to 18 of the industry’s skilled culinarians. Students attend three 3-day modules at the CIA over a 12-month period. At the conclusion of the program, participants receive a certificate of completion and continuing education units from the CIA.

Hormel Foods has underwritten the cost of program development and the tuition of this one-of-a-kind program. Travel, lodging and personal expenses are the responsibility of the student. Find out more: https://www.ceipinfo.com/

Hormel Foods and The Culinary Institute of America Announce the 20 Chefs Selected for The Seventh Culinary Leadership Class

Austin, Minn., (March 15, 2023) – The successful Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program (CEIP), a collaboration between the Foodservice segment of Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has announced the 20 chefs who will comprise its seventh CEIP Class of 2024. These chefs represent foodservice operations in both the commercial and non-commercial segments, ranging from multi-unit restaurants to hotels to universities and senior living facilities. Their 12-month journey of culinary excellence will begin April 3, 2023. CEIP is the only professional development program to offer advanced management training specifically designed for skilled chefs.

“The whole CEIP program is about enrichment and innovation. In our previous graduating classes we’ve seen how the participants use the information they’ve learned to better their menus, to challenge their purchasing position and to try to get better products into their establishments,” said David Kamen, director, CIA Consulting Client Engagement and CEIP program director.

The program’s objective is to teach an elite group of professional chefs how to identify, practice, and master the necessary skills for culinary leadership and innovation. Since the inception of the program more that 15 years ago, the educational modules have steadily evolved to reflect changes in the foodservice industry.

“We want to help these chefs see the world a bit differently, so they can bring a broader vision to their organizations, and ultimately the industry at large,” said Annemarie Vaupel, vice president of Foodservice marketing at Hormel Foods. “Through underwriting this program and sponsoring tuition for each of the participants, our company is helping prepare today’s best and brightest chefs for leadership in our industry,” Vaupel said.

CEIP participants gather for three intense days every six months, setting aside their daily responsibilities as senior-level chefs and immersing themselves in lectures, hands-on kitchen work and one-to-one dialogue with fellow chefs and visiting guest lecturers. Consisting of three academic and experiential modules, CEIP covers a range of topics, including contemporary flavors and techniques; health and wellness; leadership and innovation; and menu R&D as a collaboration of culinary arts, consumer behavior, food science and management.

Participants will explore everything from the relationships among the five senses, to principles of modernist cuisine. They’ll also tour a local farm and winery, create food focused on world flavor traditions to better understand its profit potential and explore novel approaches to developing new applications that help differentiate their operation.

The Class of 2024 will attend modules at three of the college’s locations: Napa, CA (Module 1), San Antonio, TX (Module 2) and Hyde Park, NY (Module 3). This will give the class the unique opportunity to experience the seasonal differences in the CIA’s programs across the country. For more information on the program, please visit www.ceipinfo.com