The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

The cookies and desserts that the students make and sell in the gift shop are soooooooo GOOD! I posted those as the first photo. The history of the building is in wikipedia, and eventually this building was sold to The Culinary Institute of America 10 % of its value, because it needed 50 million in seismic retrofits. The Ghirardelli bakery Cafe will open in September and the restaurant is set up in the carriage house, where the students cook and serve the customers.

We had an incredible 5-course dinner at Gatehouse Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa. We started with the Duck Scarpetta—pâté with cherry mostarda, kumquat, chives, and grilled bread. For our pasta course, Brent had the Ravioli Fonduta with fontina and ragu bianco, and I had the Garganelli Carbonara with guanciale, pecorino, and egg yolk. For the main course, Brent chose the Red Snapper Arrosto with rustic potatoes and garlic aioli, and I had the Lamb Meatball with tomato passata, broccoli rabe, and caciocavallo. We finished with the Chocolate Budino—rich, creamy, and topped with candied walnuts and malted chantilly. Every dish was prepared and served by CIA student-chefs nearing the end of their program. The quality and execution were impressive across the board. The real standouts, though, were the focaccia bread and the porcini consommé—both absolutely packed with flavor and perfectly executed. If you visit, be on time—they seat tables exactly 15 minutes apart and run like clockwork. We arrived early and had time to explore the beautiful Greystone campus, including the shops and small museum. My advice is to skip the wine pairings—most students are too young to taste, and the wine selections didn’t quite match the caliber of the food. Next time we will select a nice bottle to share.

What a gem. Made a pitstop for lunch and it was so yummy. The building and cork screw displays were fascinating as well!

What a fun experience to eat at the CIA restaurant that is staffed mostly by students you can even walk over to where the pastry chef of the day is preparing the desserts and talk to them and observe their skills. The students put together the menu and it is excellent getting the fish deboned and filleted at tableside was an absolute treat. We also did an olive oil tasting that was a great experience to learn about the different olive oil is how the preserved and the regionality of different flavors.

Best kept secret for lunch! $10 sandwiches and salads and free sparkling water on tap in the little cafe. Super friendly service. You can walk around and see the cooking lecture halls and inquire about classes and camps. When students are in session you can also have a meal at the onsite restaurant. So historic and a a great local to pop into some of the large and historic wineries near by.

Culinary institute offer amazing sweets made by students. If you’re in the area you should definitely check out their selection of yummy desserts.

First thing first - really cute spot got the castle view stone work and classic dine in area However for most people who come with high hope I’d sadly say it wasn’t satisfying enough. Food Looks good and delicate by that I mean I was still hungry after the 5 course tasting menu. That’s not my main complaint. I understand fancy food comes with tiny portion, that’s just the rule. Flavor wise and pairing wasn’t mind blowing. Taste good but I expect more transformative experience out of the price. No new flavor was introduced sadly. I won’t advise people not to go if experience is more important for you. But after all you’re in Napa where you have many other good options to choose from if you’re after flavors.

We just had a short time between winery’s and because of the time we had didn’t want to go to a restaurant. My friend and I stopped at “The Culinary institute Napa”. 😱 The staff and the students were amazing, the food 😋 was even more amazing and guess what 🎊it was just what we needed before our next destination. I highly recommend visit…. #illycoffee

The service and atmosphere at the Gatehouse Restaurant at Greystone CIA was wonderful. It was our wedding anniversary and we were surprised with flutes of champagne. Our server, Thomas, was exceptional, he was friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make our evening fun and memorable, one we will always remember. Steve, the social director was welcoming and sincerely interested in doing all he could to make our meal and evening special as well. I cannot recommend the Gatehouse Restaurant at Greystone highly enough for anyone looking for a truly special evening. Tom and Holly

The Culinary Institute is awesome. The main building where the classes take place is beautiful, inside and out. There is an adjacent, smaller building where you can go for dinner. The ambiance is fairly nice. The current culinary students are both the chefs and the servers. The food is very good, with recipes that change from time to time. It's a choice of a three-course or a four-course meal, with an optional wine pairing. You will have multiple choices for each course. Everyone in our party said that their food was very good. If you do want to have dinner at the CIA, be sure to make your reservations asap. They are usually booked up solid, pretty far in advance.

Excellent school -- students prepared the meal. The students are present to talk with customers. The event was designed for the public to talk with the chefs. They were happy to tell you what was added to the sauces and preparation. This CIA food school is not normally open to the public. Today they had a "farm to table" event. Everything by was good. Our favorite entrée item was the pork with modified "clean" chimichurri sauce. The chef called it "clean" because it had no garlic and red wine vinegar. We enjoyed see the school from the inside and talking with the chefs. A fun way to spend a Friday morning.

Chef Valley Located inside the Greystone Cellars building (ca. 1888), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this is the CIA's main college hub out of the two Napa locations. Not only is it a college, but also a destination for foodies to visit and do foodie things. Features: *This 117k sq ft stone castle is absolutely fantastic and oozes a sense of dominance and authority. The best part is that it doesn't just stop on the outside, but the awesomeness continues along the inside as well. This is almost like Hogwarts Cooking School, California edition. *Gatehouse restaurant on-site that's fun by the school and students. *Gift shop with food, clothing, and cooking implements. *Brother Timothy's Corkscrew Museum (free) that features over 200 corkscrews on display. *Some old wine barrels and tools that talk about the buildings origins as a winery. *Bakery café inside the main building *Museum of *Wine tastings available (see website) *Tours available (see website) *Lectures available (see website) *Ecolab for food demonstration and such (see website) *You can also sign up to take a class! Conclusion: A must-stop for foodies visiting the Napa Valley.

Always fresh and amazing. Sure the students, some in their second day at a station in the front or back of the house make mistakes. That's why it's a school class! The menu is inventive, the wine pairings on point and the staff are a pleasure yo interact with. Love this place and we come here every trip. Three and four course prix fixe options THREE COURSES--$55 * SOMMELIER PAIRINGS--$40 extra FOUR COURSES--$65 * SOMMELIER PAIRINGS--$50 Ps - there's no tipping but a service charge is added that goes to support the school.

3* Gateway Restaurant at CIA St. Helena Cooking school fare at the old Christian Bros. winery Open limited hours for lunch and dinner Reservations are a must! The actual restaurant is hard to find because of the size of the estate and poor signage (hint: it's by the big entry gate) Choice of three (or four?) courses plus optional wine pairings Servings are small Price are outrageously expensive; this must be Napa Delicious focaccia bread Burrata, spinach, strawberry salad was great Char was delicious Flank steak was flavorless; loser Panna cotta dessert was good Strawberry cheesecake was bad news Ambience: think mess hall, not intimate, pseudo-snobbish Staff was excellent: super friendly and helpful with the exception of a young, tall waitress/hostess who remarked in a sotto voce that we were five minutes late; she had a little attitude; obviously, she was not in the hospitality business Recommend not to sandwich in a lunch between winery visits; this place should be a planned destination Not impressed, probably will not come back

Great service. Amazing food. Well paced courses. Good wine list. Cool ambience. Yummy desserts. We'll be back.

We went to the CIA today with our grandson who loves to cook and bake. We drove out just to have lunch. The best thing I can say about the experience was the service. The portions are so small that you are lucky if you get more than three tablespoons per serving. The salad was bland. The ingredients in a number of the dishes were ordinary. The chocolate bomb desert was dry and tasteless. On top of that, there is a 25 per cent cover charge which is not mentioned in the reservation. For the $255 that lunch cost, we could have eaten at a number of Michelin starred restaurants in San Francisco where we live. I would not recommend the CIA.

Lack of customer service! When you walk in, the security at the front desk are not friendly, there was no other staff around to ask questions of or help . It wasn't a pleasant experience. Wont go back .

We came here for a school tour. We were greeted warmly as we entered the building. This campus is beautiful. The tour was informative and fun. The campus was beautiful.

Don't forget CIA is not just a cooking school. They have Gatehouse restaurant, the bakery cafe (great for lunch, grab and go and the desserts and breads are amazing) and then the store chock full of culinary goodies. They have clothing, teas, spices, pots and pans, knives, kitchen towels and the list goes on and on!! Katy and her staff do an amazing job! Oh and you can even go and buy a glass of wine or charcuterie goodies!!!

After a few days of wine and dine and harrassing giraffs at nearby safari, an appointment the CIA was inevitable. The ambiance was warm, cozy, classy, romantic and tranquille. Unlike a typical restaurant that pack the tables together to maximize profit, they only seat limited number of guests per time slot to ensure quality & comfort. We got the 4-course prefix and the food were very good in general albeit a bit too heavy. Norwegian cured salmon was excellent but the potato pancake was oily & prob not the ideal pairing for the fatty salmon. Butter poached shrimp pappardelle was excellent, the large shrimps popped in the mouth. Butternut squash soup was fantastic albeit in tiny portion, the toasted pepitas was a wonderful contrast. Pan seared quail was good but I have yet to find a chef that can make this bird tender. The side of spinach could use less butter. Herb crusted lamb chop was extremly tender & the seasoning marvelous while not overly salty. One minor complaint was that half of it was fat, but that's lamb chop. For dessert the vanilla panna cotta was fruity & refreshing, the chocolate pot de creme was a bit too rich for me. $65 was reasonable for the quality, service & ambiance. The same student chefs might soon be prepping your $400 meals at the French Laundry down the road. A mandatory 20% student support fee was automatically added to each bill. At our request they graciously gave us a free tour of the kitchen, several of the senior students were due to graduate in a few weeks.

I took my wonderful fiancé and my kiddos out here for a very belated Father's Day celebration. We arrived to a very cute and quaint cottege style restaurant and promptly greeted and seated. My kids faces were hilarious when trying to read the menu (it's kinda fancy and most of it was hard to pronounce). Krish was our server and he took all the guesswork out of what to get. He gave all his recommendations with confidence and explained them well. And WAS HE SPOT ON! EVERY DISH WAS OFF THE HOOK! Mara was also wonderful explaining what we were eating. He also explained the concept of their restaurant and how it was basically senior student run. FANTASTIC evening and we will definitely be back!

What am I doing here?! Well, a friend invited me to a wedding banquet on the last Saturday in June. It was a challenge making arrangements for this event. Driving up Saturday afternoon, it was bit of a trek from Santa Rosa, about a 40 minute winding trip. The invite directions told me to park in the parking lot to the right. At first glance, it looks like a castle. I read that it was previously a winery. There are signs clearly giving directions as I walked up some steps and to the left. The wedding party were taking photos just before I reached the reception table and a photo booth. After being greeted by the host, I found my assigned table and walked to the open bar past the banquet tables, roughly fifteen in all. After getting my drink, I found a high top where I placed my gift card and drink. It turned out that I perfectly positioned myself in the path of the staff bringing small amuse bouche bites for us to try (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=42DN23O_xE3nGFcAQbHOIw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=V72EUDsG68XUeO4DLX46zA&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=aEHrSsS5IaKZukG4nQrCBQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=fij8M2hrAeSDWwi3Q8GGcQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q). Needless to say, the lobster one was my favorite. After making my way to my table for the dinner, there was a short pre-meal program (host and guest introductions - relatives and visiting friends). Our meal started with the little gem salad (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=YdeZd20PAJe1d6SHGGpJUQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), described as harvest vegetables and Meyer lemon vinaigrette; it was light and refreshing, consistent for the regional cuisine hee. I opted for the Bourguignonne beef (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=9CA5PDJInDUJ0EZvo2VjhQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), accompanied by potato gratin, roasted mushrooms, and red wine jus; this was okay as I didn't really know what to expect, especially for a meal for 150 guests. In rereading the menu items, I regretted not ordering the non-meat entree but maybe next time. The meal finished with an opera cake (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=HHKqqezPb-LG_P_kLJ8Z6A&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), with hazelnut feulletine, and coffee cream; this was a nice finisher though on the rich side. The coffee cream was the item that stunned me a little as it was light yet had a strong coffee flavor to contrast the cake's sweetness. The servers were good, friendly and efficient. While noshing on the apps near the open bar, a server walked up to me and noticed my empty beverage cup and asked me what I was drinking. Since there was a long line of guests trying to order alcoholic beverages, she thoughtfully offered to refill my cup of Diet Pepsi and brought a small can over from the bar station. I gave her a tip for her kindness and generosity. Overall, this was an impressive party, mainly the history and background of the venue and the wonderful service staff that worked the party. The food didn't wow me (3.5 stars with the extra 1 star bump for the atmosphere and service), but, hey, it is a meal for 150. Looking forward to my next meal here.

We arranged to have a multi-course vegan meal at Greystone this past week, and they chef and students did not disappoint! Even before the first official course, the magic began, with a lemony tahini spread for our bread. First bite was a single blistered shishito pepper with romesco sauce. Then the floodgates opened: a summer squash velouté paired with a French chardonnay; a deconstructed nicoise salad paired with a Vin Gris of Pinot Noir; mushroom duxelles stuffed cabbage with an Italian Sangiovese; and a peach sorbet with Moscato granita, paired with an Italian Moscato. Everything was fresh and amazing, and the pairings were spot on. What an amazing meal.

In housing I experienced cockroaches and not allowed to move rooms which is concerning for a culinary school which caters to the public. Some of the instructors are unprofessional too. That being said there is also a handful of instructors who are passionate about what they do and care for their students.

It was a pleasure meeting the students at the CIA. I had the 3 course meal for only $55 (no drink included)! The platting was beautifully curated and well planned. I was a big fan of the steak tartare and pork belly. Complimentary bread was soft and fresh, I appreciate how they added that to our meal. Congratulations to all the students graduating!!

Great food artistically plated. Outstanding service. Highly recommended if you are in the area. Make sure to book a reservation. Recommend eating on the patio to enjoy the scenery and the fresh air.

Where else can you get a multi-course meal that is expertly crafted and made to order by culinary students at arguably the best culinary school in America? Everything- from the ambiance to the staff exceeded my expectations. Everyone was very knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a Grade-A meal and culinary experience. The campus itself is stunning too!! Also, as someone who had the opportunity to serve the community as a student to advance my career, it brought me great joy to help contribute to their future successes. AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!!! Perfect way to celebrate a date night too!

It's a cooking class spot and also a nice venue to host an event and they do catering! One stop shop when it comes to a great celebratory place. Gigantic wine barrels down in the cellars, adds a wonderful themed decor and wooden dining round tables. Ground floor has the wine goods and other wine pairings! Quite a spacious place for all different purposes!

We've talked about coming here for dinner for years and we finally made it. We really were a bit underwhelmed by the entire experience. The food was fine, nothing wrong but nothing exceptional. It should also be advised that if you book dinner check the time to see if you're able to access the main building. We weren't able to really explore the grounds since the restaurant is in a different building entirely. Again, the food was ok, service also ok, and the ambiance wasn't exactly what we were hoping for but that was likely just due to our not understanding we were dining in a completely different building entirely.

We had a wonderful experience dining here last night. The restaurant is inside a little cottage building and beautifully decorated. The staff were all very friendly and helpful in explaining the courses and each entree. We went for the four course meal and the dishes were delicious! The duck salad was fresh and tasty. The grilled octopus was nicely cooked. The smoked beef cheek was very tender with loads of flavor. The warm pumpkin tres leche was amazing! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

I remember having a great dining service at this place about 10 years ago. So i was excited to go back. Since then, the restaurant relocated to a different building (smaller). Food was decent but not amazing. Maybe my palate changed ‍ Pro tip: it's a course meal but you can order as many things as you want from one part of the menu (4 desserts, 4 main course dishes, etc etc).

DO NOT ENROLL YOU KID HERE FOR CULINARY SCHOOL!!!! This school sucks!!! Enrolled my son here for school. I am a chef and a grad of le cordon bleu France. Trained in Italy as well as France. We did the tour and I decided to enroll my son. The whole process was horrible!!! No help what so ever! Worthless staff who don't want to deal or help! Everything is go to the portal all the info is on the portal!!! BULLSHIT!! Finally get him enrolled.... Move him up there.... It's a joke! His two room mates were some weird ass people asked for a room transfer no help!!! I paid room and board with tuition and meals. The meals are basically what ever was left over to eat from the classes of the day! Anyone could walk in and eat while in class. If your not in class u must come in with coat and button up shirt which no one told us about so there is another $1500 for clothes and another drive 45-1hour away because there is nothing up there! First day of class my sons car gets hit and run by another student and the school will not help. Had to get police involved to get school video! If someone in the class or lab gets sick they make the whole lab quarantene and do on line classes in dorms! I was paying over 7k a month for this crap! This school Amd reputation is crap! Don't give this school your $$!!! It sucks and your kids will do better elsewhere ! There are plenty of great culinary schools elsewhere for less $$. Do your research!!!! F CIA!!!! My son is a grad of institute of culinary education New York and already thriving!! Helping run my 3 restaurants and making a 6 figure salary at 22!

The campus itself was fun to look around at, especially as a culinary graduate. The desserts looked simple yet exquisite, the turkey sandwiches however, they were very very cold yet the bread was burnt. The aioli helped makeup for it but truthfully I wouldn't call it a $12 sandwich. The mocha was meh, if you're someone who loves chocolate from around the world then you know Ghirardelli is not very good. The students were very kind and professional and even took interest to get to know me and my guest. Overall, it was still a fun experience!

Striking venue just outside of St. Helena. Had the fortune of finally doing a wedding here and could not be more impressed. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly in the setting was stunning. It did not hurt that my clientele we're having an awesome time but much of the credit goes to the surroundings. I hope to have an opportunity to return in the future. Ralph Sciutti Buzz Photo Booths 637 Lindaro Street, Ste 201 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.250.0931

My husband and I came here for dinner, and every dish we had was delicious. The presentation was another detail of beauty. The waitress told us that the following week she will be preparing dishes and the cooks in the kitchen would be trading as waiter/waitresses. This place is a '10.' It is well worth the cost.

I visited twice GATEHOUSE restaurant. This restaurant is run by senior students. Students make menus, they run, and they serve. I was very impressed. First, price is excellent!! For lunch it is $42 for 4 course meal!!! Second, food is excellent!! It is not less than any high end restaurant!! Each course is very creative and fresh: this is farm to table. Each course they change the plates and utensils. Dessert is not that impressive, so for my second visit I didn't order dessert:) save $10. The students work so hard and I really appreciate their passion. I recommend their 30 min campus tour ($10) before your restaurant appt!! With tour u can get 10% discount at the campus store!

My husband and I came for the daily tour at 11:30. For $25 each we had a roughly one hour tour, lunch with a glass of wine and got a 10% discount in the store. If you're on the fence about whether or not to visit, do it! We really enjoyed this experience. The building is gorgeous and we got a fairly extensive tour, including some of the classrooms and were able to peek in while class was in progress. We also saw the enormous corkscrew collection, demonstration cakes and the event room with enormous wooden barrels from 1890. The store has items for the serious chef/foodie as well as fun things for everyone. If you are looking for something to do other than a wine tasting, this is a really good alternative.

Watch out; prepared to be amazed!! We enjoyed the lunch service today and the whole experience was simply amazing. The whole restaurant is ran by students in their last term. It is well worth your time to snag a reservation. We went with the three course with wine pairing. It cost on par with any other restaurant in the area. The best part, the money goes right back into the college, supporting the students. That being said...the food and service were top notch!!! Before or after your meal, be sure to tour the college and stop by the store. It was great talking with the students and hearing the reason they chose to attend the Culinary Institute at Greystone! Best of luck to the graduating class!

I came here on a field trip and I was SO amazed by this institution! From the food, people and building, it was spectacular. It made me want to go to this school after I finish my master's degree. The instructors here are master chefs, which is the highest title you can get. There are only 67 master chefs in the world, and many of them are here! The tour guide, who was also the admissions counselor, was very enthusiastic, and you can feel her love for this school. When we passed by the chocolate class, they gave us samples of dark chocolate ganache. I don't like dark chocolate because it tastes like dirt most of the time, but this really blew my mind. I am now a fan of dark chocolate! I haven't eaten at this place yet, but I will come back next time!

Prettiest of all the schools in the land. The outer presence is intimidating, castle like, and stands like a proud presence on the hill as you drive down the St. Helen Highway. I always admire this statuesque and stately building, but I've never stopped. That is, until I attended a Flavor Napa event that was help here. I couldn't be happier that his is the home base for the event. Seriously, if I came here to learn daily, I'd never leave -- a forever student! This building with all its history and all of the history being made in it, is a building to be reckoned with. This grand building houses so many different rooms and functions, its hard to recap in one post...especially since I've only ventured inside one time. From the meandering that I did they have display room, filled with hundreds of wine openers on display (I think). They have a huge gift shop, a cafe area with a coffee section too, another room for learning with tons of seating and a bar. When you walk in there is a random room with a huge table, but also a fake vault door, which really houses the accounting department behind it or something random. There is also a huge security desk when you walk into the grand hallway of the school and you look up to see the stair case. Walk all the way back and you will venture to the restrooms, which also have a quick walkway to the cafe. I enjoyed one of the class rooms near the cafe, which was awesome. Similar to a lecture hall with a full kitchen in the front and a huge mirror to see what teacher/chef is preparing. There are also two TV's on either side of the mirror, to also show what the teacher/chef is doing. They also had a lovely patio set up with cute stringed lights and comfy patio furniture. It might have been just for Flavor Napa, but it was really cute regardless. The grounds, the building, and the vibe makes me want to learn to cook fancy!

We were looking forward to our dinner at CIA Greystone Gatehouse. The other couple we were with has been there many times and it was always the highlight of their trip. Our experience was very disappointing . The staff did not explain what we were eating, where it was sourced, or what/why the wi e was paired with it. They just put the food in front of us, poured the wine from the carafe and went away. My bass was undercooked. I expect so much more for $325 for two! I will have to be strong armed to go back.

This may not be everybody's cup of tea but I like coming here to relax and get a snack at the coffee shop and walk around the chefs style store. If you schedule it right you can catch a real live chef explain and prepare a meal and share it with the audience. It's a fabulous experience in a classy school atmosphere.

I am so biased - I went to culinary school here for the Pastry Arts years ago, but there you have it. This is an amazing building - old and nicely brought into today's age. We brought my son here for the first time to walk around, and we told him it looks like the Hogwarts (the staircases don't move though, he says!). The first level got some nice upgrades since I was a student here. The nice shop, the bakery and the restroom facilities are definitely better than they used to be. There is a corkscrew collection for viewing downstairs, along with a tad of history. You can go up to the second floor to see the barrel room and take a quick walk around the front grounds. If you are passing through St. Helena, I would plan a 15 minute stop here just to see the building, it will be worth it!

As part of an East Bay Senior Center, we took a group tour that was very interesting as our Guide provided history about the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) as well as other CIA locales. Quite an historical building as we saw students busily attending to their scheduled tasks. There's an exquisite cork room not to be missed. The fondant Artisian cakes on the table appeared too attractive to eat. It was a beautiful Autumn day in the 80's. Definitely worth a visit, nice spot for lunch, dine inside next to the gift shop or the outdoor patio area.

This is such a cool place where all foodies should visit at least once. Now you can take your own self-guided tour of the historic Greystone building and grounds which makes for a quick or lengthy visit of your choosing. There's a cool corkscrew collection, a Ghirardelli chocolate discovery center, the Vintners Hall of Fame and more cool stuff to see. Stop by the information desk at the front entrance and they can give you the scoop. The gift shop alone is worth a stop -- you can buy all sorts of super cool kitchen gadgets, knives, chef's coats, cookbooks, spices and more. If you're lucky you'll be able to see a class through one of the big glass windows. I always enjoy watching the students making chocolate candies! The CIA houses several student-run restaurants that are open to the public. My favorite is the quick service Illy Cafe, a great spot to grab a quick lunch, delicious traditional Illy espresso, a lovely "too beautiful to eat" pastry, or a loaf of crusty, freshly baked bread. Throughout the year the school runs several food, wine and cooking classes so check their website for a schedule. They also have public cooking demonstrations on the weekends but you'll have to make a reservation. The architecture is gorgeous too, so you'll want to bring your camera. Note that you have to climb a set of very steep stairs to get from the lower parking lot to the front entrance (just throwing that out there in case you have any elderly or handicapped folks in your party).

This campus of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is worth a visit for so many reasons. For anyone on a Napa Valley trip, this St. Helena located gem should not be missed. We've visited the mothership CIA campus at Hyde Park New York to tour and eat there as well as the branch in San Antonio Texas. Each is a unique experience, with the Hyde Park campus a simply stunning location with many dining options for visitors there. Part of the reason to visit this Napa Valley CIA is to see the 1888 building in which it is housed, revamped from the one used by the Christian Brothers as Greystone Cellars until the late 1980's to make sparkling wine. It is the perfect fit for Napa Valley as the CIA there and it is the epicenter for the CIA's wine studies program. REASONS TO VISIT GREYSTONE 1) To enjoy lunch or dinner in the Wine Spectator (sponsored) Greystone dining room which is run by the students in training. You'll need reservations to do that and if you dine there you'll enjoy mostly great food and delightful service in the context of this being a teaching restaurant. Unlike some of the several restaurants on the Hyde Park campus where there is either real or expected guest dress code, there is none at the Greystone dining room here. Although if you are very casually dressed you might find lunch the better venue. 2) To enjoy a bakery treat or light meal, like a sandwich, at the Illy (sponsored) Cafe. Located on the first floor of the building and connecting to the gift shop / retail store, no reservations are required for this cafeteria format. Check ahead as days of week for operation and hours vary with seasons. 3) To walk about the campus and tour the Greystone building. The latter can be self guided, which has always been our choice, or I think there are guided tours available for a nominal fee (maybe $10?) on occasion. Inquire ahead of visit. 4) To soak up the history of this magnificent building which was formerly home to the Christian Brothers and their sparkling wine making endeavors. Be sure to head to the anteroom to the right of the lobby as you enter on the main level to see the extensive display of Brother Timothy's corkscrews and wine service items. Delightful. A friendly docent (or two depending on season) at the front desk is your best friend in getting questions answered. 5) To shop in the Spice Islands (sponsored) Market retail store to the left as you enter the lobby with an extensive collection of all things related to cooking and food. Including an impressive selection of the latest in culinary expert, serious chef cookbooks some of which are signed by their authors. If you have friends who use cookbooks to display as kitchen decorating items, this is the place to find a treasure for them. Also, highly recommend you spring for one of the artisan chocolates (@$1.75 each) made for them by a local chocolatier who is a CIA supporter. Perfect bite. THIS N THAT: 1) TIMING IS EVERYTHING: Although hours are more limited during off season for tourist months, so is availability of lunch and dinner reservations easier. In fact in January the CIA participates in Napa Valley Restaurant Month and great deals are to be had. You'll find crowds fewer and a visit more leisurely in January too, with parking easier to come by. 2) PARKING: You'll see when you drive on campus why it is a challenge. Some at the lower level, some up higher behind the restaurant which is on the upslope level. 3) ACCESSIBILITY: Revamping the 1888 building by the CIA in the early 1990's has made accessibility much improved over the days when this was Christian Brothers Winery. Thanks to following the now 24 year old Federal 1990 ADA rules there is accessible parking, entries and spaces on the first floor everywhere. Also, if you can't climb the stairs due to disability, the docent in the lobby will offer you the use of the student and faculty only elevator to the second floor. 4) VALUE: Free entry. Can't beat that if you're just there to browse around. Prices in the Illy Cafe are even a little less than other casual dining spots nearby. Good value too in the Greystone dining room where starters run from $10 - $12, mains from $25 - $30 and sides and desserts at $7. 5) WINE & OTHER LIBATIONS: As you might expect at a restaurant for which the sponsor is Wine Spectator, wine options are extensive. There are also library flights available here for collectible wines that can run as much as $300 and more per flight. There are also wines by glass at prices on par with other Napa restaurants. A few artisan beers on draft (@$6) and creative house specialty cocktails too (@$12).

Beautiful Cooking School on the Grounds of the Old Christian Brothers Winery SITREP During my galavanting around the Calistoga & St. Helena hoods of Napa Valley, I enjoy stopping in where I used to enjoy some fabulous wine tours when this location was Christian Brothers Winery. But now the winery has regenerated & revitalized itself into the Culinary Institute of American at Greystone, and, to use an old expression, "I love what they've done with the place!" THE SETUP On this particular occasion, we were given a tour of the school grounds - since my companion Natasha was considering applying to this particular school (she in fact ended up accepting a position in a school in her hometown of Chicago - ce la vie!) THE PHYSICAL PLANT The rooms of the school have been significantly refurbished - there are large LARGE dining areas - one table that I got a picture of is more than 75 feet long! Some of the rooms are decorated with the large wine barrels that once were filled with Christian Brothers Cabernet Savignon. The class room reminds me of the amphitheater style seating I had when I was in Law School, the foyer is an International affair with flags of many countries of the institute's students. ELEGANT FOOD BITES The students talents are tested here at the teaching-restaurant that adjoins the school's kitchen. This gives the students an opportunity to practice their skills, as well as give prospective patrons an opportunity to try some gourmet items at a relatively inexpensive cost, since in all fairness the items may not always come out the way they are intended. But this is a training-school, and just like when I always got my haircut by my friend Jenner when she was in Cosmotology school at a reduced price, you are helping the students by providing feedback, more than really coming to enjoy a night of dazzling gourmet cooking. Yet this is not to imply that the profferings are not excellent, because they are delicious - just maybe not at the level of perfection that is being worked towards eventually. GIFT SHOP I got the BEST wine bottle opener I've ever had here and I enjoyed several of the other items, including some wine cozies that I picked up as gifts for family & friends. THE LOWDOWN An elegant, delightful stop along HWY 29 to educate yourself not only fine wine-making but also partake of some delicious bites offered by the culinary students.

I always thought going to culinary school would be a dream come true for me. Realistically, I could never afford to pay for tuition, and I don't really think being a line cook is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I do enjoy food and love to cook. After checking out the CIA's website, I learned they offer classes for "Food Enthusiasts." As someone not going into the food industry for a living, I could still get a taste of the CIA experience by attending one of their boot camps. Even though I cook all the time, I thought I should go to the Basic Skills boot camp to ensure I had a strong foundation in the basics, and that I made sure I hadn't been doing things the wrong way my whole life. My participation in the 5-day boot camp included two chef coats & pants. It did not, however include housing. Finding a hotel in the Napa Valley is not cheap. Luckily I planned ahead and found a good deal in American Canyon. Even though my hotel was a good 35-45 minutes away, the break in price was worth it. Each day the group of 11 participants started off in a room just large enough for us, a projector, and our chef instructor. Our day began with a lecture covering various skills. Afterward, we moved to the huge kitchen to prepare a variety of dishes using the skills covered in lecture. We were broken up into groups of 3 or 4. Interspersed in the kitchen time, the chef and his T.A.s would do demos showing us various techniques. I think the overall format was a good plan. The problem for me, and it really ruined my experience, was the people I randomly got placed with were unable to work together. It was extremely frustrating. If I were able to work with another group, I think my experience would've been much different. The facility itself is really amazing. We weren't allowed to take photographs of the kitchen, but it was equipped with every amenity. The Greystone campus main building has a great store where, if you're not careful, you can find and buy just about anything you can think of. In addition, it was stocked with a large variety of books and DVDs. There is a chocolate bar & cafe as well. Our 5-day boot camp included one lunch at the Spectator Greystone Restaurant. The front & back of the house are run by actual students enrolled at the CIA. Looking back, the basic skills boot camp was not a good choice for me. Skill-wise, I did not learn much. I know that was my choice. Most of the participants in my group said they didn't cook much, wanted to learn healthy choices, or wanted to be able to cook a larger variety of foods for their families. Even though I was not challenged skill-wise, I really think I would've enjoyed my experience if I was in a fun group. I don't know if my group dynamics was something our instructor could've helped with or not. If you are considering attending any of the CIA boot camps, I would suggest coming with a group of people or at least one other person that you know you can enjoy the time with.

What a wonderful dinner!!! Highly recommend booking dinner far in advance and experiencing a well-thought and executed meal. Very nice boutique wines offered accompanying each course. We will make this an every time visit when near Napa.

Yelp Heaven. If you complain about this place then you should delete the Yelp App. Wonderful place for lunch and dinner. Watch professional chefs cook your food thru windows. Amazing spaces and architecture. Great culinary library. Look, if you are in the super laid back Napa Valley go there.

We ate in the Cafe at the Culinary Institute, and not only was I impressed with the professionalism of the culinary students, I had one of the best turkey sandwiches and chocolate chip cookie Ive ever had! I highly recommend stopping there for lunch or a snack to have a great meal and support a great culinary program

I'm looking forward to returning to CIA for dinner another time. The food was very interesting and the people were so nice. Here are some tips for you that I'll incorporate into my next visit. 1) Service - Nobody goes to culinary school to learn how to be a waiter. These young men and women are passionate about food and they are fish out of water in a dining room. For example, our waiter spilled a glass of red wine on my wife and took away my glass of red wine when I went to use the restroom. He really didn't know what to do at the table side, but he was very pleasant and was clearly trying to do a good job. So the next time I go, I'm going to be more helpful. I'll make sure my people give them plenty of room to work when serving food and drinks. I'll make sure my table knows not to let them take my wine (or theirs) and I'll make sure we order in an organized fashion. It's a great place and these students really want to do a great job, it's just not what they are used to doing. 2) Wine pairings - skip it. Order wine you like and enjoy it. The wine pairings did nothing for the food (which was excellent) and were typically wines you wouldn't enjoy across the board. For example, if you like a dry red, you're not going to enjoy the sweet white no matter what they serve for food with it. 3) Timing - make your reservation early enough and stay on time. It helps them with their flow in both the dining room and the kitchen. The CIA has a lot to offer. The people here are so nice! The food is very good and even more enjoyable because of how unique and carefully prepared the dishes are. You definitely have to add CIA to your itinerary! One last note. There's a CIA in Napa as well. I believe you can also eat there if you don't want to go to the one outside St. Helena. I'll be trying that one on my next visit.

07.23.2016 As hubby was out golfing in a tournament I took the liberty to tour Napa Valley on my own. My father-in-law mentioned this place. When I did some research I found you could make reservations and eat on the restaurant for about $65 dollars. Uhh, not in the budget. But I was happy to find out onsite they had The Bakery and they had a Cafe Grab & Go Lunch special for $10.00--a Ficelle sandwich, a side (fruit or potatoes) and a drink (iced tea or coffee). The students were still the ones cooking and prepping the food there. After spending some time in the store/gift shop I was finally hungry for lunch. I had a Camembert Ficelle which tasted like it had some apricot preserve. The two flavors went so well together. The Ficelle was thin, about 2-2.5" wide and about 12" or so in length. It was pretty filling. The side of colorful fingerling potatoes reminded me of a light dill potato salad but without mayonnaise. The CIA offers a self-guided tour and you can see students in the Ghirardelli Discovery Center making sweets and desserts. You can see students and professors walking around. The huge Vintners Hall of Fame was huge and would make a beautiful setting for a reception or private party. All in all it was a place of good food and a fun experience. I'm thankful my FIL told me about this place and had fun discovering it all.

This place was amazing! It was the off-season so there weren't very many people in the restaurant which worked out well for us! When we arrived, we were immediately seated at a table near the fireplace. We were immediately asked for beverages and of course we ordered wine! Everything that we ordered was delicious we had a variety of things from fried chicken to fillets, and it was all done very well and very tasty! If you have a chance to come to the culinary Institute of America, you are lucky! Some of the greatest chefs have trained here!

What a wonderful dining experience! We had the most delicious dinner two weeks ago with our friends. We decided to order different dishes so we could try almost everything! Each dish was carefully prepared to perfection with amazing presentation. The Butter Poached Shrimp Pappardelle was one of my favorites with great texture and flavor. The steak was cooked and seasoned perfectly and melted in my mouth with a delicious sauce. Although it was quite busy when we dined, our server, Colton was terrific. The other students also served with him. They all worked together as a coordinated team like a song and dance. We can't wait to go back again. I highly recommend dinner at CIA!

I had to visit the school of my dreams a couple of years ago. My hubby and I toured the place and had a great time. It was worth going back to the packed restaurant run by the CIA staff. Great ambiance and experience. We were able to sit at the bar and watch the highly talented kitchen staff make magic with the food. This was entertainment to us. Witnessing them share their passion with everyone there was a pleasure. The food was excellent! We ordered "melt-in-your-mouth foods"--the Wagyu-beef tartar, seared scallops, and got the molten chocolate dessert. Everything was perfectly made.

Always a stellar experience which is why I love stopping here in-between tastings. The service is great, you can sit at the bar if you want to get in and out quickly. The price is fantastic for the standard of food.