Brendan Walsh ‘80

Dean, School of Culinary Arts and School of Baking and Pastry, The Culinary Institute of America | Hyde Park, NY

Brendan Walsh ‘80 is dean of the schools of culinary arts and baking and pastry arts for The Culinary Institute of America. He oversees curriculum development and management of culinary arts education at the college and is responsible for the quality of academic programming, services, and staffing of culinary arts courses. A CIA graduate, Brendan returned to his alma mater in 2008. He assumed his current job in 2012 after serving four years as a faculty member and associate dean at the college.  Before that, he was the owner and executive chef of Elms Restaurant & Tavern in Ridgefield, CT, North Street Grill in Great Neck, NY, and Coyote Grill in Island Park, NY; as well as the founder and president of Chef Brendan Walsh Services/FWF Consulting. He was also director of operations and executive chef of 661 North Corporation in Island Park and Sign of the Dove Corporation in New York City. Earlier in his career, Brendan held various chef positions at highly regarded restaurants around the country, including executive chef of Arizona 206 in New York City, Water’s Edge in Long Island City, NY, and Ancient Mariner in Florida, New York, and Connecticut, chef of Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City, and sous chef at Stars in San Francisco. He served as lead chef for the Connecticut Farmland Trust from 1998 to 2010. A member of the James Beard Foundation, Brendan is one of four CIA faculty and staff members to have been inducted into that organization’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, receiving the honor in 1987. (Hyde Park, NY)