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BPS Graduate Profiles

These BPS alumni from the CIA—and many more around the world—have found success in their careers doing what they love. Enjoy their stories, even as you prepare to write your own story about doing what you love in the food industry.

	Sonia Arias '99 Baking and Pastry Arts Management In success, as in many things, timing often plays a major role. You could say that Sonia Arias and Jared Reardon are blessed with impeccable culinary timing. From the instant they met and fell in love while BPS students at the CIA to the moment they opened the doors of their new restaurant, Jaso, they have made well-timed and well-thought-out career choices that are sure to lead to success. Read more >
	Jessica Bard '95 Culinary Arts Management As a cooking instructor, food writer, cookbook author, and food stylist, Jessica Bard has a full plate. After Jessica graduated with the CIA's first BPS class, she joined the team that produces the CIA's cookbooks. She stayed there for five years, setting up the foundation for a career that's brought her into the kitchens of major consumer magazines. Along the way, her book, An Apple and Art Recipe Book, featuring apple recipes and art from Hudson Valley residents, won the 1991 Eclat Award. Read more >
	Patrick Decker '05 Baking and Pastry Arts Management At the tender age of 23, Patrick Decker already has a job that many in the culinary world only dream of: working as a food stylist for CBS Television Distribution's Rachael Ray show in New York City. And his CIA bachelor's degree—along with his boundless energy, easygoing demeanor, and passion for food—was instrumental in getting him there. Read more >
	John Harkness '97 Culinary Arts Management Who makes dinner when the Harkness family gets together? With three CIA-educated chefs in the clan, that's not always an easy question. John Harkness '97, his younger brother Christopher Harkness '93, and Christopher's wife, Sandra (Perkins) Harkness '94, are all proud alumni of the college. "We're a very close family, and we're always showing off for each other," John says. "Just being with family and enjoying good times, that's the best." Read more >
	Jared Reardon '97 Culinary Arts Management In success, as in many things, timing often plays a major role. You could say that Jared Reardon and Sonia Arias are blessed with impeccable culinary timing. From the instant they met and fell in love while BPS students at the CIA to the moment they opened the doors of their new restaurant, Jaso, they have made well-timed and well-thought-out career choices that are sure to lead to success. Read more >
	Nathaniel Rhodes '05 Culinary Arts Management He's been in Hawaii less than a year, but Nathaniel Rhodes, is already making waves. After graduating from the CIA's bachelor's degree program, he headed to Honolulu and a corporate management training program at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa. In just under five months, the hotel ended his training early and offered him a job as room service and mini bar manager. In that position, Nathaniel is in charge of ordering, creating room service menus and special, VIP setups, developing custom products for a high-tech mini bar setup, and more, for 1,230 rooms. Read more >
	Chad Schafer '03 Culinary Arts Management The mouth-watering aroma that greets you when you open a fresh jar of all-natural strawberry jam, is frankly, enhanced. Once a strawberry is cooked, its fragrance changes. The people at Givaudan, one of the world's leading fragrance and flavor innovators, understand consumers' desire for taste and flavor profiles that they know and love. They help companies put back the aroma of fresh strawberry into that jam jar. As a development chef, Chad works to ensure that authentic and familiar flavor cues can be found in all manner of foods both fresh and frozen. Read more >
	Matthew Schmid '85/'95 Culinary Arts Management As one of 50 students who made up the first Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) class to graduate from the CIA, Matthew knew they were part of something big. Before coming to the CIA, Matthew worked as a restaurant manager and realized he needed to know more about the food aspect of the business. "The CIA was, of course, the best choice for my culinary education," says Matthew. After graduating in 1985 from the associate degree program, he cooked for a while in Florida and then worked in the front-of-the-house in Philadelphia, but wanted to do even more with his career. Read more >