Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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acquisition was concluded just after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which severely damaged the
northern portion of the building. Heublein generously sold the building and a nearby 15-acre merlot
vineyard to the Culinary Institute of America for about 10 percent of its $14 million value in 1993.
The CIA completed a major renovation of the building and opened for classes in 1995. Some of
the unique features preserved during the renovation include the stars on the outside walls (an early
attempt at seismic management); the huge redwood entrance doors, complete with carvings of sala-
manders and grape clusters; the gold-leaf Christian Brothers signature; the 2,000-gallon redwood
casks (filled with water to prevent them from drying out); and the original Christian Brothers' bar-
rel-making display. During the renovation, they also preserved some of the brandy-producing stills
and equipment, as well as entrances to several caves dug into the back hillside. These may someday
be used for classrooms, private dining rooms, or storage.
The Greystone Cellars building, the heart of the campus, houses teaching kitchens and bake-
shops, Ecolab Theatre, De Baun Theater for public cooking exhibitions, De Baun Café, a market-
place, and a restaurant.
Greystone hosts numerous cooking demonstrations, special events, seminars, and travel pro-
grams. Visitors to the campus can dine at the school's Wine Spectator Restaurant and shop at the
Spice Islands Marketplace for cookware, bakeware, culinary tools, and specialty food products. It's
a great place to visit for food and wine lovers alike.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
2555 Main Street
St. Helena, California 94574
(707) 967-1010
