Culinary Institute of America

Your taste buds are in for a treat today as we travel to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, the birthplace of tomorrow's great chefs. When we arrive we'll be treated to a fascinating kitchen tour of one of the finest cooking schools in this country. After our tour, our appetites will be satisfied when we dine at the Culinary's northern Italian restaurant, Caterina de Medici. After lunch, we'll follow the aroma of sumptuous baked goods that take us to the Apple Pie Bakery which showcases the talents of the CIA's baking and pastry staff. After lunch we'll visit the Mills Mansion, an elegant example of the great estates built during the Gilded Age. Ogden Mills was born into a family whose wealth was derived from the development of the American West. The interior, which contains 65 rooms, is lavishly decorated, and has been restored to its turn-of-the-century splendor.