The Culinary Institute of America is set to offer an associate in applied science degree in baking and pastry arts to its campus in San Antonio, starting in August 2013. The program is based on the proven curriculum offered at the college’s campuses in Hyde Park, N.Y., and St. Helena, Calif. This follows the successful launch of the CIA associate degree program in culinary arts in San Antonio last year.

Classes will emphasize extensive hands-on experience in baking and pastry techniques, as students learn the production of all manner of breads, cakes, pastries, desserts, and confections.

Additional studies cover topics such as Principles of Design, Baking Ingredients and Equipment Technology, and Nutrition, as well as leadership courses such as Introduction to Management, Menu Development, Introduction to Customer Service, and Controlling Costs and Purchasing Food.

Near the end of their sophomore year, students will gain real-world experience in the CIA Bakery Café and NAO: New World Flavors, two restaurants open to the public on the CIA campus at the Pearl Brewery site. More information on the program can be found online at: www.ciachef.edu/admissions/texas/bakingandpastry.

Chef Alain Dubernard at the CIA Bakery Cafe at the Pearl.

This expansion of the CIA’s baking and pastry program is under the direction of Alain Dubernard, department chair for baking and pastry arts at the CIA San Antonio. Dubernard joined the college’s faculty in 2004 after a celebrated career as a pastry chef and entrepreneur in London, Paris, and Mexico City. He taught courses such as Restaurant and Production Desserts and Individual and Production Pastries at the Hyde Park campus and served as associate dean for baking and pastry arts there before moving to the San Antonio campus to oversee its baking and pastry program.

In addition to the upcoming baking and pastry degree, the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio offers an associate degree in culinary arts and a 30-week certificate in Latin Cuisines, along with continuing education courses for chefs and foodservice professionals and a variety of food enthusiast classes. The San Antonio campus also hosts several annual industry leadership conferences, including “Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids” and “Latin Flavors, American Kitchens.”

Scholarships for CIA degree programs are available through the college’s El Sueño initiative and other financial aid opportunities. For more information, call 1-800-CULINARY or visit www.ciachef.edu/admissions/finaid/scholarships_texas.asp.

Today is the official publication date of our book, “Food Lovers’ Guide to San Antonio.”  It is the product of about 2 ½ months of writing furiously last fall, meeting interim deadlines from our publisher, Globe Pequot Press, discussing what would be listed, why and why not.  It involved many, many telephone calls, sudden leaps into cars to zip down to the South Side to sample posole or to the North Side to take in some sushi. Some of the places we’d not been to for quite a long time, and we wanted to be sure that a certain puffy taco we’d praised to the skies was still that good. Friends, colleagues and SavorSA readers had good suggestions; Facebook and Twitter were other sources.

It was hard work on a short deadline. In other words, there was no time to indulge in that bane of all writers — procrastination.

Will we get rich? Not a chance. Do we care? Not really. For any writer, holding a published book with his or her name on the cover is (at least the first time) reward enough. But the book is really more than that. It’s our chance to share with you where you can go in town for exactly what you’re looking for, whether you’re in need of great pizza on the West Side, an African yam for a recipe you’re making or a bakery on the Northeast Side for a birthday cake that tastes homemade. We especially hope you make great use of it, as you explore the culinary wealth of our city and area.

After we finally sent the completed manuscript, in one gigantic Word file at midnight before the deadline day, we celebrated with a (small) pitcher of homemade margaritas. Of course, the work was not finished by a long shot. Edits and cuts (more than we’d expected) had to be made. We twice had to proof the manuscript as it was sent back from editors (who were, without exception, wonderful to work with). As a first book-writing experience for both John and me, it went pretty smoothly.

“Food Lovers’ ” is now at Costco and Barnes & Noble stores in the Texas section. It’s available on amazon.com and bn.com and will also be turning up in other stores in San Antonio.  As for book signings, we’ll keep you posted, through SavorSA.com, our Twitter account @mysavorsa and Facebook.

Send us suggestions, criticisms and anything else you would like to discuss to us on Twitter, or to our emails: griffin@savorsa.com  or walker@savorsa.com.