Culinary Institute Grads Stick Around to Share Their Expertise with Poughkeepsie
Local restaurants like The Artist’s Palate, Babycakes Café, Lola’s, and Crew have two things in common; their locations in Poughkeepsie, and their ownership. Birds of the same feather — graduates of Hyde Park’s Culinary Institute of America (CIA), own each of these restaurants.
There’s no doubt that the CIA stands as one of the most prestigious learning grounds for the culinary arts both in the country, and in the world. After graduation, many students relocate to big cities to open their new restaurants so that they can build their resumes and gain new experiences.
For some of the Institute’s graduates, however, it only makes sense to stay local after graduation to open restaurants that allow them to share their craft and give back to the community.
Edward Kowalski, CIA class of 1998, owns Lola’s Café and Crave Restaurant & Lounge, both located on Washington Street. Kowalski is originally from Poughkeepsie, so he always knew he wanted to open his businesses here.
“I started at the CIA when I was 24,” Kowalski said. “I had two young kids and my family was here, so I stayed when I graduated two years later with my Associate degree.”
Kowalski opened Lola’s in 2005 and Crave in 2009, and both have been going strong ever since. Given their location Washington Street, the clientele tends to consist largely of Marist College students, who contribute to much of the eateries’ success.
Kowalski loves getting to know the college’s familiar faces, including members of various sports teams as well as students who become “regulars” over their four years at Marist.
The idea of having “regulars” is the best thing about having a restaurant in Poughkeepsie for Kowalski. He loves that he gets to see the same faces so frequently, and that so many of his customers have, over the years, become like his family.
Megan Fells, CIA class of 1999 co-owns The Artist’s Palate, Brasserie 292, Canvas Catering and Morty’s Delicatessen, all located on Main Street.
Unlike Kowalski, Fells is not from around here. She grew up in Trumbull, CT, which is about an hour and a half from Poughkeepsie. Her dream after graduating was to pick up and move to California to start her career as a chef, but fate ultimately took the reigns.
“After graduation, I had great job offers in the area, and then I fell in love [with my husband], so I decided to stay here,” Fells said.
Her husband Charlie, who grew up in Poughkeepsie, is the co-owner of her restaurants. Before they opened four successful eateries, however, Fells worked as a sous chef at number of restaurants and wineries in the Hudson Valley.
“I never thought I’d land here,” Fells said, “but I believe everything happens for a reason.”
Despite the different paths Kowalski and Fell took that led them back to Poughkeepsie in the end, the reason they stayed comes back to two things: the sense of community, as well as the perk of the Hudson Valley’s local agriculture.
Kowalski and Fells have both come to appreciate the close ties they’ve created with their regular clientele, as well as with people who they’ve simply done business with in some way, shape or form.
On another note, the Hudson Valley is full of local farmers, brewers and winemakers who contribute tremendously to both Kowalski and Fells’ restaurants, providing farm fresh produce and other local goods.
While relocating to New York City to open a restaurant may seem like the best option after graduating from the CIA, local chefs will be the first to tell you that staying in Poughkeepsie definitely has its perks as well.
For information on Kowalski and Fells’ restaurants, as well as for a list of all restaurants in the Poughkeepsie area opened by CIA graduates, visit http://culinary.imodules.com/s/898/alumniInt.aspx?pgid=723.
