Lecturing Instructor–Culinary Arts, The Culinary Institute of America; Hyde Park, NY

Odette Fada is lecturing instructor–culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Growing up in Brescia, a city ninety miles outside Milan, she would make pasta and risotto using vegetables from her family garden and tarts using her mother’s homemade jams. She loved to cook and bake for all five of her brothers and sisters. At age thirteen, already passionate about cooking as a career, Chef Fada remembers persuading her parents to allow her to attend the Instituto Professionale Alberghiero at Iseo Lake in Lombardy, the prestigious training school for the culinary and hospitality industry.  After graduation, Chef Fada helped her brother open a trattoria in Brescia.  She then moved on to work at some of Italy’s highest rated restaurants, including Ristorante Castello Malvezzi in Brescia, Ristorante Vissani in Baschi and Convivio Vissani in Rome. She then moved to Los Angeles to become chef for the renowned Rex Il Ristorante by Mauro Vincenti. Fada has cooked for Italian enthusiasts as well as Oscar® parties and the Grammy® Awards, all while searching for the finest Italian ingredients available. In 1996, Fada went on to the famous San Domenico New York, Tony May's restaurant on Central Park South in Manhattan. Spring 2010, Chef Fada became consulting chef for few major Italian pasta companies. After four years teaching Italian regional cuisine at the Puglia Culinary Centre, Odette joined the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, managing the kitchen of Caterina De Medici Restaurant.  She has been honored with various nominations including the James Beard Award, the White Truffle Award, Wine Spectator, Forchetta d'oro in Brescia, and ICMC (Italian Culinary Master Chef).