Pépin Lecture Series - Baking an Impact with Chef Genevieve Meli

Chef Genevieve Meli is an associate professor of Baking and Pastry Arts at CIA. Among the courses she teaches are Individual and Production Pastries, Baking and Pastry Skill Development, and Applied Baking and Pastry Production. She was the youngest-ever chef to earn the Certified Master Baker (CMB) designation and is also a Certified Higher Education Professional (CHEP). Meli is the author of two cookbooks: and Sweet Nature. Outside of the classroom, she volunteers with the Stormville Fire Company Auxiliary and enjoys gardening at her 1800s farmhouse, where she and her husband are raising their son Leonardo.

Baking an Impact: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking, written by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Chef Genevieve Meli ’07/’23, with a foreword by renowned Chef Eric Ripert, has hit the shelves. The title is Chef Meli’s second work, and the first book to be published by CIA Press, the college’s own publishing imprint. The book showcases an incredible array of mouthwatering desserts, savory baked goods, and more, with an eye toward reducing food waste; utilizing alternative ingredients, grains, and pantry staples; and seasonality in the baking and pastry realm. Baking an Impact is available now at all CIA locations and Amazon. It’s an ideal gift for the sustainably minded baker on your list or for anyone looking to level up their baking skills.

“People don’t often consider sustainability when it comes to baking, in part, because the staples in many of our favorite baked goods—dairy, eggs, and refined flours—are inherently not sustainable because of sourcing and heavy processing,” said Meli. “My purpose behind Baking an Impact is to show how the smallest of changes can make a larger impact than you might expect,” according to Chef Meli.

Baking an Impact includes both sweet and savory recipes. Some of Chef Meli’s favorite recipes from the book are Coffee Coffee Cake, Wildflower Lollipops, Koginut Squash Gourds, and Blue Spirulina Oat Mint Truffles.

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