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Chef and master sommelier Carlton McCoy, left, (without the chef's toque) leads a cooking class at the CIA at Copia in Napa.  

Guests at the American Bounty event dine on Carlton McCoy's Southern specialties at the CIA at Copia.

Chef and master sommelier Carlton McCoy demonstrates how to cook chicken without a recipe at the first event of the CIA at Copia's American Bounty series. 

Ken Morris practices cooking chicken without a recipe at the CIA at Copia. 

Why did the host of a new CNN program, “Nomad with Carlton McCoy,” who happens to be a master sommelier, lead a hands-on cooking class at the CIA at Copia called "Southern Home Cooking Secrets" and not a class on, say, bourbon appreciation?

Partly because Carlton McCoy’s choice of refreshment might be wine, since he is the managing partner of Lawrence Wine Estates, located in St. Helena, which owns Napa wineries such as Heitz Cellar, Burgess, and Stony Hill. He became a master sommelier in 2013 when he was 28, making him among the youngest, and only the second African American to do so. But he didn’t grow up in the board room of a winery.

The CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia in Napa hosts a "Food is Life Celebration" April 22-30. 

The Grove at the CIA at Copia in Napa is now serving meals inside as well as under the olive trees in the gardens. 

Jon Brzycki in the gardens of the CIA at Copia in Napa. 

Napa CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia.

Napa CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia.

Napa CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia.

Guests arrive at CIA at Copia.

Chefs at the CIA at Copia in Napa. 

The other reason is his first love was cooking, learned from his grandmother, who raised him and ran a catering business. McCoy won a citywide cooking contest in Washington, DC that paid his way through the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he also took his first wine course, which set the hook that eventually drew him into the wine world.

But, after graduation from the CIA in 2006, McCoy pursued the profession of his grandmother, developing his cooking skills at some of the most famous kitchens in the US, including Thomas Keller’s Per Se, Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit, and Tom Colicchio’s Craft Steak — all in New York City.

But, it was at CityZen, a formal dining restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Washington hotel in Washington, D.C. (now closed) that he began studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers certifications, guided by Andy Myers. McCoy says of Myers “It was because of him that I was really brought into the fold of the dynamic DC sommelier wine community.”

Focusing his attention on learning wine, McCoy in 2011 joined the team at famed The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, because of the hotel’s wine program and reputation at a training ground for master sommeliers. In a relatively quick time, he earned the demanding MS title in 2013, which led to his promotion as wine director, where he oversaw a crew of 150. In 2018, McCoy got the call to be become president and CEO of Heitz Cellar in Napa.

In an email interview I asked McCoy about becoming the next Anthony Bourdain, since Bourdain, also a CIA-trained chef, had been the star of his own program on the same network that went beyond food: "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown." Both shows are also produced by Zero Point Zero Productions, which has created a long list of documentary-style food and travel programs including the Emmy Award-winning "The Mind of a Chef."

“I don’t really have any aspirations to be next Anthony Bourdain because no one can fill his shoes.” McCoy responded. “He created the genre and anyone who has done a travel series since then will always be indebted to him. All I can say is that I’m very fortunate and grateful to share stories from around the world. I think for us to understand other people and cultures, we really need to tell their stories and also listen to their stories.”

The promotion for the new show says “McCoy is on the hunt for authenticity in destinations around the world.” I pointed out that authenticity is a very subjective word. What is it and how do you find it in something as big as a state like Mississippi?

McCoy replied that “Authenticity is about being true, original, and unique to one’s culture. This changes frequently, so our goal is to give a snapshot of what authenticity is in that moment using various cultural pillars. I like to use food, wine, music, and art to tell these stories no matter where I am…it can be Mississippi, Paris, or Washington D.C.”

McCoy may be a master sommelier and managing partner of a wine group but working in Copia’s professional kitchen brought him back to his beginnings. “I will always be a chef,” he said. “Cooking is my first love and is still my favorite pastime. I loved being in the kitchens, but ultimately, I learned quickly that being on the floor you made more money and I needed to help support my family. Failing wasn’t an option for me after culinary school, so I decided to switch from the kitchen to the dining room floor.”

He adds, “What I learned was that wine is food. My knowledge of wine helped me to connect even deeper to the cultures that I had already admired through their cuisine.”

At the CIA at Copia, McCoy led a group of 20 students into four groups in Copia’s Hestan Teaching Kitchen, through a menu he learned from his grandmother.

I’ve taken countless cooking classes in several different countries, including previous classes I’ve taken at the CIA, but this was the first time the chef said there were no recipes and no handouts.

“This is about connecting with the food and learning techniques,” Chef McCoy explained. I later thought about Judy Rodgers, who wrote in “Zuni Cafe Cookbook” — “Recipes do not make food taste good; people do.”

So, he demonstrated to our group how to braise collard greens in ham hock stock that the staff made the day before. We also started the butter beans that had been soaking since yesterday, dipping out more ham hock stock as cooking liquid.

These dishes take the longest to finish, so we had to get them on the stove right away. Our group got those dishes going and then waited for the chef to come around again after repeating it for the other groups. He was ably assisted by a crew of chefs from the CIA, but since the recipes were only in McCoy’s head, there was only so much they could do.

The star of the show was Grandma’s Fried Chicken. And, while this isn’t my usual article with recipes, I feel dutybound to share this recipe, although, as you know, there is no recipe.

All-propose flour is turned spicy with the generous addition of paprika, garlic powder, onion power, Mrs. Dash Original seasoning blend and black pepper (I believe I captured everything). You gauge quantities by your eye, no measuring spoons or cups were allowed.

The problem with no written recipes is you are trying to cook and remember the ingredients at the same time. Oh, did I mention the chicken had been soaking in buttermilk over night? This tenderizes the chicken while keeping it moist. The flour and spices are thoroughly mixed, each chicken piece is completely covered in the flavored flour, then placed in grocery store paper shopping bag. (No, the store brand does not seem to matter.)

The remaining flour was tipped into the paper bag and all the chicken pieces and flour were vigorously shook.

Pro tip: Roll the top down to keep the flour inside and put one hand on the bottom of the bag before you shake. One group got a little carried away and had to find another paper bag and sweep up some flour (and maybe some chicken: they didn’t say.) The chicken then sat absorbing the flavored flour as we waited for the canola oil to come up to temperature in deep cast iron pans.

I made sure I was the one at the stove when we started dropping chicken pieces in our two pans halfway filled with oil. No thermometers were in sight, so we gauged the heat by dropping a little flour in the oil to see if it bubbled (good) or drifted silently in the current of oil (not good).

Carlton’s rule is you only flip the chicken once, so I kept checking the color and flipped only when it appeared to me to be golden brown, but when I removed my first piece the chef cut it open to reveal it was not done at the bone so, back into the oil.

The correction was turning the heat down a little to allow the meat to cook completely through before the shaggy exterior went beyond golden brown to burnt.

We finished up the session by making Cast Iron Cornbread and poached Peaches with Corn Cakes. After lunch, I didn’t see any plates with leftover food when we pushed back from the table.

In addition to the hands-on cooking class,  McCoy that evening hosted a screening of the first episode shot of his CNN series, set in several towns in the Mississippi Delta, where he explored his culinary roots and showed a modern, energetic state.

Also part of the day’s festivities, CIA beverage expert Traci Dutton looked at the New South through the history and technique of classic southern cocktails (Yes, the classwork including sipping).

The day was topped off by a VIP dinner in the Copia garden featuring basically the same menu of Grandma’s favorites that we cooked that morning (and frankly I think we did a better job on the braised collard greens and ham hocks, but the chicken turned out just right).

There was the notable addition of fried green tomatoes, something my father loved but the rest of family never embraced. But served as a starter salad it was a tasty dish. The evening was enlivened by energetic blues music by the J.C. Smith Band.

This is the first of three classes the CIA is calling “American Bounty: Celebrating Regional American Cuisines” as part of its 40th anniversary celebration of opening the American Bounty Restaurant at its Hyde Park campus. Its goal then and now was to demonstrate that “American food was a cuisine deserving of both recognition and celebration.” The CIA at Copia is offering these new annual summer culinary experiences to celebrate the next generation of innovators of American cuisine.

Saturday, Sept. 24: Nixta Taqueria Pachanga with Special Guest Edgar Rico for Hands-On Classes , Demonstration , Live Regional Music and VIP Dinner

Edgar Rico is the James Beard Award winning chef and owner of Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas. He’ll be joined in the kitchen with Nixta Taqueria co-owner, Sara Mardanbigi, preparing true Tex-Mex, including scratch-made tortillas using traditional methods and heirloom corn along with modern flavors and ingredients. Adding to the festival is Latin Grammy nominee Gabriel Navia with a special performance.

Saturday, Oct. 15–Sunday, Oct. 16: Wine Country Harvest Celebration with Dominic Orsini

The CIA at Copia’s new executive chef, Dominic Orsini, who is also a Level I sommelier and wine and food pairing expert, will lead this two-day celebration  harvest. Look for hands-on food and wine pairing class with Dominic, plus beverage classes taught by CIA experts. 

Orsini will also lead a dinner in the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum with a menu based on classic wine country fare. And the outdoor Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater will be the scene of live music, local wineries, and food from the CIA’s Live Fire Kitchen.

For more information and purchase tickets, visit ciaatcopia.com/american-bounty-celebrating-regional-american-cuisines.

Take a tour of Napa's CIA (Culinary Institute of America) campus at Copia. It's located at 500 First St. near downtown Napa.

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Chef and master sommelier Carlton McCoy, left, (without the chef's toque) leads a cooking class at the CIA at Copia in Napa.  

Guests at the American Bounty event dine on Carlton McCoy's Southern specialties at the CIA at Copia.

Chef and master sommelier Carlton McCoy demonstrates how to cook chicken without a recipe at the first event of the CIA at Copia's American Bounty series. 

Ken Morris practices cooking chicken without a recipe at the CIA at Copia. 

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