Getting There & What to Wear

The information below is provided to prepare you for a rewarding few days with us in the Napa Valley. We look forward to seeing you in March.

Location

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone is located just 2 hours north of San Francisco on Highway 29 just ¼ mile north of the town of St. Helena, on the left-hand (coming from the south) or west side of the highway. Our street address is 2555 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574.

Permit Parking On Campus (Fee)

The Culinary Institute, Greystone campus has a limited number of parking spaces available to participants of its conference programs. Their experience has been that the fairest and least complex way to manage these is to sell permits to these spaces in advance of the conference. If you would prefer to park on campus rather than use the shuttle service, you may reserve a space by calling 800-888-7850. The cost for all four days of the conference is $50. Partial permits are not available.

Attendees requiring handicapped parking are accommodated at no charge. No advanced permit is required but showing a valid handicapped permit issued by a state or local authority is requested.

Transportation and Parking

You are responsible for providing your own transportation to and from the Institute. This includes air and/or ground transportation from your place of residence and daily ground transportation. Because of the size of this program, all parking for the conference will be at an off-site parking lot. The off-site parking lot is in close proximity (just North) to the Institute, directions to the lot follow:

Freemark Abbey Winery (3022 St. Helena Highway North, St. Helena) Entrance on Highway 29 about the equivalent of a half mile north of the Institute on the right-hand (or east) side of the highway (coming from the south), at the intersection of Lodi Lane and Highway 29. Parking area will be to your right when you enter the lot, follow the signage and the directional parking attendants.

When you arrive in St. Helena on March 17th, please proceed directly to the above off-site parking lot. The off-campus parking will be supported by a regular shuttle service (see below). If you are attending the optional pre-conference winery tour or knife skills class,  please also use the off-site parking lot for parking upon arrival. Those attending the Ehlers Estate winery lunch event, should drive directly to the Ehlers winery for the pre-conference activity.   

Carpooling

Because we are tight on parking, we urge everyone to carpool wherever possible.

Shuttle Schedule

A shuttle will be providing transportation to and from the parking area to the Institute, about a three- to ten-minute drive, depending on traffic flow. Please allow 15-20 minutes extra for parking and shuttling before and after each day’s events.

Thursday
12:00 PM First bus departs Freemark Abbey for those attending the pre-conference activities
3:30 PM First bus depart Freemark Abbey (shuttle will run continuous loops) for general conference registration
7:45 PM Last bus departs Greystone for off site parking lot

Friday
7:00 AM First bus departs Freemark Abbey (shuttle will run continuous loops)
6:30 PM Last bus departs Greystone for off site parking lot

Saturday
6:45 AM First bus departs Freemark Abbey (shuttle will run continuous loops)
6:45 PM Last bus departs Greystone for off site parking lot

Sunday
7:15 AM First bus departs Freemark Abbey (shuttle will run continuous loops)
2:15 PM Last bus departs Greystone for off site parking lot

Registration

General Conference Registration will begin at 4:00 PM on Thursday, March 22 in the Atrium on the first floor. Please note that you will not be able to register for the conference before 4:00 PM. Prior to or after you registration, you are encouraged to shop or browse in the Spice Islands Marketplace which is stocking a number of new and special items just for this conference.

Shuttles from the off-site parking area will be available for pre-conference registrants only starting at 12:00pm. Note: the winery tour buses will depart promptly at 12:45pm. Please plan to arrive at the off-site parking area no later than 12:15pm to allow time for shuttling and registration prior to the tour departure. 

Pre-Conference Activity Registration

For those attending the pre-conference Insider's Tours of Napa Valley Wineries, registration for this activity only will open at the Culinary Institute of America at 12:15pm, and be completed at 12:45pm.  Shuttles from the off-site parking area will be available for pre-conference registrants only at 12:00pm.  If you are enrolled in the winery tour event, please plan to arrive at the off-site parking area no later than 12:15pm to allow time for shuttling and registration prior to the tour departure. Note: lunch is not included in this pre-conference activity, so please plan to enjoy lunch prior to registering for the tour. 

For those attending the Hands-on Culinary Knife Skills pre-conference course, registration will open at the Culinary Institute of America at 1:15pm, and be completed by 1:45pm. Shuttles from the off-site parking area will be available for pre-conference registrants only starting at 12:00pm.  If you are registered in the knife skills course, please plan to arrive at the off-site parking area no later than 1:15pm to allow time for shuttling and registration prior to the beginning of the course at 1:45pm.

Workshop Session Sign-ups

If you pre-registered for the workshops, you will be issued a ticket for each workshop session with your registration materials when you arrive on campus. Registration for the workshops will continue on-line at the website provided through 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Friday, March 11th.  After that, sign up for workshop sessions will re-open at the start of registration (4:00 PM on Thursday, March 17th).

Dress

Suggested dress code for the conference is business casual attire. Conference activities involve sitting for general sessions and workshops in classrooms, walking around to explore the Exhibition area in the Barrel Room, walking outside between various buildings on campus and cooking with CIA faculty for workshops in the Teaching Kitchens. Northern California experiences rain in the Fall at times, so you may want to bring an umbrella to protect yourself from the elements. Our historic stone building is often quirky about temperatures in classroom and lecture spaces both large and small. Please bear with us, and come prepared with layers for warmer and cooler environments so that you can adjust your own temperature accordingly. Comfortable, low-heeled shoes are suggested for those people participating in the demonstration workshops in the Teaching Kitchen.

NOTE ABOUT HATS: Because some of the lunches are held outdoors in the lovely Californian sun, we strongly suggest you bring your favorite sun hat so you can enjoy your meal in leisure.

Meals

Meals are provided as a part of your program as indicated in the program schedule. Your conference name badge will be your ticket to the meals included in the conference. You are responsible for making any arrangements for any additional meals during your stay, a suggested restaurant list has been provided on the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives website. The conference is completely full, so only pre-registered guests and/or spouse registrants may be accommodated for meals.

NOTE ABOUT WATER BOTTLES: In an attempt to be environmentally conscious, we will not distribute drinking water in individual bottles.  We suggest that you bring your own favorite water bottle to fill from the bubblers onsite so that you can stay hydrated throughout the meeting.

We’re looking forward to your participation in what promises to be an exciting few days of learning, good food, and camaraderie.