Ben-Nadav Hafri

I didn't even know that this was a space.

I didn't even know that this was a space.

Rachel checked in with the CIA. Green light. She and I were going to reverse engineer Thomas' nooks and crannies. The trade secret of the muffin involves the process, recipe, and machines. But any major baking company knows how to make bread at scale. It's the principles behind the nooks and crannies that were the key thing. We began to have regular debriefing calls.

Rachel checked in with the CIA. Green light. She and I were going to reverse engineer Thomas' nooks and crannies. The trade secret of the muffin involves the process, recipe, and machines. But any major baking company knows how to make bread at scale. It's the principles behind the nooks and crannies that were the key thing. We began to have regular debriefing calls.

Rachel was all in. She even enlisted her students in the effort.

Rachel was all in. She even enlisted her students in the effort.

The first recipes were a bust. No nooks or crannies.

The first recipes were a bust. No nooks or crannies.

But making things crappier turned out to be a bit of a challenge for Rachel.

But making things crappier turned out to be a bit of a challenge for Rachel.

I'm very happy the students are keeping you honest.

I'm very happy the students are keeping you honest.

Rachel and her students kept tinkering for about a week. Every so often, she'd send me photos. Their muffins went from a flat surface on the interior to these big, uneven lunar craters. I was starting to think that maybe this really was a secret, uncrackable recipe. But then, Rachel sent me a photo of two muffins riddled with these small, deep, perfect nooks and crannies.

Rachel and her students kept tinkering for about a week. Every so often, she'd send me photos. Their muffins went from a flat surface on the interior to these big, uneven lunar craters. I was starting to think that maybe this really was a secret, uncrackable recipe. But then, Rachel sent me a photo of two muffins riddled with these small, deep, perfect nooks and crannies.

Other than the color, I couldn't tell a difference between the class's nooks and crannies and Thomas's. It was time for me to come up to the CIA at Hyde Park to meet her in person, finalize the recipe, and then put it to a blind taste test to see if she'd actually pulled it off.

Other than the color, I couldn't tell a difference between the class's nooks and crannies and Thomas's. It was time for me to come up to the CIA at Hyde Park to meet her in person, finalize the recipe, and then put it to a blind taste test to see if she'd actually pulled it off.

Like all the great American culinary schools, the Culinary Institute of America is in a fight to the death with federal law enforcement. acronym versus acronym, the CIA versus the Central Intelligence Agency. You would think that at some point in its nearly 75 years of existence, the president of the Culinary Institute of America would have said, you know what?

Like all the great American culinary schools, the Culinary Institute of America is in a fight to the death with federal law enforcement. acronym versus acronym, the CIA versus the Central Intelligence Agency. You would think that at some point in its nearly 75 years of existence, the president of the Culinary Institute of America would have said, you know what?

Our acronym has become a distraction. It's the American Culinary Institute now. You can have it, spooks. Take the bugs out of my office. Stop following me home. But no, the Culinary Institute of America is not changing its name for anyone. I took the train up in April. The campus sits along the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York, on the grounds of an old Jesuit novitiate.

Our acronym has become a distraction. It's the American Culinary Institute now. You can have it, spooks. Take the bugs out of my office. Stop following me home. But no, the Culinary Institute of America is not changing its name for anyone. I took the train up in April. The campus sits along the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York, on the grounds of an old Jesuit novitiate.