A new cookbook from an accomplished Culinary Institute of America (CIA) chef showcases an array of 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: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking, from Chef Genevieve Meli, with a foreword by renowned Chef Eric Ripert, has hit the shelves, and is Chef Meli’s second work. It's the first book to be published by CIA Press, the college’s own publishing imprint.

“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,” Meli says. “My purpose behind Baking an Impact is to show how the smallest of changes can make a larger impact than you might expect.”   

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.  

Meli is a CIA alum and an associate professor of baking and pastry arts at CIA and was the youngest chef to earn the Certified Master Baker title. Her resume features various Michelin-starred New York, including Le Bernardin, Restaurant Daniel, and Café Boulud.

Baking an Impact: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking is available now at all CIA locations and Amazon. Chef Meli will showcase some of the recipes from the book during a hands-on baking class at CIA’s New York campus in Hyde Park in 2025.