Dunkin' Donuts pledges gift to the CIA

The parent of Dunkin' Donuts said today it has pledged $1 million to the Culinary Institute of America to support a CIA program that seeks to "elevate" Latin American cuisine.

The parent of the coffee-and-baked-goods chain is Dunkin' Brands Inc. of Canton.

The Culinary Institute of America is a college offering degrees in culinary and baking and pastry arts. It has a campus at Hyde Park, N.Y., and its alumni include Todd English, a chef well known in these parts. (At left, CIA students.)

Dunkin’ Brands said its gift, to be paid over five years beginning in 2009, will support baking and pastry kitchens at both the CIA’s new campus in San Antonio, Texas, and its main campus in Hyde Park.

With the pledge, Dunkin' Brands said it becomes a founding donor of the college's “El Sueño” initiative.

“El Sueño,” which means “the dream,” has been created by the CIA with a goal of elevating Latin American cuisines to their rightful place among the great cuisines of the world, the college said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)