COOL STREET FOOD: You can learn how to make it from the experts at the CIA.

Global reach: Want to get up to speed with the latest food trends having an impact, or about to have one, on the American culinary scene? Then get on the stick and snag one of the 600 spots available for the Culinary Institute of America's 8th annual Worlds of Flavor Conference, which will take place on Nov. 3-5 at the CIA's Greystone campus in California's Napa Valley (physical address: 2555 Main Street, St Helena, CA 94574). This year's event has a lengthy title: Ancient Fires, World Flavors & The Future of American Cooking: Connecting a World Heritage of Flavors and Cultures with Modern Appetites. Sounds ambitious for a threeday conference, but attendees at previous events rave about how much they learned when the nominal topic was similarly broad. What to expect: A close-up look at everything from the street foods of Southeast Asia to what they sell and serve in the market stalls of Spain and Italy and in the spice shops of India and North Africa. It all works because the CIA teaching pros know how to pull it off. Enroll at www.ciaprochef.com or call 800-888-7850.