even before the rooster crowed, karl diehn was feeding chickens at the institute's 1.5-acre student-run farm in st. helena, 2 hours north of san francisco. >> make sure they have plenty of water. we usually change it twice, at least twice a day. >> then it's time to harvest the potatoes he planted a few months ago. >> last year, we had a lot of different crops, but we didn't have potatoes. so this season, it was definitely something that i wanted to try. >> he came to the institute from the east coast hoping to become a chef, never realizing he'd end up laboring on a farm, learning first-hand all about farming and growing local produce like squash. these colorful blossoms are harvested as well, even if they're not fully open. >> we have a dish which--it's a squash blossom risotto, and with the open ones, we just kind of stir it into the risotto at the last minute, so it kind of wilts, and it swirls around. >> he's one of about 72 students getting an associate degree at the culinary institute, which claims to be the world's premier culinary college. steve ells, who founded the chain chip