even before the rooster crowed, karl diehn was feeding chickens at the institute's 1 1/2-acre student-run farm in st. helena, two 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 firsthand 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. 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 that 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