CULINARY TRAINING ACADEMY: Gourmet taste

Institution trains more than 3,000 hospitality industry students per year

Chef Sterling Burpee is the chief culinary officer and instructor at the Culinary Training Academy, located at 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd. He heads up the Westside Bistro, a full-service gourmet restaurant that opened in January.Jenna Dosch/View Jenna Dosch/ViewChef Sterling Burpee?s homemade potato chips and fresh guacamole dip is one of the culinary dishes prepared at the Westside Bistro. Advertisement

The Culinary Training Academy has inspired more than 3,000 students per year to enter the ranks of the hospitality industry, has drawn city leaders from as far away as Japan to tour its state-of-the-art facilities and inspired local radio personality Lou Collins in his formatting of the No. 1 morning show, "What's Cooking."

But it is the Westside Bistro, at 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd., a full-service gourmet restaurant, newly opened in January under the direction of celebrity chef Sterling Burpee, that speaks for itself.

The walls are set with iridescent tortoise shell tile made in South Africa in support of AIDS education, the lighting fixtures are imported from Italy, and the lunch buffet, steaming from the stainless steel service line, is impeccable.

"We wanted to bring that kind of upscale feel for two reasons," said Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, the chief executive officer of the academy. "One, for training. Because our students are ultimately going to go into an establishment that looks like this. And we want them to feel confident when they go. Second, our community deserves it."

Though the name and the look of the Westside Bistro is new, the Culinary Training Academy has a long history serving the community, beginning in 1993. As a response to the boom time of '90s mega-resorts, the Culinary Union Local 226, the Bartender's Union Local 165, the academy and Strip employers formed a partnership to ensure that the then-growing opportunities in the hospitality industry would be filled by certified applicants from the community.

"This program originated in downtown Las Vegas on 7th and Fremont, which is now East Fremont, the Entertainment District," Horsford said.

Horsford said they chose to relocate to this site in North Las Vegas in 2001 because it is one of the most underserved areas of the community .

"There's higher unemployment here. There are more lower-income residents here with higher drop-out rates from high school. It's the heart of the enterprise community. And so, we said, what better place to build a $12 million investment than in a place that needs a quality full-service restaurant, needs a community events center and needs a training program that helps people get the skills they need to enter the industry work force," Horsford said.

Burpee was a presence in the CTA before the completion of the new expansion project, which includes the bistro, a new 12,000-square-foot training kitchen, a 400-seat community events and banquet center and seven hospitality suites, which are exact replicas of the academy's resort partners.

The experience Burpee brings to the table includes celebrated positions as the executive chef for the Wynn Las Vegas Buffet, executive sous chef of the Mes Amis room at the Sands and senior sous chef at the Marriot Marquis New York.

"It's remarkable for us to recruit someone of his caliber, who is one of the top chefs in America, and he's here every day working with the instructors and the students to bring about the skills that they need," Horsford said.

Professional staff prepare the restaurant's many delights, such as Thai barbecue, Southern fried catfish and Kobe steak. Burpee's home-sliced chips, served with an avocado dressing spiced with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and Serrano chilies, are offered free with lunch service. Now open for a breakfast and lunch buffet, the restaurant's training staff assist and serve as they work up to chef apprenticeship.

"Our specialty is things done properly," Burpee said. "These guys are getting the best of the best. I have experience in Italian, Indian tandoori, and I have vast French knowledge, and everything is done to order."

Emphasizing the necessity of the location of the academy to service communities in downtown, west and North Las Vegas, Horsford pointed out the on-site access to Vocational English to Speakers of Other Languages courses, as well as courses in citizenship for a range of students who also have migrated to Las Vegas from Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Israel and the Sudan.

"All communities need to understand the opportunities presented here. Because if you're unemployed or underemployed and you lack the skills, this program will give you what you need to get placed. Last year, we had an over 85 percent placement rate," Horsford said.

Collins' Monday morning radio show, "What's Cooking," on 88.1 KCEP-FM, was designed to introduce the community to the staff, students and resort-industry employers who support the hospitality and culinary training facility.

"People have often passed by this corner and wondered, 'What's going on inside that building?' " said Collins, director of community outreach for the Culinary Training Academy. "And there's so much. There's job training and there's opportunity."

The Culinary Training Academy holds monthly recruitment programs for students in the events center, during which resort partners take applications and hold interviews.

Many of the students served by the academy already are employed by the hospitality industry and look to academy courses to advance their careers.

The academy's more than 24 industry partners include MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment Inc., Wynn Las Vegas, Stratosphere and Boyd Gaming Corp.

Each year, the CTA trains as many as 3,000 students and provides career counseling, a career club and a career center, where qualified job-seekers can access applications free online.

Courses include culinary apprenticeship, bar porter, professional cook, sommelier and wine service. April 29 will usher in a grand-opening celebration.

"Mayor (Richard) Daley of Chicago is trying to replicate this model as we speak," Horsford said. "We have people from Japan, people from Canada. This model is a national model for the industry, and it's located right here in North Las Vegas."

For more information, call the Culinary Training Academy at 924-2100 or visit www.theculinaryacademy.org.

The Westside Grill is open for breakfast and lunch buffet, Monday through Friday, 7 to 11 a.m. for breakfast and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch.