SOUS IT BEGINS
San Antonio chef launches new nonprofit to train cooks for management
A sneak peek at one of the dishes at the West Point Culinary Institute gala.
San Antonio’s chefs might be able to julienne a carrot in a few seconds, but few have been given the management training to match their culinary skills. Longtime local chef Brian West is looking to change that with a new nonprofit, West Point Culinary Institute.
West says the institute is aimed at a gap in culinary training. Line cooks frequently get promoted to sous chef without ever learning how to manage staff, control food cost, or handle the business side of a kitchen. The program plans to cover purchasing, sanitation, operations, and team management, along with culinary fundamentals.
"I've spent more than three decades in this industry, and I've watched talented cooks become great cooks only to reach a point where someone hands them the keys and says, 'You're the sous chef now,'" West said in a release. "Suddenly they're expected to lead a team, control food cost, train people and understand the business, but too often nobody has ever taught them how."
According to a release, the four-month program is designed for people already working in the industry. It consists of three months of classroom and kitchen instruction in small groups, then a one-month internship or externship in a commercial kitchen. The institute says it will operate primarily on scholarships.
West has been a fixture of San Antonio hospitality for years, opening Café Paladar in 2005 and cofounding Smoke: The Restaurant in 2017. He has also taught at the Culinary Institute of America's San Antonio campus, and he founded Fiesta event Taste of the Republic.
While the school does not yet have an address, it is preparing for the future. Tickets are now on sale for the institute's first fundraiser, "From Fire to Future: A Culinary Journey Through Time." The gala, held on November 18, loosely follows the history of cooking with guest chefs Nicola Blaque and Kristina Zhao.
Prices start at $150, and tables for eight start at $1,000. All proceeds will go to the institute’s $75,000 capital campaign, with instruction expected to launch in 2027.
