The Hospitality International Training Line Cook Program has been the flagship program since the founding of Hospitality International Training. It was born from the marriage of two desperate needs in our community. The first is the need for food service personnel in the hospitality business. Las Vegas is often considered the “Food Capital of the World,” with some individual properties serving in excess of 10,000 meals each day. The Line Cook is the backbone of the food industry and is considered to be a crucial entry-level position. Line cooks often move into positions of more responsibility. HIT graduates of this program are working in all facets of the hospitality industry, from specialty cooks and bakers to food service managers. It all starts with the Line Cook.
The second desperate need in our community has been the under-prepared, downtrodden, incarcerated, and those who need a second chance in life. Our community partners often recommend potential students including homeless, veterans, incarcerated, and others looking for a way to move from being wards of the state to being taxpayers and productive members of society.
The marriage of these two groups – an industry in need of workers and an untapped source of people who, with appropriate training, has led to a successful venture. When academics interface with industry, both entities are enhanced.
Beginning Baking Desserts and Pastries
As Hospitality International Training programs grew and our graduates advanced within their positions, the industry cried out for a specialty program. A survey of employers in the industry, as well as input from our graduates suggested a need for a specialty program that trains students to create and design food beyond the Line Cook venue. From that need came our second program, Basic Desserts and Pastries. Some students came to our academy with basic line cook skills seeking advanced training. Others were HIT graduates that worked in the field but saw opportunities for advancement by expanding their skills. Thus, a Basic Desserts and Pastries program was initiated. The chef who designed the program and one of the teachers of the class has more than four decades in the food business. This chef’s expertise provides students of this program an opportunity to remain in the specialized field if so desired, but also provides training that prepares the student to move up within an institutional setting or branch out to one’s own business.
Hospitality International Training has again answered the clarion call of the industry, demonstrating When academics interface with industry, both entities are enhanced.