Culinary Force

Pima Community College Expands Center of Excellence in Hospitality Leadership

By Christy Krueger

Pima Community College aims to make an impactful influence in the fields of hospitality and culinary arts with the recent expansion of its Center of Excellence in Hospitality Leadership.

Located at the Desert Vista Campus in southwest Tucson, the program received a hefty boost from a $3.2 million federal Title V grant in 2019, allowing the school’s leaders to make several wish-list expansions. These physical and program revamps are close to completion and include the addition of classrooms, culinary kitchens, a restaurant and more offerings for students.

“The program has grown dramatically. We went from 395 to 524 students,” said James Craig, Dean of Business, IT and Hospitality Leadership at PCC. “And the grant has increased our Hispanic enrollment; we’re excited about that.”

PCC Academic Director of Hospitality Leadership Pablo Toscano added, “We created 20 new courses online. It expands our curriculum to people from all around the world.”

Technological additions to the facility include high-definition digital capture equipment to record presentations and demonstrations; automatic hands-free disinfectant light systems to sanitize the kitchens; and virtual reality learning opportunities with immersive simulation equipment similar to that used to train fighter pilots.

“We have a new baking and pastry kitchen. The Aztec Grill serves students during the week. The Bistro is a restaurant adjacent to the kitchens where students learn how a restaurant runs, both the front and the back of the restaurant,” Craig said. “It’s not open to the public, but we use it for special events and for courses.”

One of those special events was a January 2024 visit from two Italian chefs who performed cooking demonstrations for the students and members of the community. The chefs came from Parma, Italy, which is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy along with Tucson.

Toscano’s position on the Tucson City of Gastronomy board of directors allowed him to help arrange the guest chefs’ visit to PCC. 

“The visiting chefs needed a place to do the cooking demonstration,” he said. “The Center for Excellence allowed a place for them. Having it here at the Desert Vista campus freed up local restaurants from doing it since they could lose business by closing their kitchens for the demonstration.”

The students especially loved when the chefs taught them how to make real Italian pasta, recalled Craig. 

“It showed a good connection between our students and the community.” In exchange, PCC students impressed the guest chefs by preparing appetizers for them.

Students have choices in their career path at the Center of Excellence in Hospitality Leadership. 

“We have a fundamental certificate for newcomers and they can stack on degrees,” Toscano explained. “It allows students to have experience on their resumes. A hiring manager sees they have a certificate and will understand the work they’ve already been educated and trained in.”

The associate’s degree in hospitality is a two-year business program. An advanced certificate can include food history, gardening and restaurant management classes. Culinary certificates can also be earned in baking and pastry.

Toscano noted that Northern Arizona University—known for its School of Hotel and Restaurant Management—and PCC have formed a great relationship. 

“I’m an alum of NAU and I keep that pathway as approachable as possible,” he said. “We want to make sure students come in for fundamental certification, then advanced, then associate degree and then transfer to NAU for a bachelor of science. There’s a lot of listening to students to ensure they’re moving through our program in a positive and meaningful way. I came from a hospitality background myself, so maximizing the experiences of others is very important to me.”

Craig confirmed that the collaboration with NAU creates a recommended choice for many of PCC’s hospitality students. 

“The normal path is to graduate with an associate degree here in hospitality and finish at NAU and have a bachelor’s degree.”

The Hospitality Leadership program has partnerships with businesses where students can serve internships, including corporate-wide arrangements with hospitality institutions like Red Roof Inn, Chili’s Grill & Bar and The Cheesecake Factory.

“We’re very passionate about our student success here creating learning opportunities in the community in leadership and hospitality,” Craig said. “We let them design most of the program. We’ve done a good job with Pablo’s leadership cultivating success in the community.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the new facility in early 2025 at the Desert Vista Campus.