JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In addition to the new UF grad school coming to downtown, a prestigious culinary school may also be looking to expand to Jacksonville.
The mayor’s office has confirmed with Action News Jax the Culinary Institute of America has had “preliminary discussions” with city leaders about coming to the Bold News City of the South.
When Chef Derek Shroyer first heard rumors that his alma mater might be considering expanding to Jacksonville, his first reaction was confusion.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
“I just kind of thought there could be other cities in Florida that would make more sense monetarily,” Shroyer said.
But after mulling it over, his tune quickly changed.
“After like, being puzzled, I was very excited about it,” Shroyer said.
Shroyer graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1997.
He now works as a chef at BB’s Restaurant and Bar in San Marco, where he uses what he learned at CIA every day.
“What is really good about that school is it’s kind of like a business school also,” Shroyer said.
The Institute has its main campus in Hyde Park, New York, but has expanded to include campuses in California, Texas, and even Singapore.
Shroyer said he thinks if CIA were to open a campus in Jacksonville, it could elevate the city’s dining scene and boost the local talent pool.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“It would be so nice just to have just a ton of kids to be able to employ that are like, one, passionate about food, cause you can’t really buy that. That has to be driven into somebody. And also the importance of this being a career,” Shroyer said.
When the institute opened its San Antonio campus in 2007, the move was funded with the help of a massive donation from a local philanthropist.
Shroyer predicts something similar would likely be needed to make a Jacksonville campus a reality, but argued it would be money well spent.
“Everybody goes out and eats. Everybody goes out and loves the food. Everybody loves to go out and talk about all the stuff they love to eat and love to go. And without an investment like this, you know, it’s just gonna continue to struggle,” Shroyer said.
Action News Jax reached out to the Culinary Institute of America for comment and was told conversations related to an expansion into Jacksonville are preliminary and “it would be premature to comment on them”.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
