Art Institute has cooks, too

Mick Matriccia said he's willing to pay private-school tuition to attend The Art Institute of Charleston's culinary program at because when he graduates, his degree will be recognized nationwide.

Matriccia, 22, like other students at the school, is paying about $7,000 each quarter for tuition and fees to attend the school on North Market Street.

Art Institute President Rick Jerue said there are about 40 Art Institutes throughout the country.

Matriccia, who is from Summerville, said he eventually wants to earn a bachelor's degree in management at the institute. With that and his culinary training, he thinks he'll be able to land a good job in many U.S. cities.

Jerue said about 300 students attend the Art Institute, which opened in April 2007. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley recruited the school to Charleston after the popular cooking school Johnson & Wales moved to Charlotte.

About 75 of the students enrolled are culinary students, Jerue said. The school can accommodate 900 students, he said. He expects that by this time next year, 600 to 700 students will be enrolled and about 200 of them will be working on associate's or bachelor's degrees in the culinary arts.

Louis Yuhasz, a recruiter in the culinary industry, said the restaurant business in Charleston is booming. "We're poised as the new Southern crown jewel," he said.

The pay for cooks and chefs varies.

Chefs in upscale restaurants in Charleston make about $50,000 to $60,000

a year, Yuhasz said. Sous-chefs make $28,000 to $34,000, and line cooks make about $11 per hour.

Jerue said institute staffers are candid with students about the cost of the program. "Students have to decide whether the cost is worth the benefit," he said.

He said he doesn't think students will have any difficulty finding jobs in the food industry in Charleston. He already receives calls from prospective employers looking for employees.

The school faces only a few minor challenges, Yuhasz said. The student body is growing and the school eventually will need more space, which can be hard to find in downtown Charleston. Parking and affordable student housing also pose challenges, he said.

But the culinary program has been a major success, he said. Interest in cooking careers is at an all-time high, he said, least part because of cable's Food Network.

"It's amazing how much cable television inspires young people to do things beyond a liberal arts education," Jerue said.