Chef Chris Desens acknowledges that the celebrity chefs of the Food Network have brought a new generation of young, would-be food artistes to the restaurant industry. “But the caution I would say is, that’s the TV world,” he said. “The real world requires something different.”

That something is kitchen fundamentals, and that’s what will be taught at the brand-new Culinary Institute of St. Louis at Hickey College.

Desens, the program director for the cooking school, will supervise operations at the 28,000-square-foot academy currently being built on Lindbergh Boulevard just north of Dorsett Road. The first class is scheduled for July, and after 20 months, graduates will earn an associate’s degree in culinary arts.

“We’re really going to stress fundamentals,” said Desens, formerly the executive chef at Racquet Club Ladue and Cardwell’s in Clayton. “We’re not going to have a baking and pastry program or a restaurant on the premises, but the industry folks should be excited about bringing a higher quality of applicant their way.”

The industry folks should also know that Desens is actively looking for Culinary Institute instructors.

– Byron Kerman