The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute will open on Aug. 20 although it will not be completed.

Randy Cheramie, executive director and instructor of the culinary institute, said that the reason for the building’s incompletion is because it would cost the University about $350,000 to equip the remaining unfinished kitchen. The original budget for the building was $12 million but with the increasing cost of materials, the University accumulated cost overturns of $600,000 that they paid for with private monies.

The total amount of donations received was not enough to cover all six kitchens in the building. The building will include one demo kitchen, one restaurant-style kitchen, and four kitchens specifically for teaching. Three of the four kitchens that will be used specifically for teaching are fully equipped and ready for students to use, but the fourth kitchen will be needed once enrollment increases.

Plans for the grand opening of the institute remain scheduled in hopes of more donations or sponsorships to cover the cost of the remaining kitchen. Cheramie said that the new building is so impressive that is it possible that someone will want to sponsor it.
“I know that some big entity, whether it be a big business or big food manufacturer, is going to want to put their name on the kitchen,” Cheramie said.

The building will also house the student-run restaurant La Bistro, which was previously located at the Caramel Inn.

The building is scheduled to open its doors to the public on Aug. 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It will be open to culinary students starting on Aug. 17.