The Smith Center to Partner with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts recently became the newest partner of the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas (formerly the Culinary Training Academy), awarding a service contract to provide food and beverage services for patrons of the performing arts center upon its March 2012 opening.

This agreement is the next in what is becoming a series of exciting developments for the Culinary Academy. Last month, "Today" show host Al Roker visited the Las Vegas-based Culinary Academy, awarding $1.5 million in cash and in-kind donations as a part of the show's "Lend a Hand" program. And now support for the academy grows as a partnership is forged with The Smith Center.

"We look to the Culinary Academy to help us combine a new level of world-class performing arts with the exceptional culinary experiences for which Las Vegas is known," said MyRon Martin, CEO and president of The Smith Center. "It is great to know that our patrons will not only get hot food, but also a warm feeling, as well as the knowledge that we are putting local people to work."

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas is a nonprofit culinary and hospitality training institute developed through a joint labor-management trust representing private sector hospitality employers, Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165. The academy offers vocational skills training, customer service education, employability basics, and English language instruction to several thousand students each year. Students gain essential practical experience through the academy's restaurant, Westside Bistro, and its catering division, Culinary Arts Catering.

"The Smith Center is offering an unparalleled cultural experience to both local residents and visitors," said Steven Horsford, CEO of the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. "We are excited to be partnering with them, and we will make sure that we offer a culinary masterpiece every time so that patrons walk away with an overall great experience."

Culinary Arts Catering will provide food and beverage services for The Smith Center performances and events, in addition to providing catering operations for outside special events, including conferences, business meetings, seminars, holiday parties and weddings. Heading the catering division at The Smith Center are Executive Chef Donovan Campbell, previously at the Sandals Grande Riviera Beaches Resort in Jamaica, and Catering Sales Executive Joey Galon, who has 20 years of catering and special event planning experience.

While The Smith Center is slated to be the cultural centerpiece of downtown Las Vegas, the campus has also been designed to suit the needs of private groups, both large and small. The Smith Center's many venues - Reynolds Hall, the Grand Lobby, the Mezzanine Lounge, conference rooms, Dee and Don Snyder Founder's Room, cabaret-jazz theater, studio theater and the courtyard at Boman Pavilion - are available for rental. Guests will be provided with flexible, full-service catering support by Culinary Arts Catering.

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