Undeterred by tough restaurant times, students are lining up for this college culinary program

LOS ANGELES - It has been a brutal stretch for L.A. restaurants. Since 2023, hundreds of notable spots have shuttered amid escalating costs for food and labor, and a weakening economy.

More recently, the local scene has also been roiled by the January wildfires, which torched several restaurants, caused some to temporarily close and displaced workers. Then, this summer, federal immigration enforcement raids led many undocumented workers to leave their posts over fear of detainment.

It's a dicey environment in which to launch a restaurant industry career. But Los Angeles Trade-Technical College's culinary program tells a different story - enrollment grew by 13% last academic year, and it is up nearly 30% since 2019. The program's growth comes as culinary schools have also been closing over the last decade: Le Cordon Bleu shut down its colleges across the country, including a Pasadena branch, in 2017; and a handful of other notable ones closed in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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