Gallery: A Look Inside South Plains College Culinary Arts Program in Lubbock

For many Lubbockites, including myself, our first college experiences were at South Plains College. SPC has served many as a wonderful stepping stone into a four-year academic environment or has provided students with the practical skills they need to work an in-demand trade.

I knocked out many of my "basics" there, and in addition to easing the transition from high school to a huge university, it also saved me a ton of money. Many of my friends went to SPC for their various music programs, which are unique and acclaimed. 

While I have fond memories of the peaceful and usually quite sun-shiny drive out to Levelland to attend classes, SPC saw the demand and need for a Lubbock Center (3907 Ave. Q) to accommodate students looking to prepare themselves for various in-demand trades:

South Plains College Lubbock Center offers college-level career and technical education programs and courses that focus on business, office administration, computer technology, machinist trades, automotive technology, welding technology, and industrial manufacturing/emerging technologies.

Shortly after the opening of the Lubbock Center, SPC added its Culinary Arts Program in 2017. I recently spoke with Natalie Osuna, one of the program's founding chef- instructors. She wrote up this fabulous description of the program for me:

The South Plains College Culinary Arts program was created in 2017 by Chef Natalie Osuna and Chef Patrick Ramsey. The curriculum consists of Fundamental Skills Certificates, Advanced Skills Certificates, and an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts, AAS. All of which consist of hands on-skill development lab courses housed in the over 10,000 square feet-state of the art Culinary facility designed by Osuna and Ramsey. The Culinary program continues to grow with the addition of two Chef Instructors, Chef Sarah Reid and Chef Kevin Booker, and is enrolling new, eager to learn, students every Fall semester. The Culinary program had its first graduating class in May 2020, consisting of 30 graduates. The Chefs take great pride in sharing Culinary knowledge and skills to students in efforts to support the Lubbock community. The South Plains College Culinary Program also offers classes for the community to enjoy and learn new Culinary skill sets.

Does the culinary program sound right for you or someone you love? Registration for the Fall 2021 semester opens on April 12th, 2021

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For more information or to keep up with their enriching community classes, be sure to follow them on Facebook.  Check out the gallery below to see what recent students have achieved through their hard work and the guidance of their chef-instructors.