Tim Flohr is like a prince in a kingdom that covers 32,000 square feet, including eight kitchens big enough to accommodate several dozen each, classrooms, a restaurant, library, computer lab, and as of Thursday, a Christmas tree so big, getting it out rises to his level of authority.

“When L’Ecole Culinaire closed, they didn’t have time to get things moved out,” Flohr says as he walks through kitchen after kitchen equipped with abandoned industrial-grade appliances and rows of stainless steel work tables.

The University of Memphis leased the space at 1245 N. Germantown Parkway. When fall semester starts in late August, it will offer a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts through its Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management.

The 120-credit program will include 29 credits in food preparation and management at the Cordova outpost, which will be called the Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute.

“We’ll be teaching leadership skills,” said Flohr, program manager. “We will be producing culinary and business leaders, not just cooks.”

U of M expands culinary arts, food service program with L’Ecole Culinaire lease

Every student will have an internship, including the possibility of one overseas through the university’s cultural immersion program.

The space now is in the midst of a major rebrand. Painters are rolling on gallons of Tiger Blue paint. Outdoor signage is ordered and five instructors, who, under the university’s accreditation standards, must have master’s degrees or years of requisite experience, are in the final stages of hiring.

When fully ramped up, the culinary program will include day and evening classes for university students, innovative cooking classes for the public (think date-night classes, for example), customized training for the bar and restaurant industry, ServSafe certifications and corporate meeting space.

Sometime this fall, the student-run restaurant will open, bringing back the budget gourmet fare L’Ecole made famous on Germantown Parkway.

“We hope we’ll be able to offer a one-year culinary certificate in the near future,” said Flohr, who also manages student internships for the school of hospitality.

“We are going to excel.”

U of M leaders knew the hospitality program needed a larger culinary focus than was possible in a kitchen it shared with the campus Holiday Inn.

“With their schedule and the events the hotel has, it was awfully hard,” said Radesh Palakurthi, dean of the school of hospitality. “We were forced to offer classes late in the afternoon."

For a while last fall, university leaders planned to expand the kitchen at the Fogelman Executive Conference Center to accommodate the need. Then, overnight, for-profit Vatterott College closed Dec. 17, vacating L’Ecole Culinaire.

L’Ecole Culinaire closes, part of national Vatterott shutdown

The day he came back from holiday break, Flohr got a call from Palakurthi.

“He said, ‘Let’s come up with a plan.’ ”

Six months later, the lease was approved and the university’s marketing plan has started to roll out.

The space is full of Vatterott’s equipment, now part of the university’s lease.

“This is a quantum leap,” Palakurthi said. “It really elevates our program to one of the best in the country. I don’t think there is a program in the nation that has such an extensive culinary facility.”

In his career, he has managed hospitality programs at Penn State, Purdue University, Drexel University, University of North Texas, San Jose State University and Oklahoma State. The largest, Drexel, had about a 12,000-square-foot facility for culinary arts.

Flohr worked for Palakurthi at Drexel, part of the 20-plus years he’s spent in food service and hospitality, including running the food service program at St. John’s University, then food and beverage at Ellis Island. He was in charge of food service for Fidelity Investment in New York, then, as he says, “I took a swing South” and worked for Cracker Barrel.

Palakurthi remembered Flohr’s diligence from the Drexel days.

“I know his work ethic; he’s just a stand-up,” he said.

“The whole industry is excited about the new Kemmons Wilson program, what the University of Memphis has done and the vision they have going forward.”
Ernie Mellor, Memphis Restaurant Association president

With its community connections, the university is now working to tailor Year 2 of the curriculum to industry needs.

“There’s a huge demand for good leadership for all types of business in our community, but particularly in the food world,” said Ernie Mellor, president of the Memphis Restaurant Association and owner of Hog Wild BBQ and A Moveable Feast Catering. “What the university is doing is several notches, steps and ladders up from what we had.

“If you come to me, looking for a job and you have people skills, leadership and culinary skills, plus you are willing to learn as well as teach and lead, you are desperately needed,” he said.

The goal is to attract 100 students this year to a facility Palakurthi says is large enough to accommodate 1,000, including evening and weekend users.

The university has a five-year renewable lease. It hopes revenue from the degree program, its public offerings, restaurant and a gift shop with kitchen knives will cover the lease.

“The whole industry is excited about the new Kemmons Wilson program, what the University of Memphis has done and the vision they have going forward,” Mellor said.

“We’re excited about the whole deal,” he said, noting that he looks forward to working with the culinary program as it gets going and hiring the graduates when they start knocking on his door.

For information about the program, email kwci@memphis.edu or contact Flohr, timothy.flohr@memphis.edu.