Chef Lanna Talley instructs on the perfect way to prepare an omelette. She shows off her best “salt man” impression to the delight of her students.
A group of students huddle up for a mirror portrait, one student remarking “It’s like we’re gazing up at our future lives as chefs” (left to right are Josh Tucker, Kate Johnson, Ashley Carella, Amy Rector and Alexis Evans)
Culinary Director Greg J. Eisele poses for a portrait in the lobby of the UT Conference Center, where the program’s kitchens and classrooms are located. A bandage on his right cheek from a grease burn bears witness to his passion for the culinary arts.
Brandon Wilson, owner of the Gonzo Gourmet food truck, is a graduate of the UT Culinary Institute and a shining example of the success that many other graduates have gone on to attain. Wilson also has begun producing and jarring his own spices and vegetables on a small farm located in north Georgia. “By the way, the name Gonzo Gourmet is a reference to the late, great journalist Hunter S. Thompson and is not affiliated whatsoever with a blue puppet” says Wilson, a former journalist himself.
