Culinary Academy of Las Vegas

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas is a nonprofit trade school in North Las Vegas. Since 1993 it has run as a labor-management trust with Culinary Union Local 226, Bartenders Union Local 165 and more than 50 resort employers. Its main job is career training for cooks, servers and housekeepers, and it has trained more than 65,000 students so far.

Alongside the certificate programs, it keeps a calendar of short continuing education classes. Upcoming topics include Pasta-Making: Butternut Squash Anglotti, French Bistro Favorites: Sole Française, No Bake Cheesecake and Chocolate Uncovered: A Tasting Experience. The housekeeping side shows up too, in The Art of Five-Star Bed-Making. The campus has professional training kitchens with industry-standard equipment.

To try the students' food first, visit Westside Bistro, the student-run restaurant. It's open to the public Monday to Friday, 11 AM to 2 PM. The academy has a 4.5 Google rating from 164 reviews.