BIG Business … Del Mar College creates separate Culinary and Hospitality Department, expanding offerings to meet one of regional industry’s top needs … workers

Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr. 

It’s BIG business in the Coastal Bend. And, ensuring that visitors make the kind of memories that brings them back again and again is serious business for the region’s economy. No one knows that better than the professionals who work in hospitality management.

From hotels and resorts to theme parks and attractions, hosting meetings and conventions, or even serving as an event planner or working in the cruise industry, a degree in hospitality management is a doorway to a new world where the emphasis is on ensuring that guests make the most of their experiences.

In recent decades, Corpus Christi has ramped up its reputation as a coastal must-visit destination for fellow Texans in landlocked locales looking to get away for a bit as well as road-tripping visitors who hail from neighboring states. 

The future – recent national events notwithstanding – continues to look bright.

In the Coastal Bend, the Texas Workforce Commission projects an employment increase of 8.5% for chefs and head cooks, nearly 8% for food service managers and 13.6% for lodging managers from 2022 to 2032. Salaries are competitive as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in Texas the median annual salary (MAS) for a chef or head cook s is $56,520 while the MAS for a food service manager is $61,310 and $62,000 for a hotel manager in the Lone Star State. According to Visit Corpus Christi, Tourism is the second-largest industry sector in the city and employs more than 24,000 people.

To meet the need for service-minded talent ready to make the most of their skills, Del Mar College (DMC) separated its programs targeting the industry’s needs from another academic department and created the Culinary and Hospitality Department in late March and named Professor of Hospitality Management Lisa Pollakis to serve as Interim Chair.

The department replaces the Restaurant Management program, which was launched some six decades ago and was most recently with the Business and Entrepreneurship Department, which housed the Culinary Arts, Baking/Pastry and Hospitality Management (now Hospitality and Tourism Management) programs.

Starting in Fall 2025, the department will offer two new Occupational Skills Awards (OSAs) in Cook/Baker and Hospitality and Tourism.  To earn an OSA, students must take four classes (12 credit hours). They can also take these through Continuing Education as a Workforce Skills Award.

Additionally, the Hospitality Management Associate of Applied Science degree and Level II Certificates have been updated to Hospitality and Tourism Management with two new classes in Convention and Meeting Management and Dining Room Service.

Pollakis says this reflects an emphasis on the versatility of the degree where students learn fundamental management skills and knowledge including:

• Guest relations and creating positive experiences that can be applied to any industry,
• Knowledge of restaurant and hotel operations, terms and key industry performance indicators that include food, labor and other operating expense percentages, revenue management, etc.
• ServSafe Manager certification,
• Workplace and fire safety basics,
• Basic understanding of contracts and legal issues in employment and operations, and
• Hospitality marketing and sales knowledge.  

Pollakis points out that 85.4% of students who completed the Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management programs at Del Mar College between 2017 and 2020 were employed or pursuing additional education within one year of graduation. Additionally, 57.1% of former students enrolled in 2021-2022 (post-pandemic) were employed or enrolled within one year of graduating.

“Del Mar College’s Hospitality Management Program combines tradition with modern innovation, offering students a pathway into a vibrant industry with vast potential. Whether you’re looking to work in hotels, manage events or enter the tourism industry, a hospitality management degree can be your key to a dynamic and fulfilling career,” Pollakis said.

Early Advising and Registration for both the Summer and Fall 2025 Semester credit courses are currently underway. Visit www.delmar.edu/registration.