Culinary School

Hallie McGonigal, Registrar

Our Students Have The Best Experiences...

The educational training you will receive in our culinary certificate program will provide you with the knowledge and expertise to work in the many sectors of the culinary industry. Our culinary school equips students with the broad-based, hands-on experience needed to take advantage of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities in the culinary and hospitality markets. Because the Monterey Peninsula is a mecca for fine restaurants and world renowned chefs, students often say that working in this area is a dream job.

Hallie McGonigal Bio See Our California Culinary School Web Site
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Chef Mary Pagan Certified Executive Chef/C.E.O.

Chef Mary Pagan, Certified Executive Chef/C.E.O. of the Culinary Center of Monterey And California Culinary School is a graduate of The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco is the owner of the Culinary Center of Monterey, Culinary School and Mary's Restaurant.

Mary, with Sous Chef Hartnel Aquino, did six shows on CBS last fall, that aired in the southern states.

Mary has won numerous awards for her cooking skills including a Bronze medal in the Culinary Olympics.

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Chef Instructor, Justin Robarge

Chef Instructor Justin Robarge
A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute Justin has spent his 13 plus years in the food service and hospitality industry traveling through out the United States. Chef Justin’s style is universal, emphasizing on cuisine from around the world, utilizing local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

Justin’s Career started at the Pub Restaurant in his home town of Keene, New Hampshire as a short order cook. After attending his first six months of culinary school he completed the first of two internships at the Chanticleer on Nantucket, Massachusetts. After his six months of training under Chef Jean Charles Berruet, Justin returned to complete his training at the New England Culinary Institute. His second internship allowed him to help open The Cliffhouse at Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs, Colorado under the watch full eye of Chef Craig Hartman. Justin worked his way from culinary intern to Sous Chef within five hundred hours of his seven hundred hour internship. Soon there after he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef of the now four stars four diamond small luxury hotel. He then moved to Ithaca, New York to accept the position of Sous Chef for the Statler Hotel and The Hotel School of Administration for Cornell University. After two years at Cornell Justin felt the bug to move west. He accepted the position of Sous Chef at the Historic Deetjens in Big Sur, California. Not ready to move from Big Sur after two years at Deetjens, Justin took on the position of Executive Chef of the Big Sur Lodge. The highlight of his two years at the lodge was the creation of a culinary competition between all of the local chefs of Big Sur called The Chanterelle Cook off. Seeing an opportunity for further growth and education Justin took on the role of Chef Instructor at the Culinary Center of Monterey.

“This is the most rewarding and challenging position that I have healed in my career.”

“Being able to pass on what I have learned to the future of Culinary Arts and to further ones education is amazing” Says Justin

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Chef Instructor, Jeff Huff

Chef Instructor Jeff Huff

Chef Jeff Huff combines California Regional style and historic Americana with a distinct bent on elegant presentation.

A graduate of California Culinary Academy, Jeff has spent years as executive chef in premiere fine dining restaurants in the greater Bay Area heading up several corporate restaurants including the flag ship for SAGA Corporation in Menlo Park, where he developed a passion for simple dishes made extraordinary with the use of local, seasonal bounty.

His career path includes his appointments as executive chef to several elegant Bay Area golf and country clubs which include Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park as well as historic Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz where he ran both the Hollins House and MacKenzie restaurants.

Early in his career he accepted the call to oversee the culinary duties a Chef de Cuisine at the renowned Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga. From there to opening and operating his own restaurant in the historic Bayview Hotel in Aptos, the Veranda, he has routinely garnered acclaim for his menus with the Zagat Review, The Epicurean Rendezvous and the Mercury News, consistently winning four star reviews for both front and back of the house.

His continuing passion for the hospitality industry finds him in ever expanding endeavors which has recently included partnering with broad line food distributors in sales, procurement and consulting.

He currently shares his time operating his own business as a personal chef and is enjoying instructing the next generation of culinarians here at the Culinary Center of Monterey.

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Chef Eric Kim

Chef Eric Kim

The Culinary Center chef staff has created a program that will result in the Culinary Center becoming a resource to the industry for educated, professional and motivated employees who are disciplined, with good organizational skills and ready to work. Chef Eric Kim is one of those who motivates our students to their goals and helps them recognize their strengths.

We are very excited to have Chef Kim here at the center!