Springs Cafe may bump Puck for culinary school

The Las Vegas Valley Water District is in contract negotiations with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas , an internationally recognized labor-management partnership between the culinary and bartenders unions and Strip properties that trains about 3,000 students each year for the hospitality industry. It was formerly known as the Culinary Training Academy and is at 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd. in North Las Vegas.

The district’s board of directors is expected to take action on the contract at its scheduled 9 a.m. Sept. 6 meeting at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

The potential contract calls for 30 full-time employees and about 100 paid externs who will train at the cafe for up to six months. Any subsidies that existed in the previous arrangement are likely to be discontinued.

Scott Huntley, water district spokesman, stopped short of confirming that the contract was a done deal, citing the upcoming board meeting.

“Given the board has not voted to approve the new contract, to say it with absolute finality would be incorrect at this point,” Huntley said. ” … Since the board has approved the recommendation, we’ll probably get there.”

Upon the contract’s approval, the cafe inside the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., will undergo a transition “relatively quickly,” Huntley added.

The desire for change came after much public scrutiny over Puck’s contract, which was subsidized by the district at about $600,000 annually. Puck paid the district a percentage only if he surpassed $1 million in sales. He also is guaranteed a $75,000 annual management fee.

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak has vocalized his concerns over the public costs to keep the restaurant up and running.

Under the terms of his contract, Puck runs the cafe and catering operations but does not have to pay for equipment that included $28,000 for a pizza oven, $10,000 for an espresso machine and $6,000 for a smoothie machine. He also didn’t pay for pots and pans, even the ones that broke. It cost $3 million in taxpayer money to build the restaurant four years ago, and public dollars also pay cafe utilities.

Water agency employees receive a 15 percent discount on all meals, with the public picking up the difference, according to news reports.

Should the board accept the contract, individual menu items are likely to change, Huntley said. However, the cafe and catering services will have a “relatively familiar” feel , he added.

The culinary academy was founded in 1993, and its CEO is Steven Horsford, who also serves as a Democratic state senator representing North Las Vegas.

“The approach is to provide an exceptional culinary experience for the customers of Springs Preserve while offering employment opportunities to local residents,” Horsford said. “…There’s enough interest and enough opportunity to build a loyal customer base at both the cafe and catering operations to where it will be a sustainable model going forward.”

Contact Downtown and North Las Vegas View reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@viewnews.com or 383-0492.