NWACC names area chef as instructor for its Brightwater culinary program
by October 21, 2016 11:27 am 487 views
NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville has named restaurateur and educator Vince Pianalto as a chef instructor for its culinary program, Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, the school announced on Friday (Oct. 21).
Pianalto starting teaching classes at the beginning of the fall semester, prompting him to gift his ownership stake in Bouchée Bistro in downtown Fayetteville to the other chefs/co-owners, two of his former students at Springdale High School, where he was culinary instructor from 2009 to 2016.
NWACC culinary classes are now held at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary’s in Rogers, but Pianalto and the other instructors will be transitioning to the new Brightwater campus in downtown Bentonville’s market district in December.
A Springdale native, Pianalto is pleased to be a part of Brightwater.
“I’m super excited to be on the starting team,” Pianalto said. “I started my teaching career at NWACC about 10 years ago. For me, being back and being able to get on the ground floor of the new culinary school was pretty much a goal of mine for a long time.”
Pianalto has more than 30 years of experience in the culinary industry. His career includes opening an Italian restaurant in Tontitown and a bakery in Fayetteville, in addition to working for Williams-Sonoma.
Pianalto received instruction at Cordon Bleu, Chicago, and trained in baking and chocolate in Seattle with the leading chef for the U.S. Baking team, according to an NWACC press release.
Pianalto specializes in pastry and baking instruction, according to the press release.
Brightwater will employ six chef instructors, said Steven Hinds, executive director of public relations and marketing for NWACC.