International Air and Hospitality Academy celebrates, renames its cooking school

The newly christened Northwest Culinary Institute debuted Tuesday at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve’s Red Cross building, where about 100 lunch guests dined on chicken cacciatore and a choice of desserts.

But the most entertaining treat on the menu was the chance to watch two Clark County leaders learn the art of pizza-dough tossing.

The humorous tutorial featured Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard and Clark County Commissioner Betty Sue Morris tossing dough in the air as pupils of J.D. Thomas, the school’s culinary education manager.

The demo was staged to prove a point, said Arch Miller, founder of the International Air and Hospitality Academy, the Vancouver-based parent of the three-year-old cooking school and its apprenticeship program.

“After three years we have proven the hypothesis that one of the most efficient methods of teaching is for students to work alongside chefs,” Miller said.

Going on its fourth year of operation, the cooking school was renamed Northwest Culinary Institute to give it an identity apart from the academy’s airline and hospitality programs, said Miller, who founded the vocational school in 1979 and sold the business to his daughters, Lynn Rullman and Suzy Taylor, in 1999.

Northwest Culinary Institute holds its classes at the reserve’s historic Mess Hall and Red Cross buildings and offers internships at the Restaurant at the Reserve at the Grant House, 1101 Officers Row.

The International Air and Hospitality Academy also offers a five-month program for airline-industry jobs and a 12-month hospitality program for jobs in the hotel industry.