Helms College’s Culinary Arts Program has been recognized as eighth in the nation in the 2025 Niche.com rankings.
Kristina Dahl, director of Hospitality and Culinary Education, said that learning of this accomplishment was especially rewarding because she’s spent the last seven years working to rebuild the program and its curriculum.
“It blew me away because we have worked really hard…it just was very fulfilling,” she said.
Immersive learning
Helms College is a private, non-profit institute offering programs in culinary arts, health services, business and trades.
Its culinary students are offered hands-on experience by having the opportunity to cook and serve in a number of local establishments that are operated by Edgar’s Hospitality Group, an initiative of Helms College.
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These include Edgar’s Bakehouse, Edgar’s Grille, Anderson and Snelling Conference Centers, Edgar’s Above Broad, Pinnacle Club and for horticultural experience, Edgar’s Acres farm.
If you’ve eaten in one of these restaurants, chances are you’ve enjoyed some of the culinary work of Helms College students or interacted with them as hosts or servers.
“Our students are going into Edgar’s Grille and working in every station, working the host stand, working the expo line, working on the line in the sauté station, garde manger,” said Dahl.
Dahl said her students find themselves elbow-to-elbow with full time employees in these environments, allowing them to train in a fast-paced, real-world kitchen.
“The neatest thing is to see my students who have not worked in the industry…in that class they build that confidence,” she said.
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Continuing growth
Dahl said that the college’s culinary school expanded two years ago with the addition of a diploma program in baking and pastry.
She also noted that the school is hoping to receive online accreditation within the next few years.
