Chef Jose Garces Teams Up with Drexel to Offer Co-op Opportunities for Students

Students in Drexel University's Center for Hospitality and Sport Management now have the opportunity to co-op at Chef Jose Garces' Garces Group

If you want to eat at a great restaurant, you go to one owned by one of the nation’s leading chefs and restaurateurs, Chef Jose Garces. If you want to learn from one of the greats, you work at his company.

Students in Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management now have that opportunity, thanks to a new partnership between the Center and Garces Group, the leading Philadelphia-based hospitality company, which will provide students with cooperative education opportunities. Cooperative education, or co-op, is experience-based learning where students alternate periods of classroom study with periods of off-campus, professional-level employment in positions aligned with their academic interests.

“Working with Garces Group is a tremendous advantage for our students,” said Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, professor and founding director of the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. “As one of the city’s best and a nationally recognized hospitality company, Garces Group is giving students a true taste of what it means to work and thrive in this industry."

Students will be able to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities at Garces Group restaurants, which include Amada, Distrito and Tinto; Garces Foundation; and Luna Farm, Garces’s 40-acre farm in Bucks County, PA.  Drexel also will partner with the Garces Foundation to offer ESL courses for restaurant workers.

“Our people are the heart and soul of our restaurants. We’re proud to support and help students gain valuable hands-on learning through this partnership with Drexel,” said Garces. “The diversity of experiences available at Garces Group, from working in a fast-paced kitchen to harvesting fresh food at the farm, is a great introduction to the wide array of opportunities that graduates can take advantage of upon graduation.”

The Center for Hospitality and Sport Management offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in culinary arts, food science and hospitality management. Through a focus on experiential learning and co-op opportunities, the Center provides experiences in sport ticketing, restaurant management, arena management, food product development, recipe development, coaching, commercial kitchen design and layout, kitchen gardening and hotel front desk operations.

About Garces Group:
James Beard Award-winner and Iron Chef Jose Garces founded Garces Group, which operates over a dozen restaurants in Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Scottsdale, AZ; Palm Springs, CA and Atlantic City, NJ.  The Garces Group’s award-winning concepts range from authentic Andalusian tapas and modern Mexican street food to European bistro fare and artisanal American food and drink, including Amada, Distrito, Rosa Blanca, Garces Trading Company, JG Domestic, Tinto, Village Whiskey, Distrito Taco Truck, Yuboka, El Jefe, and in partnership with Sage Hospitality, Mercat a la Planxa as well as a full service event planning division, Garces Catering.  For more information about Chef Jose Garces or his restaurants, please visit www.garcesgroup.com and follow them on Twitter: @garcesgroup and @chefjosegarces.