Amid speculation that the city of Jacksonville is preparing incentives to attract the Culinary Institute of America to the Downtown riverfront as part of a proposed hotel, an alumnus of the New York-based private school said April 10 that the initiative is in motion.
Dennis Chan, who graduated from the CIA in 2000 after two years of study at its main campus, said institute President Michiel Bakker met with city leaders and local alumni over the past several months to explore opening a site in Jacksonville.
Chan said the institute was part of the hotel project, which is proposed by Jacksonville-based Corner Lot in partnership with Aspect Real Estate Group.
Chan, who calls himself a cheerleader for the institute and its plans to expand to Jacksonville, requested support from the city Tourist Development Council for the initiative and has continued to advocate for it after he and other CIA alumni met with Bakker in the fall of 2025…