The Lymbar and HCC Give Culinary Students Houston Restaurant Weeks Experience

This past August, Houston Restaurant Weeks at The Lymbar was about more than just a special menu. We partnered with our Midtown neighbors at the recently renamed Houston City College to forge the next generation of culinary stars by inviting them directly into our kitchen.

The idea sparked not in a kitchen, but poolside in Puerto Vallarta. Our chef and owner, David Cordúa, was on a family vacation when he was introduced to Chef Carlos Gamboa-Muller, a respected chef and culinary arts instructor at HCC.

"It started with a simple conversation," Chef Cordúa recalls. "Carlos and I have been in this industry for a long time, and when he told me about his work educating students at HCC, a lightbulb went off. We're right down the street from each other. The Lymbar, with its unique platform and discerning clientele, was the perfect place to launch new talent. I knew we had to make it happen."

For HCC Chef-Instructor Carlos Gamboa-Muller, the goal was to provide his students with "real-world experiences beyond the classroom." And our own Chef David Cordúa knew exactly how to deliver that lesson.

While this collaboration could have happened at any time, we agreed that a trial by fire would provide the most profound lesson. We decided to host the students during the busiest, most demanding time of the year: Houston Restaurant Weeks. We call it the "Super Bowl" of the Houston food scene, and we were thrilled to have more hands on deck to prep, cook, and serve our patrons.

"There's no better teacher than the high impact, high stakes, high adrenaline, and energy of a professional kitchen," David says. "There's just no replacement for it. The plates know when you're scared."

"Hearing that the guests loved the food we made was such a rewarding feeling and confirmed that I'm on the right path." 

At the conclusion of their night in the Lymbar's kitchen, the students celebrated and congratulated each other after surviving an eye-opening experience. After moving to Houston from Nevada last year, Afrin Mirzabaig chose to attend HCC to pursue a career in culinary arts.

Upon hearing that she and her classmates would be working at a real restaurant during Houston Restaurant Weeks, she was both excited and nervous.

"This was one of the best experiences of my life," Mirzabaig said. "Hearing that the guests loved the food we made was such a rewarding feeling and confirmed that I'm on the right path. It made me even more determined to follow my dream of opening my own restaurant one day."

One of the most memorable moments was a surprise visit from Chef Michael Cordúa, father of David and a pioneer of Latin American cuisine in Houston, to HCC's Culinary Arts lab to pass on his expertise.

"Seeing him share his knowledge and passion with our students was extraordinary," Gamboa said. "It reinforced the importance of mentorship and legacy in the culinary world."

Read Houston City College's Article