Brent Holten ’93 is an assistant professor of Hospitality and Service Management and café manager at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He joined CIA San Antonio in 2025, bringing more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, culinary instruction, restaurant operations, health and fitness, and consulting. His diverse expertise spans both front- and back-of-house management, baking and pastry arts, and curriculum development.
In his current role, Holten provides guidance and mentorship to students in a working restaurant environment, the student-run Savor Restaurant and CIA Bakery Café, where he emphasizes excellence in coffee service, wine and spirits knowledge, and exceptional customer service.
Before joining CIA, Holten ran his own consulting company in Chicago, IL, sharing his expertise with businesses in the food and hospitality industries. His consulting services included training start-up bakeries, refining food-service concepts, conducting cost and profitability analyses, and teaching advanced production techniques—all aimed at elevating brand identity and operational success.
From 2000 to 2004, he was general manager at Piece Pizza and Brewery, a high-volume, multimillion-dollar restaurant and brewery in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. There, he contributed to every facet of operations—designing menu items, overseeing staff and payroll, implementing inventory systems, and optimizing the restaurant’s physical spaces and business performance. He also owned a gym and spent many years as a fitness instructor, including creating a national yoga program for all Bally Total Fitness Clubs and training instructors across the U.S.
His earlier experience includes a three-year stint as pastry chef at the acclaimed Everest restaurant in Chicago, where he collaborated closely with Chef Jean Joho to create signature modern desserts inspired by Alsatian cuisine.
From 1996 to 1999, he taught at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (Le Cordon Bleu). While there, he developed the school’s baking and pastry curriculum and supervised students in extracurricular events, including competitions and nonprofit initiatives. His passion for teaching also extended to publishing culinary articles in national magazines and appearing regularly on television.
Holten holds an associate degree in Culinary Arts from CIA, where he was the recipient of the Katherine Angell Academic Achievement Award for having the highest GPA through the Contemporary Hospitality and Service Management class. He also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Holten is also a Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) and holds a ServSafe certificate.
Fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish, Holten enjoys connecting with people through language, food, and culture. Outside the classroom he is also a cycling coach and teaches indoor cycling in San Antonio.