Chef Lance Nitahara is associate professor of Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where he has been teaching Culinary Fundamentals and à la carte service since 2015. With a strong focus on the science behind food, he introduces students to essential cooking theories and techniques—from tasting and palate development to knife skills, sauces, stocks, and soups—while also training them to execute dishes to order with precision, speed, and artistry.
His love for the kitchen began in his childhood home in Hawaii, where his mother would invite him to taste and critique her cooking. Years later, after marrying and preparing nightly meals with his wife, he realized his passion for the culinary arts. A surprise birthday cooking class sealed the deal, and shortly thereafter, he enrolled at CIA.
As a student, he completed his externship at the prestigious Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV, then embarked on a dynamic culinary journey in a range of roles across the country. His experience includes serving culinary artist in residence/executive chef for the Chelsea Music Festival in New York City; sous chef at El Capitan Lodge on Prince of Wales Island, AK; garde manger and baker’s assistant at Latitude 22 in Manoa, HI, executive chef/co-owner of The Good Life Catering in Honolulu, HI; and executive chef at Camp-of-the-Woods, a Christian resort and conference center in central New York State, a transformative three-year chapter that helped shape his spiritual life. He co-authored a cookbook entitled Divine Dining: Foods From the Bible.
In addition to his associate and bachelor’s degrees from CIA, Nitahara also holds an associate degree from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific (CIP) in Honolulu, where he now teaches five-day workforce development classes. He is certified as a ProChef® Level III (PCIII) and Certified Executive Chef (CEC) through CIA and the American Culinary Federation (ACF), and he also holds credentials as a Certified Pastry Culinarian (CPC) and Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE).
A fierce competitor even as a student, Nitahara earned the CIA’s High Impact Leader Scholarship and was part of the student-faculty team that won the Marc Sarrazin Trophy for Best Seafood Display at the 2007 New York Salon. He also served as apprentice/commis for the 2007 Certified Master Chef exam. At CIP, he won the Outstanding Culinary Arts Student Award and numerous medals in student cooking competitions.
His cooking has earned numerous awards, most recently, second place at the 2025 U.S. Culinary Open and being runner-up ACF Chef Educator of the Year in 2024. He also scored victories on both Food Network’s Iron Chef America and Chopped. He coaches most of CIA’s culinary competitions, including its SkillsUSA National and World championships, and co-leads the student Culinary Christian Fellowship Club.