Celebrity chefs Leah Chase, Emeril Lagasse and Dickie Brennan recently toured New Orleans’ new culinary school, getting a first look inside of the building, which is slated to open in 2019.

The Advocate newspaper published photos of the big-name restaurateurs exploring the New Orleans’ historic ArtWorks building, which is undergoing a transformation into the New Orleans’ Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) with the help of an allocation from Enhanced Capital, which was announced earlier this year.

In recent years, workforce development has fallen behind the rapid growth experienced in the hospitality industry, leaving restaurants and businesses short on trained staff. The new culinary and hospitality school will help to address this issue, providing valuable training that stimulates the local economy.

“It’s going to help solve our problems of unemployment, underemployment, lack of opportunity, because the opportunity is here,” Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association told The Advocate newspaper. “I really think in time this will be as transformational for New Orleans as developing the convention center was here.”

Tulane University’s business school will also rent space at the new building, offering business courses focused on the hospitality industry that synergize with the culinary school.

When not being used by students, the building will host workshops and classes on culinary topics available to the public, providing additional value to the local community.