"Campbell will probably have the finest culinary training center in the country," said Richard Battista, the president of the school.

The institute will offer a level of instruction on par with some of the best culinary schools in the nation, he said. At almost 20,000 square feet, the facility will be a large, state-of-the-art culinary academy with top-of-the-line equipment. Plans call for eight kitchens, two demonstration kitchens and two pastry shops.

"This is a major, major commitment," he said. "It will not be a 'hobby school.'"

Battista said they chose to set up operations in Campbell because the city was close enough to "one of the greatest culinary cities in the world [San Francisco]" and yet was far enough from other already established major culinary education centers.

But that doesn't mean they're afraid to compete, he said.

"What we're doing will be on the same level as the Culinary Institute of America," he said. "And that's a world-class school."

Most of the staff, which he said is already in place, will be "exceptional." Members include Chef Mial Parker, who is a three-time medalist in the International Culinary Olympics.

"And he's going for a fourth next month in October," Battista said.

The International Culinary Olympics has been held in Germany every four years for the past 104 years. Thousands of the world's top chefs and confectioners compete in the event, officially called the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, which began as a local cooking contest in 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany. It's now held in the German city of Erfurt.

The staff will be working in classes that will come in shifts and offer flexibility, Battista said. Students will have the option of picking morning, afternoon or evening classes. And they can come five, four or three days a week.

The students will also be able to earn a professional culinary arts diploma or a professional bakery and pastry diploma.

Unlike the big-name culinary schools like the California Culinary Academy and the Culinary Institute of America, the Professional Culinary Institute will offer only diploma programs, not degrees.

"With degree programs, we would have to offer general education classes like English and math," he said. "Most people who want to pursue being a chef as a career aren't interested in those kinds of courses. They're visual learners interested in hands-on learning and experimenting. That's what we'll offer."

Students who enroll will see a difference not only in their workload, but also in their tuition.

Tuition for a degree program costs approximately $45,000 for two years, he said. The diploma program will cost about half that and will take seven to 12 months to complete.

Initially, Battista expects to have about 40 to 60 students when the school opens in April 2005. But he said that number should to grow to about 400 soon after.

Tim Haley, Campbell planner in charge of the project, however, said the project calls for class sizes of 16 students, with seven classrooms.

"It's an exciting use for Campbell," Haley said. "There aren't many culinary institutes around."

Campbell Planning Commissioner Tom Francois, an avid cook who has his own local cooking program, agrees.

"I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "Who knows? I may even think of enrolling."

Francois and the other Campbell planning commissioners are set to vote on the project at a Sept. 14 meeting. If recommended for approved by the planning commission, it will then go before the Campbell City Council for approval.