On Mexico’s northern border, right where Ciudad Juárez meets El Paso and Las Cruces, a space flourishes where cuisine is taught with passion, rigor, and an international vision: the Instituto Superior de Alta Cocina (ISAC).
Where borderland talent becomes gastronomic excellence.
Founded in 2008, ISAC is more than a school: it is a living community where students from both sides of the border find a cultural, academic, and creative meeting point. Here, local ingredients are blended with international techniques, and gastronomy ceases to be just a trade to become an art.
ISAC has positioned itself as a leading gastronomic university near El Paso and Las Cruces thanks to its practical and rigorous educational model. The classrooms are not only equipped with professional technology but are also led by chefs with real experience, who have cooked in renowned kitchens across Mexico and abroad.
An accessible alternative with a global vision
Studying gastronomy in Juárez not only represents an advantage in terms of proximity and cost for U.S. students, but also an opportunity to immerse themselves in a bilingual, bicultural, and vibrant environment. ISAC frequently welcomes students from Texas and New Mexico who seek high-level culinary training without having to cross the entire country or pay unaffordable tuition.
Moreover, the border environment gives students a unique perspective: here, cuisine is understood as a bridge between cultures, a way of telling stories, and a tool for opening doors both inside and outside Mexico.
Graduates who cook with identity
ISAC graduates are leaving their mark in restaurants of all kinds: from modern gastropubs to traditional Mexican kitchens in cities like Austin, El Paso, San Antonio, and Chihuahua. Some have opened their own businesses, others collaborate in high-level dinners, and all share a common origin: their time in ISAC’s kitchens.
Training at this gastronomic university near El Paso and Las Cruces is a commitment to authenticity, technique, and heart. It is learning to cook with your hands… but also with your mind and soul.
If you are looking for…
…demanding culinary training with a forward-looking vision, local roots, and the possibility of international growth, ISAC may be just what you are looking for.