Former Restaurant Owner Transforms Idaho School Kitchen

Sal Soto barely made it through high school, but now he's the reason students want to show up every day at Elevate Academy Nampa in Idaho.

The 44-year-old culinary teacher spent two decades running his family's TexMex restaurant before trading late nights in the kitchen for a classroom. His mother Imelda taught him to cook after immigrating from Mexico and working her way up at agricultural giant JR Simplot before taking a risk on her own business.

Soto learned the hard way that success comes with plenty of burned dishes and dropped pans. Now he's passing those lessons to students at one of Idaho's career technical education charter schools.

His teaching style evolved from his restaurant days. When students mess up, Soto leads the class in a "golf clap" to celebrate the mistake. He tells them constantly that failure is required for success.

The program gets serious in junior and senior year, when students spend 90 minutes daily in the commercial kitchen. They recently cooked for teachers as their final exam after studying French mother sauces, showing off skills instead of filling out tests.

Soto admits his first year teaching was rough. He had never taught before and didn't know where to start. He earned his teaching certificate at the College of Idaho while building curriculum and learning classroom management.

His cousin Esai Longoria, who works at another Elevate campus, suggested he apply after Soto sold the restaurant to spend more time with his young daughters. The 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. restaurant shifts were taking him away from family life.

Sunny's Take

Charter administrator Colton Sweesy says Soto has blown away expectations for career technical teachers. The tight-knit community he built brings together students from different backgrounds who take care of each other, their kitchen, and their teacher.

Soto even learns from his students. When they tackled sushi, he admitted he had no idea how to make it. The students figured it out together and, in Soto's words, "killed it."

The regular customers at his restaurant used to feel like family, especially the college athletes who came in constantly. Now Soto has a new family in his classroom, and students say he's the reason they're eager to learn.

From struggling student to successful business owner to beloved teacher, Soto proves it's never too late to find your calling.