Chef Danielle Young has had a long career in the culinary arts and hospitality industry. Young is currently a college assistant professor in NMSU’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Managemen, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
Young joined NMSU in 2023 after spending a decade teaching culinary arts and hospitality management classes at high schools in Las Cruces and Albuquerque. As a public-school educator, she assisted her students in running a school catering and restaurant company, giving them hands-on work experience in a food-service setting.
At NMSU, Young teaches courses on introductory hospitality management, food production and service fundamentals, and hotel, restaurant and tourism marketing. Her students run the Westside Bistro, a full-service restaurant in Gerald Thomas Hall that offers a weekly lunch during the spring and fall. Her students develop a new menu each semester and prepare, cook and serve dishes to order, learning real-time restaurant operations.
This spring, the Westside Bistro will operate Wednesdays and Fridays, starting Feb. 25.
“What I love most about teaching is seeing the moment that a concept clicks for a student,” Young said. “What I enjoy most about my current job is sharing my passion for the hospitality industry.”
Young also teaches a course on meetings, conventions and special events, which plans and executes HRTM’s Chef Artist Dinner, a fundraising event.
In 2024, Young started a culinary competition at NMSU called 575 Food Fights. Participants face off in the Westside Bistro kitchen and work against the clock to plan, cook and plate two dishes before a live audience in under 60 minutes. But there’s a twist – they must find innovative ways to incorporate three secret ingredients into their creations.
The next season of 575 Food Fights will begin March 2.
Prior to teaching, Young worked every job in the restaurant industry. She is a proud two-time NMSU graduate, having earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management and a master’s degree in teaching, curriculum and instruction.
For more information about the Westside Bistro and 575 Food Fights, visit https://100west.nmsu.edu/index.html.
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