555 Restaurant Ownership Essentials: From Concept to Community Impact
Hobbies & How-to | Registration opens 8/4/26 9:00 AM EDT
This course explores the real-world dynamics of owning and operating a restaurant, blending the creative, emotional, and business-driven sides of the industry. Students will learn how menus are developed, how hospitality shapes guest experiences, and how restaurants adapt to changing customer expectations, cultural diversity, and evolving food trends. Through practical insights and case-based discussion, the course emphasizes leadership, financial discipline, team culture, and community connection as core elements of long-term success. By the end, students will understand not only how restaurants function day to day, but also how they build identity, resilience, and meaningful relationships within the communities they serve.
Alex Gass
Alex Gass was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where food was woven into every part of his life. His earliest memories are of helping his aunt, late mother, and grandmother cook for hundreds at church, and learning the art of smoking meats from his Uncle Jim. His journey in food has taken him from working on a grass-fed organic farm as a boy to creating some of the most refined plates in the region. As a traveling chef, he blended his love of food and music while catering for bands like Widespread Panic, Van Halen, and Elton John. Today, as an Executive Chef, he works closely with local farmers to reinvent the dishes that remind him of home. Food has become his way of honoring those he’s lost, expressing creativity, and connecting with people. With the support of his wife, Jessica, and their children, Trinity and Jasper, Alex has built a place where he can share that joy every day as the founding chef of Fire & Salt.