Apr. 4--After getting burned by the Internet bubble, Joe Campagna headed for the kitchen. 

The 28-year-old Chicago resident lost his job in June as marketing manager for a local software firm after just four months. He spent three weeks looking for another marketing job but there were few enticing prospects in the midst of a soft economy. 

So Campagna decided the time was right to make a career change: He enrolled at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago to become a professional chef. 

"I've always loved being in the kitchen," said Campagna, who expects to graduate in four months with an associate degree in culinary arts. 

The sour economy has been a boon to higher education, as laid-off workers return to school to add new skills. The nation's culinary and hospitality schools are no exception. 

Interest in career cooking schools is heightened because demand for high-end chefs has hardly waned, despite the shaky condition of the hospitality industry immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The restaurant industry shed more than 90,000 jobs in September and October, but six months later, openings have returned to more normal levels. 

Graduates of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston have an average of seven jobs to choose from, about the same number as last year, said Christian De Vos, dean of students. 

"That doesn't mean they are always good jobs, but we still have a lot of jobs that we cannot fill," he said. 

Even so, the restaurant industry is not recession-proof. In 2001, sales at restaurants and bars increased 2.9 percent, the slowest growth since the 1991 recession, according to preliminary figures from Technomic Inc., a Chicago food-consulting group. This year is shaping up to be even worse, with projected sales growth of 2 percent. 

Yet the prospects are bright enough to encourage prospective students. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute estimates that total applications for the year would increase 66 percent from last year. The school received 1,200 applicants in 2001. 

Competition for openings also is heating up at the Washburne Culinary Institute, a branch of Kennedy-King College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. The school has already received 400 inquiries for 30 slots in May, up from 150 information requests a year ago for the same enrollment period. Not all the inquiries will turn into applicants, but the increase is still telling, said Provost Bill Reynolds. 

"How much of that is due to the economy? How much of that is new publicity? I don't know," Reynolds said. "What I do know is that every time there is a downturn, there's an increase in enrollment." 

Count Maria Marquez among Washburne's new students whose decision was influenced by the economy. The 30-year-old flight attendant at United Airlines wasn't among the first laid off after the terrorists attacks rocked the aviation industry. "It was really stressful," said Marquez of Cicero. "I wasn't sure if I was going to have a job or not." 

But United was more than willing to accommodate her desire to take a leave of absence and attend Washburne's baking and pastry school. 

She'll graduate in June with her pastry certificate, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Although Marquez will return to United in August, she plans to seek a part-time job with a bakery that she hopes will be a springboard to opening her own catering business. 

Campagna aspires to be an executive chef at an upscale restaurant. He's well on his way after landing a part-time job at Trotter's To Go, a Lincoln Park store opened by influential Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, which sells prepared meals. 

But Campagna has no illusions of becoming the next Emeril Lagasse or Bobby Flay. The popularity of celebrity chefs like them, as well as aggressive marketing by culinary schools, has helped fuel enrollment. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute, a unit of Hoffman Estates-based Career Education Corp., recently produced an infomercial that included an appearance by Trotter. 

Even before the economy weakened, the school started planning a $4-million expansion of its facilities to boost enrollment from 950 today. The increase in applications this year has prompted the school to go ahead with construction this month on four new 2,000-square-foot kitchens. The classrooms are expected to be ready by September, allowing the school to admit at least 350 more students this fall, said President James Simpson. To help pay for expansion, as well as in response to higher demand, tuition for the two-year program will increase to $32,000 from $28,000. 

Even with the additional students, Simpson is confident there will be jobs waiting when they graduate. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute placed 93 percent of last year's graduates into jobs. 

The restaurant industry is expected to add about 2 million jobs by 2010, according to the National Restaurant Association. While many of those future positions will be minimum-wage jobs at fast-food restaurants, the career prospects are nonetheless encouraging to Campagna. 

"There's always jobs out there, even if you don't start at a high-end place," he said. "It's just a matter of getting experience." 

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