LCI Alumni Spotlight: Stephen Molony

Sometimes a change in direction is needed. Instead of simply following the path that you’ve been on, the time arrives to begin following your passion. This is exactly what happened to Stephen Molony, Louisiana Culinary Institute alumnus and General Manager at Bistro Byronz in Zachary, LA. After a nearly 20 year career in sales and marketing, Molony was professionally unhappy and decided the time had come for him to pursue his passion for cooking.

When it was time to choose a culinary school, Molony was opting between LCI and John Folse’s culinary program at Nicholl’s StateUniversity. After weighing the pros and cons, the best decision became clear. Attending Louisiana Culinary Institute would offer a more conducive location, keeping him close to his family; it also features a shorter curriculum. In 16 short months he would have his degree as opposed to 2 ½ years at NSU.

According to Molony, the best part of attending LCI was the wonderful instructors. The scope of the lessons went far beyond what he expected. “Most people assume that you’re going to learn how to cook. But you learn just as much as to run a restaurant and a business.” As for a few words of wisdom to any current and prospective students, “Make sure this is your passion because it’s time consuming and will wear you out. Go to class, do your homework, and participate in class.”

In 2018 Molony graduated from LCI with a degree in Advanced Culinary Arts. However, this destination was different than his original plan when he enrolled. Being older, Molony noticed that he’d be competing with the younger students in the program only to spend the next few years as a line cook; this observation along with his prior restaurant management experience is what influenced him to pursue a path toward management after graduation.This turned out to be a great decision as he is now opening and running Bistro Byronz’s newest location in Zachary, with the goal to one day open his very own restaurant.