Groundbreaking for construction of the $25 million first phase of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head on Tuesday marked the beginning of a new era in culinary education in Hawaii.

The culinary institute will offer advanced professional certification in culinary management, feeding into a Bachelor of Applied Science degree at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu.

According to a UH news release, the first phase includes two single-story laboratory buildings, an outdoor cooking area, landscaping and the first of two parking lots. The project will ultimately include an administration building, an auditorium, classrooms, advanced patisserie and confiserie laboratories, and a teaching restaurant.

The facility, for the UH community colleges system and Kapiolani Community College, will be on the former site of the Cannon Club.

“The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head will be the epicenter for culinary innovation and education in Hawaii,” UH President David Lassner said Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony, according to the news release.

“It has taken many hands to reach this point of groundbreaking for the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head,” said John Morton, vice president for community colleges. “When finished, the new site facilities will make it possible for chefs to continue their culinary and management education here at home and also help to make Hawaii a destination for other culinary students from the mainland and Asia.”