Global culinary school moving to Schaumburg

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, which offers degree programs and online education in the culinary arts and pastry fields, is moving its headquarters to Schaumburg this fall.

JLL said it inked a 21,000 square-foot lease for Auguste's owner, Triumph Higher Education Group, at 150 N. Martingale Road in Schaumburg. The October move will bring 100 jobs to the area. The company plans to hire roughly 100 more workers over the next few years.

"This is a very exciting time for us, as we are taking our world-class culinary education programs to the next level and enhancing our online offerings both domestically and internationally," said Jack Larson, executive chairman of the board for Triumph Higher Education Group. "We're experiencing growth like we never have before, and so it was crucial that we find a new headquarters to accommodate the future needs of the company."

At 150 N. Martingale, Triumph will be backfilling some of the office space formerly occupied by The Nielsen Company, a company that moved its operations to downtown Chicago last year. Triumph's new space will serve as both the company's corporate office as well as an administrative center for some of the distant learning operations for the Boulder Escoffier campus.

Andy Strand, JLL executive vice president, Senior Vice President Mark Kolar and Associate Adam Pines, negotiated the lease on behalf of Triumph Higher Education.

"Through our partnership with Triumph Higher Education, we recognized the future growth potential and the needs that came with it," Kolar said. "We are excited to see them move their operations into a highly desirable class A office building that offers a premier location in the Northwest suburbs and excellent amenities for both their current and future employees."

Triumph's move and commitment to Schaumburg is yet another indicator that the real estate market in the suburbs, particularly in the Northwest suburbs, remains active.

"There's a reason landlords are repositioning their assets, and it's not just a response to backfill vacancies left behind by companies relocating downtown but rather the convenient lifestyle employers seek for their employees," said Lauren Tilmont, JLL research analyst. "Given the reinvestment in the Schaumburg area paired with the removal of some of these mega-corporate campuses from its inventory, we will have renewed energy in a viable submarket."