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BUSINESS
TheMesaTribune.com
THE MESA TRIBUNE | JULY 18, 2021
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Barber school owners make cut with restaurant BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
M
anuel Ramirez always dreamed about opening a restaurant. “Ever since I was very young, I liked cooking,” said Ramirez. “At the family gatherings, I was the one cooking. It’s something I always wanted to try out.” A business owner in Mesa for 16 years, Ramirez said had a barbershop and then he and his wife Blanca opened Mesa Barber School about seven years ago. Three years ago, he and Blanca opened a restaurant, Carne Asada, next door to the barber school near Dobson Road and Main Street. Ramirez said the counter-service restaurant serves up Sonoran-style Mexican food and offers a lot of variety. “The most common things we sell are burritos,” he said. “It’s pretty much buildyour-own with the proteins being more authentic than other places.” Proteins include carne asada, or steak; carnitas, or shredded pork; birria, or shredded beef; and grilled chicken. Toppings include three different types of onions - regular white, grilled and pickled; mozzarella and cojita cheese; tomato; cilantro; cucumber; avocado sauce; several kinds of salsa and sour cream.
Cheetos is even offered as a topping. “The Hot Cheeto burrito comes from California,” said Ramirez. “I saw it over there, put it together here and I liked it and we started to sell it. It’s very popular.” Eventually, Ramirez would like to build a franchise. But he admits, “Since I’m pretty new at this business I want to get a little more experience in training people.” Ramirez does all of the cooking right now, but is training a couple of chefs. “One of the things that makes us different from other restaurants is we have a charcoal grill,” added Ramirez. “Most restaurants just use a �lat grill. We use real charcoal to get that mesquite �lavor.” While all this is going on, Ramirez also is running the barber school, where students are required to complete 1,500 hours. “Once they �inish their program, they take an exam with the state board and they can become a professional, licensed barber,” explained Ramirez. “Right now, we have about 30 students. We are looking to open another spot by August in Mesa.” The school accepts both part-time and full-time students. Tuition is around $9,000. “Depending on the schedule of the students, we do an estimate of how long they’re going to be in school in order for
them to complete the hours they need. We give the payment, based on that, so they don’t have to pay it all up front.” Ramirez is working on a student loan program but currently doesn’t offer one. So, students must pay off their tuition before �inishing the curriculum. The school focuses on “shaving, like the straight razor shaves,” Ramirez said. “The haircuts are mainly the short haircuts like the fades and �lattops, any-
thing a guy would get in a barbershop. We teach everything to be correct from sanitation to the steps of the haircut and how they have to do it.” Haircuts by students are offered on a walk-in basis only for $25.
said in an announcement. It promises an associates degree “in a fast-paced, structured year-round program” in under two years, including �light labs using Robinson helicopters. Students also earn four certi�icates and ratings within their degree program, including private pilot, instrument rating, commercial and CFI. “We’re thrilled to expand our offerings at our campus at Falcon Field. With such a strong foundation in �ixed-wing �light training, we’re excited to now get into the rotorcraft world and help students pursue successful careers as professional helicopter pilots,” said CAU Matthew Johnston, President of CAU.
The program launches at a time when a shortage of �ixed-wing and helicopter pilots has been worrying the aviation industry. Boeing has estimated that by 2038, there will be a shortage of 61,000 helicopter pilots worldwide. Southern Utah University said that number may seem small compared to the projected shortage of 743,000 airplane pilots, but noted “the percentage is actually higher for the helicopter industry than for the airline industry. “This is because there are only about 15,000 current active helicopter pilots in the U.S.,” the university noted. “Nearly four times as many pilots will be needed by
2038 than there are working right now. “ The shortage is driven by four factors: Pilots are retiring; more industries and companies are using helicopters; more jobs are becoming available; and more current chopper pilots are moving to airplanes. Once CAU chopper students get their degree, they quality for tour and charter operators, emergency medical services, agriculture and a variety of other positions. CAU also said it has enough connections in the industry to help grads �ind jobs and it offers a variety of �inancial aid to help students complete any of its programs.
Manuel and Blanca Ramirez opened their restaurant, Carne Asada, right next to their barber school in Mesa. (Special to the Tribune)
Information: Carne Asada, 67 N. Dobson Road, 480- 969-5153, carneasadagrills.com; Mesa Barber School, 480464-3577, mesabarberschool.com. ■
Mesa �light school adds choppers to curriculum TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
A
n aeronautical school at Falcon Field in Mesa is adding a new �lying machine to its curriculum – chop-
pers. Citing the need for more helicopter pilots, California Aeronautical University is now offering a rotorcraft-helicopter emphasis within their aviation degree program at its Falcon Field campus. “As an alternative to CAU’s current �ixedwing emphasis in the Associate of Science in Aviation Studies program, the new rotorcraft emphasis will prepare students for a rewarding career in the aviation industry as professional pilots,” the school
Information: calaero.edu. ■
