Discover Our Students’ Experiences Through Their Own Words: Dunia Borga

“The most beautiful feeling of being a pastry chef is that you become part of the most important memories of your guests. El Centro gave me the foundation to make those memories magical and in doing so helped me reach my dreams. I couldn’t have asked for a better education.”

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Dunia came to the U.S. in 1974 and settled in California, where she met husband Espartaco “Taco” Borga at his Beverly Hills nightclub. They moved to Dallas in 1989, and Duni honed her culinary skills at ZuZu Handmade Mexican Food, created and co-founded by Espartaco. After a stint in New York, where she developed her passion for pastry-making, the couple returned to Dallas in 1997, and Duni began pastry studies at El Centro’s Food and Hospitality Institute.

In 2001, she and her husband co-founded La Duni Latin Café to great critical acclaim. By January 2002, La Duni had been named one of the top 20 new restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine and one of the top five by The Dallas Morning News. In 2003, La Duni was recognized as one of the best restaurants in America by the Zagat Guide and Gourmet Magazine, as well as one of the 50 best Hispanic restaurants in the nation by Hispanic Magazine. Duni’s talents and her award-winning pastries draw a loyal clientele — including her former El Centro culinary instructors — to her restaurants.

“Family is not just blood,” she says. “Family is the people you share a meal with.”

La Duni Latin Café is located at 4620 McKinney Ave., 214-530-7300, and also offers online ordering with pickup at the restaurant through its Baking Studio; La Duni Latin Kitchen & Coffee Studio at NorthPark is located on the north side of the mall under the movie theater, 214-987-2260

A student with a red jacket poses for a photo in a downtown setting

Stephanie Gutierrez

Culinary Student

“At El Centro’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute, I’m learning how to plan a menu and use time management in the kitchen. Now with SkillsUSA, it’s teaching me to get where I want to go.”

Culinary and Pastry Arts

Albert Pantoja III

Senior Accountant American Home Mortgage Servicing

“My experience was really good; I learned a lot about different types of loans, underwriting and loan origination. The program gave us a broad overview from the get-go. I didn’t have any previous experience in mortgage banking at all, so it really helped me to prepare for changing jobs into the industry.”

Banking and Finance

Tammy White

Project Manager Verizon Telecom

“The most important thing I learned in my education was a sense of accomplishment and purpose, and that nothing is impossible as long as I am willing to expend the effort to reach my goals. I have been promoted a number of times in recent years, into positions of more and more responsibility as a direct result of my education.”

Business, Business and Management