The big picture: Shared kitchens like Wingman Kitchens are becoming launchpads for San Antonio pop-ups and caterers.

• "I think this is going to be the future, because things are going to keep getting more expensive," Max Kunik, co-owner of Wingman Kitchens, tells Axios.

Chef Ricardo Bravo, chairman of the Texas Chefs Association board, tells Axios that many restaurants gaining attention started as food trucks or pop-ups because the model lets chefs build a following without full restaurant costs.

• "This is how chefs are doing it now," Bravo says. "Food trucks and pop-ups make it easier to get your name out there."

Zoom in: Jonathan Lamb, founder of dumpling pop-up Good Fold, tells Axios that starting with Wingman Kitchens let him test the business without "sinking $300,000-plus into a food venture just to prove the concept."

Zoom out: Ricky Ortiz, owner of El Camino Food Truck Park & Bar, tells Axios he expanded during the pandemic — eventually opening Perfect Tender Hot Chicken — by focusing on food trucks and other lower-overhead businesses while many traditional restaurants struggled with operating costs.

• "The bigger issue is mentorship, financial literacy, access to resources, and lack of support in lower-income communities," Ortiz says.

Between the lines: St. Philip's College is teaching students restaurant finance alongside cooking skills as it tries to widen access to the industry.

• A two-year culinary degree at St. Philip's — including books and equipment — costs about $15,000 total, according to the school, offering students a lower-cost path into the industry. Tuition at San Antonio's Culinary Institute of America's Texas campus exceeds $42,000 annually.

The bottom line: David Uminski, director of St. Philip's hospitality program, says understanding restaurant finances has become as important for aspiring chefs as learning how to cook.