A $5 million donation being announced today will bring Kapi'olani Community College's $32 million culinary school a step closer to fruition.

School officials will officially release details about the gift from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation at the opening of the Hawai'i Tourism Conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center this morning.

Construction is scheduled to start next year on the 40,000-square-foot Culinary Institute of the Pacific at the old U.S. Army Fort Ruger Cannon Club site on the slopes of Diamond Head.

"The Hilton Foundation hopes that its grant will motivate others, particularly those from the hotel and restaurant sector, to contribute to Hawai'i's economic development by helping create an institution inspired by the state's unique cuisine and cultural heritage," Edmund J. Cain of the Hilton Foundation said in a news release yesterday.

Funding for the school has been a challenge. UH officials have been working to raise $14.5 million in private donations for the culinary institute, which has been in the works for at least seven years.

Gov. Linda Lingle released $3 million for the project in 2006, but rising construction costs have added $10 million to the price tag since then.

The culinary school will occupy 7.5 acres and is expected to open to students in 2011 or 2012. It will offer a bachelor's of applied science in culinary management degree.

Two laboratory buildings, a classroom building, an administrative and faculty office facility and an indoor culinary amphitheater are all being built under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for environmental sustainability.

The main building, which will house a 175-seat restaurant and cocktail lounge, will be open to the public for dining, lectures, cooking competitions and demonstrations.

"This gift will have a tremendous impact on our ability to build a world-class culinary program and facility here on the slopes of Diamond Head," John Morton, vice president of community colleges, said in the news release.