Some exciting new plans are in the works for the Culinary Arts Institute at Mott Community College. According to a statement released by the college, MCC Culinary Arts Institute is being re-located to Downtown Flint enabling the college to expand the number of students it can serve in the program. The plans are to renovate the building at 100 W. Second Street, which will house two culinary arts teaching kitchens, two bakery and pastry arts teaching kitchens, a meat fabrication teaching laboratory, a garde mangér classroom, a fine dining space connected to a baked goods café and a large, dividable meeting space to teach all aspects of the food service industry to MCC students.
According to the statement, the additional space would allow the College to explore offering a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and would enable MCC to expand the Culinary Arts curriculum, expand the program’s student-operated restaurant service to include the baked goods café, and support community events in the downtown area. It will also co-locate the College’s Culinary Institute within the Flint Health and Wellness District, where institutional anchors are focused on healthcare, positive eating habits and physical fitness. These anchors include: Genesys Downtown Flint Health Center and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE); Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, School of Public Health; The University of Michigan-Flint, Flint Farmer’s Market, YMCA and YWCA.
A larger facility will enable MCC to increase the Culinary Arts program capacity to educate more students and bring new students to the area, creating secondary economic impact. Housing the MCC Culinary Institute in downtown Flint will contribute to the revitalization of the city’s center and open up new opportunities for collaboration and entrepreneurship. Nationally, the restaurant industry is projected to grow by 1.7 million jobs by 2025. Additionally, the goal is to have the development attain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver level of sustainability.
“Mott Community College is committed to the greater Flint community,” said MCC President, Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, in the statement. “We believe that relocating our Culinary Arts program to the heart of Downtown Flint will have a positive impact not only on our students, but on the local economy as well. The restoration of a dilapidated building into a state-of-the-art Culinary Institute will help create a vibrant destination for all of Flint and Genesee County.”
The 36,000 square-foot former Woolworth Building was originally built in 1920. While it is not located in a designated historic district, existing historic elements will be preserved and new elements will be period appropriate. The College is currently pursuing various funding options for the project, which would be developed by Uptown Reinvestment Corp.
MCC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Baking and Pastry Arts, Culinary Arts, and Food Services management. Students enrolled in the MCC Culinary Arts program receive intensive training in all phases of the restaurant business, giving them the expertise necessary to become a professional in any area of the foodservice industry.
Photos provided by Mott Community College
1 Comment
I would love to see the classic lunch counter from way back then return to the old Woolworth’s.