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Owens Toledo-Area Campus Dedicates New Culinary Arts Center
Special to The Truth
Culinary arts students at Owens Community College recently
began classes in the newly constructed Culinary Arts Center
on the Toledo-area campus. The Center was formally dedicated
with a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, April 29.
The facility spans 14,000-square-feet – an increase over the
3,700-square-foot kitchen lab where classes were taught in
the past. The new facility includes three unique culinary
labs: a baking lab, a culinary skills lab, and a restaurant
skills lab. The Center also includes a classroom and a
75-person capacity dining area with a demonstration station
overlooking a tree-lined patio. The Center’s large dining
area will host lunches and special events, giving students
real-world experience creating menus, preparing and plating
food and serving.
“This new facility creates many new and exciting
opportunities for our students that were not available in
our old space,” said Joann Gruner, chairman, Food, Nutrition
and Hospitality. “Having a larger space will also allow us
to eliminate student wait lists and better meet the needs of
the community by providing non-credit courses and industry
training in culinary arts.”
State-appropriated capital renovation and equipment funds
were used to finance the $3.1 million construction project,
completed by Holland, Ohio based Midwest Contracting. Owens
received major grants from The Honor Project Trust in the
amount of $50,056 for audiovisual and information technology
systems and from The Andersons Inc. Charitable Foundation in
the amount of $25,000 for equipment. Libbey Glass also made
an in kind donation of tableware and service ware.
The dedication ceremony featured remarks by Mike Bower,
Ph.D., president of Owens, as well as comments by area
elected officials and a representative from the
architectural and construction team.
The Culinary Arts Center is home to five academic programs
and certificates: the Associate of Applied Science degree in
Culinary Arts, the Associate of Applied Science degree in
Dietetic Technology, Associate of Applied Business degree in
Hospitality Management, a Culinary Arts certificate and a
Baking and Pastry certificate. The American Culinary
Federation Education Foundation recently recommended Owens
Culinary program and certificates for full accreditation
status.
For additional information on the Culinary Arts program,
call (567) 661-7214 or 1-800-GO-OWENS, Ext. 7214.
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