Culinary Nutrition Center receives state of the art upgrade
Jeffery Fisher, nutrition and dietetics faculty member, poses for a portrait under the new range lighting in the culinary center Friday, Sept. 25.
One year ago, the Culinary Nutrition Center had pink countertops, a couple of ovens and a ventilation system that spread the smell of cooking food across the building.
The Culinary Center, previously called the Foods Lab, used by the Nutrition and Dietetics program on Sept. 19, 2019 in Wightman Hall.
Now, the Allen Foundation Inc. Culinary Nutrition Center's upgraded space boasts new stainless steel countertops and appliances, commercial-grade ventilation systems and the new Culinary Technology Area.
In addition to the new Culinary Technology Area, there are now cameras set over the teacher station and monitors around the room that show what the instructor is doing in real-time. Jeffrey Fisher, certified executive chef and nutrition and dietetics faculty member, said the old viewing system was just a mirror.
Specific upgrades to the center include custom stainless steel workspaces, stainless steel ovens, stainless steel refrigerators, four dedicated hand washing sinks, an industrial dishwasher, a commercial-grade sanitizing sink, a blast chiller, a combination oven, an accelerated oven, and new storage for student belongings. Stainless steel pots and pans were also purchased as a part of the upgrade to the Nutrition Center.
The upgrade to the Culinary Nutrition Center, which was approved by the Board of Trustees during the Fall 2019 semester, is 95 percent completed and is currently housing the "Introduction to Foods" course.
“We’re just finishing up on what’s called the punch list,” Fisher said. “Where, after construction is complete, we go back in and make some minor adjustments and some repairs.”
Fisher said the final details will be completed by the end of the semester.
“Most of the things being done, (students) won’t even know they’re being done.”
Due to COVID-19, only one class is being taught in the lab this semester. Fisher also said that they have reduced the number of students that can be in the lab at a time to meet social distancing requirements.
Fisher began this project to get the center up to modern standards four years ago.
“We started with nothing, just an idea and a dream,” he said. “We just started telling everyone our story and surprisingly enough, people started donating.”
Some shiny stainless steel pans sit awaiting use in the new culinary center Friday, Sept. 25.
Fisher said that over 75 percent of the cost of the $1.15 million budget was raised via fundraising. A substantial amount of the money donated came from the Allen Foundation Inc. for whom the upgraded center is named.
Some of the other major donors to the project were the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, the Michigan Dairy Farm Families andEunice A. Sutherland Burgess, a CMU alumnus from the class of ’49.
Approximately 25 percent of the budget came from the university.
With the renovated space, Fisher said that he hopes to hold courses in the evenings on nutrition and healthy cooking that would be available for students and members of the community to attend.
