Center for Culinary Arts opens for SCS

By Elizabeth Hyman

Collegian Staff

For most students at the University of Richmond, cooking is not a priority in life, especially with the Heilman Dining Center and Tyler's Grill right there to fulfill any food-related wants and needs.

But for those who are interested in expanding their epicurean knowledge and skills, the new Center for Culinary Arts for the School of Continuing Studies' Culinary Arts Program is the perfect place. The non-credit program offers a variety of classes.

The new facility, which has been open for just under a month and is located off-campus near the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center, is already being used.

Glenn Pruden, the executive chef of the dining hall and an instructor for the program, said the kitchens in the new facility were much better than those in the program's previous locations. Because of the increased space and new equipment, he said he and the other instructors could offer a wider range of classes.

"[In] the other kitchens, we didn't have a fryer, now we do," he said. "We didn't have griddles, now we do. We didn't have a charbroiler, now we do. It actually opens up the possibilities of what we teach."

Another aspect of the facility that Program Coordinator Stephanie Bowlin said has increased the program's flexibility is that most equipment in the kitchens is on wheels. The wheeled equipment lets the same kitchen that held a 16-person cooking class be rearranged for a larger demonstration-style class, she said.

The Gayton Crossing Shopping Center location in the West End was chosen for its large size and convenient location, said Martin Gravely, a chef and the facility coordinator.

"We have faculty and staff that take classes as well as their spouses and dependents," she said. "But we have a lot of members of the Richmond community that come. [Classes] are open to the general public so anyone can come and take them."

The Culinary Arts Program, which includes CAP Certificate, an intense certification program, began six years ago, said Pruden, who helped develop it along with Gravely. Prior to the opening of the 2,150 square-foot facility, CAP administrators rented spaces such as local demonstration kitchens, Pruden said.

By owning a larger facility, Bowlin said, there is more space for the students and organizers have more control over the program.

"We're not leasing space like we were before so it gives us more flexibility with scheduling the classes and being able to offer more classes than we did before."

These classes include basics in cooking and baking and elective classes focusing on cuisines such as sushi or Italian, said Gravely, who teaches classes in both levels. CAP administrators also bring in chefs from the Richmond area to teach courses, some of them for one class and others on a more regular basis, Bowlin said.

The facility is busy, with a class or event almost every day, Gravely said. This semester about 100 classes were on the schedule, Bowlin said. Some of these are seasonal classes, such as an Oktoberfest class and one on holiday desserts. Gravely said CAP would also host private events.

"It's only been open a month, we already have a half dozen private events booked."

A new event CAP administrators have planned for the fall is Wine and Dine Second Fridays, a demonstration-style dinner that will feature both a chef and a local wine expert to show cooking techniques and wine and food pairings, Bowlin said.

"We really want to maximize the facility. Ideally, we would have something booked in there every day, so we're just trying to figure out different ways that people would use it and try to get it scheduled as much as we can."

Contact staff writer Elizabeth Hyman at elizabeth.hyman@richmond.edu