Ribbon Cutting For Renovated FoodTEC Space

SUNY Orange and Orange County FoodTEC partnered today to cut the ribbon on a newly renovated commercial kitchen and training space located in the former cafeteria of the Tower Building on the College’s Newburgh campus.

Dr. Kristine Young, SUNY Orange president and chair of the Orange County FoodTEC Board of Directors, was joined by elected officials, College and FoodTEC leadership, and community partners to celebrate completion of Phase I renovations and to tout FoodTEC’s workforce training and certification courses as the catalyst in creating a pipeline of skilled workers for the region’s growing food, beverage and hospitality industries.

A not-for-profit aligned with SUNY Orange, Orange County FoodTEC has begun to offer workforce training and related skills programming in concert with the College’s newly branded SUNY Orange Plus suite of non-credit offerings. The Tower Building space unveiled Friday will become the flagship hub of FoodTEC’s training and education programming.

The recently completed Phase I work on the Orange County Food Training Education Center included upgrading mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, designing and executing renovations to the commercial kitchen area and adjoining training space, replacing/adding food service equipment, and updating kitchen and dining area lighting. In total, just more than 3,300 square feet of kitchen and dining areas were fully or partially renovated during this phase, at a cost of approximately $630,000.

Phase II planning is under way and work will begin in earnest once the necessary grants, donations or funding is secured. It will include further kitchen upgrades (additional dishwashing, baking and kitchen equipment), installation of a barista area for training and events, and creation of a contemporary new classroom that could seat as many as 30 students adjacent to the kitchen and dining areas.

Funding for programming during both phases of work, and beyond, has been secured through federal Community Projects Funding (CPF) via the United States House of Representatives while some capital funding has come from a pair of New York State and Municipal (SAM) facilities grants—one from the Senate and one from the Assembly—and support from Central Hudson, which presented the College with a check from its community economic development grant program during Friday’s event.

Orange County FoodTEC will use the federal CPF monies to help relieve and reduce adult and youth unemployment/underemployment and provide for additional employment in Orange County and the region. The initiative will provide and support workforce development opportunities to assist low-income job seekers and workers in obtaining and advancing in jobs that provide sustaining wages and benefits, primarily in the food, beverage and hospitality sectors, and aid in the economic development of Orange County and its surrounding areas.

FoodTEC has already begun offering a modest array of food safety training courses. Since the Summer of 2023, FoodTEC has enrolled 200 students into industry-recognized certificate trainings in food safety and hospitality. The 31 students in its initial 15-week food industry workforce development programs have recently begun using the renovated kitchen space. Longer-term planning calls for growing industry partnerships to better understand the regional food industries’ workforce needs, allowing FoodTEC to continue creating in-demand programming while also enhancing utilization of the commercial kitchen and training space to support the needs of food-based communities.

James Skoufis, New York State Senator said, “SUNY Orange continues to lead the way in workforce development, building programs that ensure their students enter the workforce prepared to succeed. FoodTEC will not only benefit those who take part, but all of Orange County’s hospitality economy will be strengthened as a result. I’m proud to have been a part of funding the commercial kitchen’s major renovation and look forward to seeing the program’s continued success.”