CVCC breaks ground on new culinary arts building

Central Virginia Community College broke ground Thursday on its new culinary arts building, Seven Hills Hall, a $2.4 million facility that will open to students next fall.

The building will be located on CVCC’s main campus in Lynchburg, and will house a culinary school that will offer a one-year certificate program in restaurant management and a two-year associate degree for students looking to become chefs.

The groundbreaking ceremony included remarks by state Sen. Steve Newman, CVCC Local Advisory Board Chairman Martin Giudice and CVCC President Darrel Staat.

“Today is a real banner day for CVCC,” Staat said. “Soon we will have a new program specifically designed to meet the needs of our students and community.”

Funding for the approximately 4,000-square-foot brick and glass building came from a General Assembly appropriation, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification Commission and Region 2000 localities.

CVCC has enlisted a group of local business owners and food services workers to provide input on the curriculum.

The wheels began turning about four years ago, when a group of local business leaders approached CVCC about adding a culinary program, citing a lackluster employ

ment pool for high-quality chefs and restaurant managers.

In response, CVCC conducted a feasibility survey of more than 300 food service providers in Central Virginia.

Those who responded indicated a tremendous need for the program, Staat said.