Andrew Coppolino looks at Conestoga College's new culinary expansion

Conestoga College's Culinary Arts and Hospitality program has broken ground on a major expansion at its Waterloo campus. Construction began on the state-of-the-art facility in mid-December, which will include new food and beverage programs that will contribute to the growth and sustainability of Waterloo Region's hospitality industry.

The 150,000-square-foot expansion, which will extend beyond and wrap around the existing building at 108 University Avenue, will be home to a new Institute for Culinary and Hospitality Management, a Centre for Advanced Learning, as well as a new Access Hub to provide students, newcomers to Canada, job seekers and area employers with access to information, programs and services in a single location, according to the Conestoga College website.

A boost to region's food and hospitality sector 

Scheduled to open in September, 2018, the added space will mean more and better classrooms and teaching facilities and expanded opportunities for continuing and part-time education, as well as access for the general public to event space, said Chair Keith Muller.

"With added facilities, we'll be able to increase our enrolment and it will also be able to give us an opportunity to offer a number of new programs that have not been offered at Conestoga before, that will certainly enhance our portfolio," Muller said.

In the joint federal-provincial investment of $15.8 million, $14 million will come from the federal government and $1.8 million from the province. Conestoga College and community partners will contribute an additional $27.7 million, bringing the total investment to $43.5 million. The funding supports Phase 1 of Conestoga's "Pathways to Prosperity" initiative, the college's re-development strategy.

The new facilities and programs will play a key role in the continued building of the food and beverage sector locally, said Muller.

"We are dedicated to supplying an increased number of qualified students to the industry, building on the amazing food offerings that already exist here at the same time bringing farm, food, school and tourism closer together. We want to help build Waterloo Region into a top food destination," he said. 

Returning to the Region's historical roots

Additional programs and advanced training for culinary students will include a return the food history of Waterloo Region, notes Muller. "Two of the major areas will be in butchery and charcuterie – making sausages and salamis, which is of course our rich German heritage, and we will be introducing a program in artisanal cheese which will bring an age-old craft back to the college," he says.

A vibrant food, beverage and restaurant sector in an area as large as Waterloo Region requires several conditions: good chefs and restaurants, patrons willing to support the industry, and education and training in the community in order to develop the people needed to staff front-of-house positions and work in kitchens. Eventually, from these ranks, entrepreneurs will evolve and be ready to open their own restaurants and food businesses as the region continues to grow, rather than leave for other regions.

The expanded role the college will play is in keeping with the general business, commercial and educational growth and development that characterizes Waterloo Region; at the same time, that role is based in the agricultural and farming tradition that is helping establish the cities and townships of the region as a top food destination, says Muller.

"As one of the fastest growing regions in the country, there's so much happening in the food industry, and if you think about it logically you are 10 minutes drive away from a farm anywhere you are in Kitchener-Waterloo and it has a rich cultural heritage of farming, of good food, and new restaurants opening up."