Nearly two years after receiving the multi-million dollar Career Technical Construction grant from the State of Ohio, Alliance High School celebrated the new Culinary Arts program with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
The ceremony welcomed Mayor Andrew Grove, Rick Baxter of the Alliance Area Development Foundation, Superintendent Dan Swisher of Marlington and several community members and local business owners. The cool morning was perfect for the celebration, which included brief introductions from Superintendent Rob Gress, Assistant Superintendent Shawn Jackson and Alliance High School Principal Shaun Fontaine.
“Today’s ribbon cutting marks an exciting new chapter for Alliance City Schools and the Alliance Career Tech Planning District with the launch of our new Career Tech Culinary program,” Jackson stated. “The tremendous support from area leaders, restaurant partners, and our community reflects the strong commitment to student success and workforce readiness. The energy and enthusiasm from our students and staff show just how impactful this program will be for years to come.”
The ceremony began outside the entrance of the new Jetway Cafe. After the ribbon was cut by Chef Kaitlyn Gibson, the Culinary Arts instructor, attendees had the opportunity to tour the new program. Community members praised the new cafe upon entrance for its fun Aviator theme and expressed excitement for future dining experiences.
The student-run cafe will seat approximately 40 people. Once ready to open, the Jetway Cafe will be available to community members on set days and times.
Guests made their way into the industrial kitchen where students donning their brand new white chef jackets were stationed to greet the guests and share information about the new program.
“It was such an honor to welcome the community into our brand-new Culinary Arts program and the Jetway Cafe,” Gibson said. “Having so many people come out to support our students made the ribbon cutting feel really special.”
The space, which used to be the Auto Body shop, was transformed to include the Jetway Cafe, an industrial kitchen with several cooking stations for students, cold and dry storage for food and more.
The two-year program will encompass many facets of the restaurant industry, such as food safety, meal planning and prepping, restaurant management, customer service and more. Students will leave the program with industry-recognized certifications, making them highly-qualified candidates for jobs right out of high school.
“I am very excited about Alliance City Schools Culinary Arts program. The facility is amazing,” Baxter said. “I am really excited to see the program help with the workforce in the culinary industry, not only in Alliance, but throughout Stark County. The industry continues to grow, and this program will be a very important part of filling workforce needs. I am also hopeful that it will produce some entrepreneurs that will bring new restaurants to our community in the future.”
The students spoke excitedly about what they’ve learned so far, the new facilities and about how they are looking forward to the opening of the Jetway Cafe. They want to be able to cook and serve the community delicious food as soon as possible in the cafe and through catering opportunities.
“The school year is off to a great start,” Gibson exclaimed. “We began with the kitchen safety and sanitation, then jumped right into baking. The students even made the cookies for the ceremony, and it’s been so rewarding to watch their excitement as they learn and put new skills into practice.”
There are 17 students in the inaugural Culinary class. The class consists of juniors from Alliance and Marlington, a partner in the Alliance Career Tech Planning District, who applied last spring to be part of the program, even before the facilities were finished.
The creation of this program would not have been possible without the support from the State, Marlington Local Schools, City Officials and the Alliance Board of Education.
During the ceremony, Superintendent Gress also gave a special thanks to Nick Cowles, the District’s Director of Operations, for his hard work and dedication to getting the project done in an efficient and timely manner.
The program joins eight other CTE programs at Alliance High School and six other programs at Marlington and Salem as part of the Alliance Career Tech Planning District.
Updates on the program can be found at www.alliancecityschools.org and on the Alliance City Schools Facebook page.