WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN MOUNT VERNON – A FOOD MAVEN’S HAVEN 

Westchester Community College has been teaching food preparation and service ever since 1946, when it first opened its doors in White Plains as The New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences. After more than six decades, the Department of Food Service Administration is still thriving at the community college in Valhalla, offering associate degrees in Culinary Arts and Management, Foods and Nutrition, and Dietetic Technician Nutrition Care, and successfully equipping graduates for lifetime careers in the food service industry.  This success has led the college to expand food course offerings to its newest extension site in Mount Vernon, located  at 175 Gramatan Avenue.

In a 16,000 square-foot building equipped with the most modern computers and cutting-edge classroom space, the Mount Vernon Extension Center offers dozens of credit courses in a wide variety of college subjects. But one of its most outstanding features is the fully-equipped, state-of-the-art culinary arts lab complete with a teaching kitchen, where students can take courses with the goal of beginning their formal education in the field of Culinary Arts and Food Services Management. They can then apply the credits earned toward one of the food-related degrees or certificates offered at the Valhalla campus. Past experience has shown that a student who completes one of the community college’s food programs is virtually guaranteed a job.

According to Prof. Daryl Nosek (Cross River), chair of Westchester Community College’s Food Service Administration Department, “Our alumni continue to find success in a multitude of restaurants, on-site food service companies, country clubs, and even as teachers at this college and elsewhere.  There are more jobs than we have graduates to fill; if students want to work in the food industry there are many job opportunities available.”

But degree courses are only part of the food-related offerings at the Mount Vernon site. More than a dozen non-credit courses are offered for community members who want to learn everyday cooking basics, cake baking and decorating, quick and easy meal preparation, or cooking for a healthy lifestyle.  There is even a class for men in the basics of cooking, as well as a “Junior Chef Academy” which offers classes for youngsters ages 10 to 13. 

And the food industry courses are not just about learning to cook. If you’re thinking of starting your own restaurant or catering business, or just contemplating a career in culinary arts, you can take one of the courses that provide an overview of these fields to help you make your decision. For students who speak other languages, the “ESL (English as a Second Language) through Cooking” course uses the kitchen to its advantage, using this environment for language practice. Preparing and sharing a meal together gives participants the opportunity to build their English language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and essential vocabulary).  For their final project, each student must teach a class—in English—on the preparation of a dish from their own culture.

For those already working in a restaurant or other food service establishment, the Department of Health sponsors a seven-week course in safe food handling. The course prepares workers to take the county’s certification exam in food sanitation and safety.

The Mount Vernon center is the fifth urban extension site established by Westchester Community College, as it continues its strategy of expanding into the county's cities. The college operates Westchester Arts Workshop sites in Peekskill and White Plains, as well as an Ossining site geared toward health and science programs and the Yonkers center which focuses on computer technology and programming.