Canandaigua, N.Y., December 14, 2018 – Finger Lakes non-profit, New York Kitchen (NYK), announces second hands-on kitchen. This addition allows NYK to accommodate more youth culinary camps, college culinary arts students as well as additional private events and public classes. New York Kitchen’s current hands-on kitchen holds 24 guests and is the number one sell out space for classes and events – the second hands-on kitchen will hold 18 guests and double the hands-on educational offerings at the facility.
“I’m the one that is always leading classes and events in the hands-on kitchen and what I hear time after time from guests is how much they love the experience and a lot of time guests have had to wait to get into a class because they always sell out. On top of that, our youth culinary camp opportunities just doubled which is the heart and soul of NYK - watching these kids learn valuable kitchen skills they can use throughout their life keeps me going” says Matt Wooster, Lead Culinary Instructor.
Each year New York Kitchen hosts over 240 public hands-on cooking classes – ranging from kitchen fundamental skills to their staple class known as Chef’s Table – books over 125 private events for corporate and social groups and provides over 8 weeks of youth culinary camps to local youth groups such as Wegmans Hillside, Boys & Girls Club and more. NYK’s hands-on kitchen is also the host site for Finger Lakes Community College’s students in the Culinary Arts program. The additional revenue brought with the second hands-on kitchen will allow NYK to partner with even more local agriculture producers and leading healthcare providers to instill the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
“We went back and forth when deciding to install a second hands-on kitchen and, in the end, it was a unanimous decision amongst our board of directors and staff at NYK. This allows us to further drive our mission forward which is to educate, engage and excite our visitors of NYS agriculture, craft beverages and culinary arts” adds Bethany DiSanto, General Manager.
The second hands-on kitchen will take the place of the existing Pantry gift shop which sells locally made foods, kitchenware and artwork. The Opici Family Tasting Room across the hallway from the Pantry will house those goods to create an immersive shopping and tasting experience for guests similar to other tasting rooms in the area. Construction will begin January 2019 and the expected open date for the second hands-on kitchen is June 2019.
About New York Kitchen
Founded in 2006 by Constellation Brands, Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester Institute of Technology and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, New York Kitchen (originally The New York State Wine & Culinary Center) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to educate, engage and excite visitors in a celebration of the incredible agriculture, craft beverage and culinary industries produced in New York State.