BY NICKI MAYO
“Ok, we are making Scotch shortbread cookies,” said Niagara County Community College Baking and Pastry Arts major Rachel Goodman. The Lewsiton-Porter High School alumna says she always wanted to become a baker so it was an easy decision to come to NCC.
“It’s close by and I love the program,” Goodman added.
Niagara County Community College Culinary Enrollment
284 Students Enrolled in the Culinary Program
125 Culinary Arts Majors
51 Baking and Pastry Arts Majors
72 Hospitality Management Majors
21 Tourism Majors
Goodman is one of the 284 culinary, hospitality and tourism students at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn; but the Culinary Institute may soon move to downtown Niagara Falls.
NCCC advocates hope to cook up a hearty future for the Cataract City. Plans are in the works to possibly bring a new culinary institute to downtown Niagara Falls to boost the regional economy. They say the Rainbow Center is centrally located between the Casino and the horseshoe falls; giving the culinary students tons of opportunities to find employment while also helping the local economy.
“This is a thoroughfare that leads from the state park where we get six to eight million visitor s a year into the heart of the city. So it’s a perfect place to locate a city if you want to show it off to the world,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster.
The City, county, Empire State Development Corporation and NCCC have raised $17.5 million dollars toward the new center’s $20 million goal.
New York Senator Charles Schumer says he’s working from Washington to make up the difference.
“They have the Conference Center Niagara Falls; there are various hotels around downtown. I think with all those entities it would help the students to find employment much easier,” said NCCC Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Mark Mistriner.
Some students wonder if the proposed Niagara Falls location could pose a possible scheduling issue since their core classes are in Sanborn.
“Integrating what we do here. We still have to take our English and Math and all those things. But overall I think it’s great!” smiled Goodman mixing her cookie dough.
“Once they grasp those foundations they can go anywhere in the country to work. Anywhere in the world to work,” said Mistriner.
With those options, Rachel says she wants to stay close to home.
“I’d like to have my own bake shop probably in Lewiston,” said Goodman.
