Yum, Fun and More to Come at Schoolcraft College

At our meeting of November 15, we participated in a delicious treat as we had lunch at the new American Harvest Restaurant at Schoolcraft College in the Vista Tech Center. This special meeting was organized by Dawn Magretta, the Director of Schoolcraft College Foundation and a Livonia AM Rotary member. The President and CEO of the college, Glenn Cerny explained to us that the restaurant was a lab for students

in the culinary arts program. It is open to the public by reservation.

Building the restaurant was part of an 11-million-dollar expansion referred to as Vista Tech 2.0. In addition, a Main Street Cafe and Craft Grille, which features crafted beers, were built. Margaret Fleming, the dining room instructor was introduced to our group, and she explained how the students are rotated between jobs from cooks to

servers.

Chemistry and cooking labs were part of the expansion. We learned that Schoolcraft College is held in such high esteem, the Nationwide Master Chef certification testing is held at the college.

Dawn gave us a short tour of the Vista Tech Center. She explained the College offers programs that are responsive to the manufacturing and medical industries. They offer classes teaching trades, CAD drafting, accounting, health services, medical imaging, surgical technology, in addition to its core liberal arts program. She stated that that the college has outgrown its space and is looking to optimize their classrooms and offer hands-on experiences. Education facilities need more than traditional classrooms. There is a need to shift from classroom to training facility with actual real-life equipment. She hopes to engage community organizations in supporting their educational outreach efforts.

Nancy Darga