Ahead of the Fall 2023 semester, Middlesex Community College transformed the Lowell Cowan Center Cafeteria into a training kitchen for students to provide relevant, hands-on experience with new and state-of-the-art equipment. In honor of the new Culinary Lab, MCC’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts Program hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, November 7.
“The culinary lab is off to a great start,” said Kimberly Morrissey, MCC’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts Program Coordinator. “Students have benefitted from having a dedicated teaching and learning space that is integrated, allowing them to flow between the front and back kitchen spaces, work in teams, and learn as a group. It has really been terrific, and we are able to accomplish much more during each class time than in the past!”
MCC purchased the equipment for the training kitchen with funding from State Senator Ed Kennedy. Students begin the class with a lecture in the front before moving onto hands-on learning with mixers, cutting boards, stove top burners, and dual range ovens.
“Students have benefitted from having a dedicated teaching and learning space that is integrated, allowing them to flow between the front and back kitchen spaces, work in teams, and learn as a group. It has really been terrific, and we are able to accomplish much more during each class time than in the past!” - Kimberly Morrissey, MCC’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts Program Coordinator.
Rakshika Chelly Muthuraman, from India and now living in Lowell, is an MCC Culinary Arts & Business Administration student. With this combination of theoretical and hands-on learning, she can practice her craft under supervision from instructor Chef Jim Giordano to learn different skills and better understand techniques that will set her up for success when working in the field.
“The education I am receiving now will help my career, and I feel confident and prepared,” she said. “We gain practical experience by preparing food, working in a professional kitchen, learning cooking skills and proper sanitation methods which are important for maintaining hygiene and safety in both food preparation and the surrounding environment of the kitchen.”
Although he planned to take a break between high school and college, Khaled Halabi, of Dracut, realized MCC’s Culinary Arts degree offered an opportunity to continue his education without taking on debt. Having gained a passion for cooking while watching shows and videos when he was younger, Halabi started working in a food service job after graduating from high school.
“A culinary class isn't one that can be taught fully on a whiteboard,” Halabi, of Dracut. “We need the space to apply techniques and make dishes so that we train our muscle and sensory memory, as that is arguably one of the most important aspects of cooking in my opinion. I feel like a solid foundation is being built from attending here. The knowledge I've gained paired with the connections I've made will have their benefits in the future.”
For Zarina Noorani, MCC’s program was a beneficial way for her to find a job in the culinary industry. She found a passion for cooking while working with her late mother and has enjoyed learning more about the field in her classes at Middlesex.
“Chef Giordano takes us beyond the textbook and shares all of his experiences,” Noorani said. “He corrects us a s he sees fit on all matters in the kitchen right away. It is a pleasure to learn from him. I see his years of experience in the field as a treasure box at MCC.”