Mott Community College cooks up plan for culinary school in downtown Flint

FLINT, MI - Mott Community College is cooking up plans for expanding its culinary school to downtown Flint.

At a Flint City Council meeting on Monday, July 10, MCC President Beverly Walker-Griffea announced the plan to move the college's culinary arts institute to a vacant, 36,000-square-foot building at 550 S. Saginaw St. downtown.

Walker-Griffea said the renovated building at the corner of South Saginaw and Second Street will house two culinary teaching kitchens, two bakery and pastry arts teaching kitchens, a meat fabrication laboratory, a garde manger classroom, a fine dining space connected to a baked goods cafe, and a large, dividable meeting space to teach students all aspects of the food service industry.

The baked goods cafe will function as a restaurant and be open to the public to purchase desserts, Walker-Griffea said.

"We believe that relocating our culinary arts program to the heart of downtown Flint will have a positive impact not only on our students, but on the local economy as well," Walker-Griffea said. "The restoration of a dilapidated building into a state-of-the-art culinary institute will help create a vibrant destination for all of Flint and Genesee County."

City Council unanimously passed a resolution for the project to receive a property tax exemption under Michigan's Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (OPRA).

A $13 million investment, the property will be owned by the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation for eight years and then turned over to MCC, Uptown President Tim Herman said.

Walker-Griffea said the expanded space will allow MCC's culinary school to double its enrollment from 250 to 500 students, and allow the college to explore offering a bachelor's degree in culinary arts.

Currently, MCC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in baking and pastry arts, culinary arts and food services management.

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