Columbia Area Career Center

John, at Columbia Area Career Center, Columbia, Missouri, March 2021

In March, I had the pleasure of attending a staff development meeting at the Columbia Area Career Center, a 2020 grantee of the Ann B. Zekauskas Foundation in support of their culinary arts programs.

After the meeting, I was taken on a tour. While the Columbia Area Career Center program has commercial kitchens at all three of their locations in the Columbia, Missouri area, the Baking and Pastry Arts Program has a separate kitchen at the flagship location where we met. Columbia Area Career Center students from all locations rotate through the basic baking program. Those that want to pursue a career in baking choose an elective course of study at the baking kitchen.

 In addition to touring their kitchens, I had the opportunity to see their kitchen gardens and herb greenhouses. Some of the funds from the ABZFF 2020 grant will be used to totally recondition these growing spaces once spring arrives. I was thoroughly impressed with these programs and thrilled that ABZFF could help support this training.

—John