Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the College’s new Culinary Arts Building on Friday, July 18 at 8:00 a.m. The dedication will be held at the new building site (CPCC Central Campus – 7^th street at Kings Drive).

During the event, CPCC will recognize Piedmont Natural Gas for its generosity to the College. In May, 2007, CPCC announced plans to name the new dining lab in this facility the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation Dining Room. This was in recognition of a generous grant to the College’s Culinary Program for equipment for the new building and to endow a scholarship for culinary students. Speakers at the groundbreaking include Ralph Pitts, Chairman of the CPCC Board of Trustees; Tommy Norman, President of the CPCC Foundation Board of Directors; Dr. Tony Zeiss, President of CPCC; Bob Boll, Division Director for Culinary Technology at CPCC; and Dave Dzuricky, Piedmont Natural Gas Senior Vice President and CFO.

In August 2009, CPCC’s culinary program is scheduled to relocate to this new facility at the corner of Kings Drive and Seventh Street on the College’s Central Campus. This 36,000-square-foot state-of-the-art culinary facility will feature five main kitchens, four classrooms, an auditorium, a dining/conference area, and more. The new culinary building will be located on the John Belk Plaza portion of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The facility was funded by support from the 2005 bonds.

“CPCC’s established program has been preparing students for culinary careers for years,” states Bob Boll, Division Director for the Culinary Technology, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Baking and Pastry Arts Programs at CPCC. “In fact, CPCC has been a leader in the region for culinary education for more than 30 years. The College graduates culinary and hospitality students to some of the best restaurants, hotels, and entertainment companies in the world.” According to Boll, CPCC students have more kitchen and lab experience than many of their competitors from around the country, and they’ve been taught by outstanding faculty who know the business.

In 2007, CPCC’s culinary program was accredited by the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission. The American Culinary Federation Foundation, Inc., (ACF) is the premier professional chefs’ organization in North America, with more than 230 chapters nationwide and 19,000 members.

The Hospitality Industry represents 8.1 percent of the global economy and is projected to increase to 18 percent by 2012, adding more than 1.6 million new jobs. Tourism has grown into one of the state’s largest industries. Annually, more than 60 million people visit North Carolina and leave behind more than 14 billion dollars. Established full service restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract food services, and health care facilities are all looking for educated, qualified chefs. Central Piedmont Community College’s culinary technology program is preparing students with the right skills, for the right jobs, at the right price.

For more information on the CPCC’s Culinary Technology Program, logon to http://www1.cpcc.edu/hospitality-education/culinary-technology.

CPCC is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering 100 degree and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies.