The Reynolds Community College expansion into Richmond’s
East End now has an official name: “The Kitchens at Reynolds.” This new
facility will give Reynolds the ability to double its culinary enrollment and
become a pipeline for talent desperately needed in the growing Richmond restaurant and hospitality industry.
While the teaching and demonstration kitchens are the
centerpiece of the new 25,000 square foot facility, the building will also
serve as a gateway to many of the college’s academic and workforce programs and
services. Space has been dedicated for career planning, financial aid
workshops, enrollment assistance, and access to short-term courses and
workforce certification and credential programs offered by the Community
College Workforce Alliance.
“The Kitchens at Reynolds speaks beyond traditional
culinary education. It’s about the expertise and innovation to give individuals
a foundation to explore their culinary potential,” said Paula Pando, Ed.D.,
president of Reynolds. “Community colleges are engines of economic mobility.
Our goal at Reynolds is not only to provide a world-class culinary education in
a state-of-the-art facility, but to also connect students with educational
opportunities that impact their ability to have meaningful careers in the
greater Richmond region.”
“The Kitchens at Reynolds” is part of a larger
revitalization initiative along Nine Mile Road and 25th Street. Plans
include “The Market at 25th” grocery store, a VCU health education
and wellness center, and Bon Secours’ existing Sarah Garland Jones Center.
Even before The Kitchens at Reynolds is open, the college has
been at work with other non-profits and organizations in the East End. Less
than a mile from its new building site, Reynolds Community College Educational
Foundation has funded an onsite career coach at Armstrong High School to help
middle and high school students plan for an associate degree or a workforce
credential after graduation.
“This is the power of collective impact,” said Elizabeth
Littlefield, executive director of the Educational Foundation. “From dialogue
with residents to investments from Richmond’s philanthropic community, so many
people are coming together to make this happen.”
The building is expected to open for college programs and
services in late 2019, with the first culinary classes offered in the spring
2020 semester.
To learn more, visit The Kitchens at
Reynolds.
