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Chicago is more or less
situated in the breadbasket
of the world.
A lot of food is manufactured
here, and plus the fact
that we have a tremendous amount
of very fine restaurants here.
My background came out
of Tuskegee Institute
where I received my
first Bachelors degree.
We had a very outstanding
hotel and restaurant management
program.
And I explained that,
and right away--
Rod was a person, when
you come up with an idea--
the fact that, this is
something we should do.
And when he would tell
you, quickly do it.
Get it done.
Bring it in.
Let's go.
Marty [INAUDIBLE] dean
of-- get with Ernie.
Let's work.
We'll have a program
in culinary arts.
We started out in a
converted biology laboratory,
and we had one domestic stove.
One four burner domestic
stove and a sink.
And so we worked very hard to
try and improve the facilities
year after year.
Selling lunches,
and selling dinners,
and selling whatever
we could to raise funds
to bring more money
into the department,
so we could buy more equipment.
So it was a great
day when we were
able to raise enough money to
buy our first commercial stove.
The cooking equipment
was quite primitive.
Some of it was from research
kitchens and craft food
service.
We'd make quantum leaps after
about five or six years,
and were able to outfit the
kitchen faster and better.
And then we evolved into
the next facility, which was
in the student resource center.
We were really
becoming world class.
We were investigating
cuisines from other countries.
We were looking at
national hotel chains.
And the program was adopting
that excitement of the era,
and we were beginning to grow--
and we grew exponentially.
And we went from food
service being perceived
as a task based blue
collar environment,
to being white hats, and
chefs coats, and showcasing.
Food service had been very male
dominated in the restaurant
business, and very female
dominated at the school food
service environment, but in
the late '80s all that changed.
The American public
became more sophisticated.
They wanted to eat
out more often.
Before, dining out
was a special event.
In the '80s and '90s, dining
out became common place
because women had
entered the workforce.
So the changes at the college
reflected that because we
are a community college.
We can change on a dime.
We see trends and react to them.
As opposed to waiting for
the trends to be entrenched.
So all of that changed
and it was very exciting,
because we grew exponentially.
So we went from having a single
kitchen with a single six
burner range, to suddenly
we had the SRC kitchen.
And then two years after
that we put the bake shop
into that same kitchen.
Then it became necessary
for the bake shop
to have its own space.
Then it became necessary
for our market to be.
So we went exponential growth.
Boom-boom-boom.
Then when this building
became a possibility,
you know, the
doors opened again.
Now when I come on campus
and see the facilities,
I'm flabbergasted.
It's wonderful that
students have an opportunity
to work on such
phenomenal equipment
and beautiful facilities, and
have an outlet so that they can
produce food and product
to serve to the guests,
and have a real life
restaurant experience.
