ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 23, 1996 TAG: 9611250132
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
A CULINARY arts school at the Hotel Roanoke?
Top ten reasons why this is an excellent idea:
* It involves the public sector, but only in addressing a true market demand - in this case, for education. A busy population with discretionary spending seeks more options for eating out and travel. Restaurants, hotels and other food businesses seek chef-school graduates. Would-be chefs seek schools, which now have waiting lists. All of which suggest an opportunity looking for sponsors, a success in search of a site.
* It's an example of the fact that good ideas and leadership initiative can and must come from a variety of sources. This wasn't a project of city or state authorities or empire-building educational institutions. Bridget Meagher, a Roanoke restaurant owner, and civic leader Heidi Krisch have been its most active advocates.
* It exemplifies the way Roanoke needs to develop higher-education opportunities in the city. To imagine the state would build a new university campus here is a pipe dream. Aside from encouraging the outreach of existing nearby institutions, the city can build specialized programs based on local assets and market demand. Health care is a natural area for this. So is hospitality.
* It proposes to add another example of a worthy paradigm: public-private partnerships. The hotel, along with the adjoining conference center, is itself an example of this paradigm. Not only would Virginia Tech and Virginia Western Community College need to collaborate on the culinary arts school; it would require the support of government and the backing of the hospitality industry and the community.
* It takes advantage of, and builds on, assets already developed. The Hotel Roanoke is there. Its head chef says students could get hands-on training in his kitchen. The conference center is there, and could be used for classes. There also are plans for starting a higher-education facility in the old Norfolk Southern office building across the street from the conference center. Tech and the community college are here. It's an excellent location, offering a chef school numerous advantages and economies.
* It would boost the region's hospitality industry, which already is becoming a big source of jobs and revenues and an important economic niche for the Roanoke and New River valleys.
* It points to the New Century Council's underestimated behind-the-scenes potential. The idea of a chef school came up in a New Century exercise more than three years ago - before the hotel had even reopened. It's an example not only of the importance of visioning, but also of the council's potential for keeping ideas alive while their advocates build support.
* It's another opportunity for Tech to expand its presence in Roanoke, while also working with the community college. Tech's Hospitality and Tourism Management program has a cooking component, but there is no two- or four-year degree program in culinary arts, which the proposed school would provide. The addition would benefit the educational institutions as much as the community.
* It would be another among a constellation of features helping to put this region on the map. Lacking a dominant destination attraction, the New River and Roanoke Valleys must incrementally develop and package smaller assets that make this place distinctive. Roanoke's school could be one of only a handful in the nation that provide top-notch culinary training.
* It draws the connection, vital in a place like ours, between economic development and quality of life. The things we do to make life more flavorful help attract interest and investment. They also make life more interesting for the people who live here.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines KEYWORDS: 2DAby CNB