The Valencia Hospitality and Culinary program will move from West Campus to the new Downtown Campus in Fall 2019 with the new facilities that include a mixology lab, marble countertops for chocolate crafting, and an entire level for bread making

The Valencia Hospitality and Culinary program will move from West Campus to the new Downtown Campus in Fall 2019 with the new facilities that include a mixology lab, marble countertops for chocolate crafting, and an entire level for bread making

A move like this is not unprecedented. The department was transferred from East Campus in 2002 after the Walt Disney World Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts was built at West Campus.

Kenneth Bourgoin, chair of the program, shared some details about the campus-in-the-making. Bourgoin moved to Orlando to work at Walt Disney World and was later hired at Valencia College when the department had just begun.

“Disney’s name is on the building; Disney’s name will be on the building going downtown,” Bourgoin said. “We are sharing their work with ours and our work with theirs. We want to make sure that the industry is taken care of because we have such a huge hospitality field, and they gave us their blessing.”

The still-in-construction Downtown Campus is a shared project with the University of Central Florida. It will provide housing and parking for students; and will also be open for high schools and technical school, “Hopefully, it will be opening for the community, to teach the community,” Bourgoin said.

Bourgoin also elaborated on some of the new features to the facility that students should expect, “We’re going back to gas. We’re gonna have induction downstairs, somewhat like a European model, because students really need to know how to work with that. And there’ll be more toys.”

The department will have three floors and event space. The second floor will be divided between pastries and international or classical cuisine. The pastries side will have marble tables for making chocolate and modern cakes. The bottom floor will have a kitchen and more bread capabilities. The fifth floor will feature the mixology lab, where students will be able to make wine, beer, and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

“It would be the type of equipment that Disney has, that Universal Studios has, that all the independent restaurants have,” Bourgoin said.

A move like this is not unprecedented. The department was transferred from East Campus in 2002 when the Walt Disney World Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts was built at West Campus.

Kenneth Bourgoin, chair of the program, shared some details about the campus-in-the-making. Bourgoin moved to Orlando to work at Walt Disney World and was later hired at Valencia College when the department had just started.

“Disney’s name is on the building; Disney’s name will be on the building going downtown,” Bourgoin said. “We are sharing their work with ours and our work with theirs. We want to make sure that the industry is taken care of because we have such a huge hospitality field, and they gave us their blessing.”

The still-in-construction Downtown Campus is a shared project with the University of Central Florida. It will provide housing and parking for students.

Bourgoin also elaborated on some of the new features to the facility that students should expect, “We’re going back to gas. We’re gonna have induction downstairs, somewhat like a European model, because students really need to know how to work with that. And there’ll be more toys.”

The department will have three floors and event space. The second floor will be divided between pastries and international or classical cuisine. The pastries side will have marble tables for making chocolate and modern cakes. The bottom floor will have a kitchen and more bread capabilities. The fifth floor will feature the mixology lab, where students will be able to make wine, beer, and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

“It would be the type of equipment that Disney has, that Universal Studios has, that all the independent restaurants have,” Bourgoin said.

Downtown campus will also be open for high schools and technical school, “Hopefully, it will be opening for the community, to teach the community,” Bourgoin said.