Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is transforming an unused basement room at its Portage la Prairie campus into a dedicated culinary training space, signalling the return and expansion of popular cooking programs.
The revitalization effort includes new installations and equipment purchases, paving the way for evening classes starting this September and potential daytime offerings linked to business administration and high school dual credits.
From unused space to culinary hub
The initiative centers on a previously underutilized area on the campus's basement level. Significant work has already been completed to prepare the room for its new purpose.
"We worked with facilities to have it outfitted with brand new flooring and a stainless steel sink," explains Guy Moffat, Regional Campus Manager for RRC Polytech's Portage campus.
He adds that equipment acquisition began even before the pandemic disrupted the college's previous successful evening culinary programming.
"We had a really healthy evening programming for culinary. And we're looking to reintroduce that. We have a Red Seal chef who's looking at coming on and doing that evening programming."
New programs brewing for day and evening
The dedicated space and accumulating equipment open doors beyond reviving evening classes. RRC Polytech is actively exploring new daytime culinary programming. One avenue involves integrating culinary training within a revised business administration program.
"At one point in time, there was a hospitality and tourism program... hospitality is moving over to the business administration stream," Moffat states.
He sees this as ideal for future restaurateurs, noting it's, "going to give them some culinary experience, and it will also allow them to get some accounting and human resources and marketing... the things that you're going to need to know if you're looking at running a restaurant or owning a restaurant."
Simultaneously, the college is in discussions with Portage Collegiate Institute (PCI) about creating a dual credit culinary program, modeled after their existing successful healthcare aide pathway.
This would allow eligible high school students to earn college credits alongside their diplomas.
"As long as the student gets all the credits that they need in order to graduate by December... they'll enter into our [culinary] program... so that they get their safe food handlers, they would get knife skills and we would get them a really great foundation in order to launch into a career in the culinary arts," Moffat explains.
Portage's bounty fuels culinary vision
Moffat emphasizes that Portage la Prairie's rich agricultural landscape makes it a natural location for culinary education. "Portage is like no other place in Manitoba. We grow fruits here. We grow vegetables here. Honey is made here. We grow oil seeds. We grow cereal crops, and we grow livestock. We've got everything within a really close radius."
He envisions significant potential, saying, "Making Portage la Prairie a bit of a culinary hub for the province. I think that's a natural fit... I see a ton of potential... to be able to go from field to table, bush to table, barn to table... right close."
The revived evening culinary programming starts this September. Development for the dual credit program with PCI is underway, with a target launch potentially in January 2027 if plans proceed smoothly. "I would hope maybe January of 2027 that we'd have something created and be able to start delivering some programming," Moffat concludes, highlighting the college's commitment to revitalizing culinary arts training in the region.