Montco Community College opens new, state-of-the-art hospitality institute

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

School administrators, elected officials and students gathered Thursday at Montgomery County Community College’s Blue Bell campus to celebrate the opening of its hospitality institute.

The 20,000-square-foot learning center, which opened for classes in October, houses associate degree and certificate programs for culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and tourism and hospitality management.

There are currently 122 students in the culinary and baking and pastry arts programs, and 62 in the tourism and hospitality management tracks.

Victoria Bastecki-Perez, president of Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), said the institute’s opening is an important marker of the college’s impact during its 60th anniversary year.

“For six decades, Montco has been dedicated to transforming lives and building prosperous communities,” she said. “And this initiative is a reflection of that mission in action.”

The learning center’s facilities include baking and pastry, chocolate and pasta laboratories, a wood-burning pizza oven, indoor and outdoor dining spaces and a curing cabinet.

There are 41,000 hospitality jobs in Montgomery County, according to the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board’s 2024 annual report, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected an 8% growth in employment for chefs and head cooks in the next decade.

The center will prepare students for a range of careers in the growing industry, which will in turn help fuel the local economy, said Montgomery County Commissioner Thomas DiBello.

“The hospitality industry in Montgomery County is a very large industry,” he said. “So I know that a lot of the businesses, the restaurants, are going to be excited to have such a program like this in place and be welcoming of the graduates.”

The center has also piloted a food recovery program, using the excess food from culinary classes to make meals for the campus food pantry that serves students experiencing food insecurity.

“By combining hands-on training with a focus on industry-driven skills, we are equipping our students to excel in these roles with our focus on innovation,” said Raj Guttha, MCCC board of trustees member. “From farm-to-table practices to sustainability initiatives like our food recovery program, we are not just training students for jobs, we are empowering them to be leaders in a dynamic and evolving industry. We look forward to seeing the transformative impact it will have on our students, our economy and the broader community for years to come.”

Chae Sweet, MCCC vice president of academic affairs and provost, said the institute “will be a beacon for the broader community too,” offering culinary classes and hosting youth camps, team building activities and events.