Often times, my friends and family text me to ask where to go to breakfast or lunch? I always try to pass along restaurants that might not be on their radar. One place that I will begin to refer them to more often is the Buffalo School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management (The Buffalo School). Often times, I don’t tend to think about this sensational culinary resource, as it’s definitely not your everyday diner or bistro.
Yesterday, I popped my head in to the school, located at 75 West Huron Street, to grab a quick cup of coffee. Before I knew it, I was being guided around by a Michelle Cimato and Sean Van Volkenburg, two of the school’s culinary arts instructors. The two gave me a more in-depth rundown of the day-to-day activities of the school, which I found quite impressive.
The building – once the C.W. Miller Livery Stable – is a beehive of activity. This summer marks the second full year that the school has been open, which means that the staff and students have been busy navigating the pandemic. Obviously, that has not been an ideal time to open, but they have managed to emerge with flying colors, and are excited to welcome more diners through their doors, while establishing more culinary partnerships throughout the region. It’s also important that the students interact with the general public on a daily basis.
“It’s about putting the kids first,” said Van Volkenburg. “It’s important that they interact with the customers. We try to have a student at the front door, to welcome people when they come in. This is their place – we want them to be excited about what they’re doing here, and to express their creativity.”
Cimato reminded me that along with the culinary aspect, the building is also home to the PS 42 Occupational Training Center, which seamlessly interacts with the culinary school. The students of the Occupational Training Center make sure that a lot of behind the scenes day-to-day ‘magic’ is handled, including laundering uniforms. Ultimately, it’s all about teaching the students the ins and outs of hospitality, sports management, and hotel management, from soup to nuts. And the only way that they can do this effectively is to interact with the general public. That means that it is up to all of us to support this important undertaking, whether we stop in for a bite to eat, grab a smoothie or an espresso, or simply help to spread the good word about the operation.
And what an operation it is. During my visit, I was introduced to Katie Schuta, principal at the school. Schuta gave me a whirlwind tour of the building, which was truly a sight to behold. She walked me through the café – called School Grounds – before showing me the back of the house, where students help to design menus, prep the food, cook various dishes, and then serve meals to customers (via food stations).
From working the front of the house, to a hot kitchen, to preparing pastries, the students are being taught how to enter the culinary world successfully. Whether that means going on to higher education culinary training (25% of the students) or heading out to secure a job as a cook at a restaurant or becoming a certified nurse assistant, the school helps to graduate the students to achieve their next set of goals.
I was informed that there are a number of ways to get the students more engaged with the program. A couple really stood out. First, the students are invited to bring family recipes to the school, where instructors help them to tweak and refine them for preparing and serving to the public. How cool is that? By doing this, the students take greater pride in their work, and the school benefits by having more diverse and authentic menu items.
Another way to better engage the students is to introduce them to role models. It turns out that one of Buffalo’s culinary heroes – Chef Darian Bryan (The Plating Society) – has been paying a visit to the school, to eat breakfasts and lunches with his family. He has struck up a relationship with the school on numerous levels, including giving tours of his own restaurant. Van Volkenburg and Cimato told me that the students really identify with Chef Bryan because many of them come from relatable backgrounds. At the same time, it’s important that more Buffalo chefs introduce themselves to the students, which can act as a real ice-breaker with the Buffalo employment landscape, post-graduation. Currently, graduates are working in culinary environments all over the city, from Dash’s to Tacos, Community & Beer (TCB).
The Buffalo School is constantly trying to network with other culinary institutions around WNY. Despite setbacks brought about by the pandemic, the school is in the midst of re-igniting relationships with its community partners, said Schuta. Whether that’s initiating tours of higher ed culinary outfits, or establishing internships with the likes of The Westin Buffalo… or even inviting restaurateurs to take a tour of the school’s facilities, or encouraging guest speakers to engage with the students, opportunities abound. Current relationships also include interactions with professional sports stadiums, and even Taste of Buffalo, where the students get a chance to don chef coats and explore even more of what Buffalo has to offer culinary-wise.
As for downtown businesses, they should know that the school prepares all sorts of to-go platters for meetings and events, including cookie trays, sub platters, fruit and veggie bowls, and plenty more. Just remember, with every order places, everyone wins – the students get a chance to further develop their catering skills, and office workers can be happy that they are supporting the students who will one day land jobs prepping, cooking, serving, etc. at any number of food and hospitality-oriented destinations locally. And as we are all well aware, local restaurants are having a tough time finding people to work shifts. Perhaps building a relationship with The Buffalo School might alleviate some of those hardships, especially for restaurant owners who are willing to work with the graduates by providing them with entry-level positions.
Finally, there is a banquet facility in the building for groups to host meetings, conferences, talks, and gatherings. It’s just another opportunity for the students to best utilize their skills in a “real world” setting.
Upon graduating from the school, graduates are issued Serve Safe certificates. They also earn an endorsement seal on their diplomas from NYS. A number of the students have disabilities (affiliated with local The Arc New York Chapter), or are special education students, who might not otherwise be afforded the opportunities that they receive from The Buffalo School – it’s certainly something to think about.
At this point, word of mouth is the best way to grow this movement, towards supporting the students at The Buffalo School. It’s been a tough few years with the pandemic, which is why it’s even more important to remember to participate in this incredibly inspirational school, which sometimes gets overlooked because the concept is unfamiliar to many. But once you step inside the doors, a wondrous world will open before you… and I guarantee that you will be back again, with more friends and business associates in tow. Who could have known that eating breakfast and/or lunch could make such a difference?
Get connected: Buffalo School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management | 75 W Huron St, Buffalo, NY 14202 | (716) 816-4778 | Breakfast and lunch | Catering | In-house banquets