Culinary and Innovation Center Preps Students

February 3, 2021

As the restaurant and hospitality industry adapts to the pandemic’s ever-changing landscape, the Truist Culinary and Hospitality Innovation Center is a new beacon of hope for students with dreams of entering the culinary workforce. A wide variety of classes, training programs, and many learning opportunities exist to fit almost any schedule and career path.

Located in the heart of the Westend art district, the new Culinary and Hospitality Innovation Center project was an adaptive re-use of the old Diversified Metals Fabrication warehouse at the new Poe West development. Trehel provided construction services that included select demolition and renovation of the building, transforming the once-abandoned space into a state-of-the-art instructional facility.

Features of the project include:

  • A full-service teaching kitchen (the equivalent of four restaurants).
  • A new auditorium with an additional performance kitchen (for TV broadcasts).
  • New outdoor grilling instruction/demonstration area.
  • New classrooms.
  • New drink service teaching bar.
  • Kitchen management offices.
  • New offices and boardroom for the Greenville Tech Foundation.

All classroom, teaching, and instruction areas are fully capable of virtual instruction. For instance, a new program is available where individuals can sign up for a cooking class, pick up their ingredients from CHI with minimal contact, and then proceed to their home and participate in an online Zoom session to prepare the meal.

McMillian Pazdan Smith provided architectural design services for project. Our construction project team consisted of Matt Smith, Senior Project Manager and Dale Nalley serving as Senior Project Superintendent.

For more information about Truist Culinary and Hospitality Innovation Center and class schedule, visit https://chigreenville.com/index.html.