Culinary Arts Center

Cooking Up a Recipe for Success

A new home for culinary education is taking shape in Canandaigua. Now under construction, the approximately 19,300-square-foot center will bring together FLCC’s Culinary Arts programs, New York Kitchen, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County’s food and nutrition programs under one roof.

The center expands access for students, community members, and industry professionals to gather for hands-on learning and collaboration across the food, wine, agriculture, hospitality, and tourism industries that shape the Finger Lakes region.

Explore the Culinary Arts Center

Get an early look at Canandaigua’s upcoming hub for culinary arts education. View renderings of the new facility to see how it will enhance the lakefront community.

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Study Culinary Arts in the Heart of the Finger Lakes

Designed around the way professional kitchens operate, the new center will give students more room to cook, bake, prepare, present, and deliver culinary excellence.

The Finger Lakes offers students direct exposure to a vibrant network of farms, wineries, restaurants, hotels, and tourism businesses. Wine Enthusiast named the Finger Lakes its 2025 American Wine Region of the Year, recognizing the region’s growing national reputation as a food and beverage destination.

Hands-On Teaching Kitchens

Two teaching kitchens and a prep kitchen provide dedicated spaces for cooking, baking, preparation, and production, supporting repeated practice, skill development, and mastering specialized techniques.

Demonstration and Shared Learning

The demonstration theater brings students together with guest chefs and industry experts to explore professional methods, while supporting partner programming, public classes, and community events.

Job-Ready, Practical Training

Students build skills through extensive labs and 600+ internship hours in restaurants, hotels, catering, private dining, and more. The center connects them directly with local professionals and introduces career options early.

Culinary Art Center Teaching Kitchen Rendering

Commercial-Grade Kitchens

The purpose-built teaching and prep kitchens combine commercial-grade equipment, complete workstations, spacious prep areas, and overhead displays for immersive instruction.

Multiple ranges, undercounter coolers, mixers, processors, and dedicated tool sets give students more time on the equipment to develop speed, precision, muscle memory, and confidence.

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Programs at FLCC

A student in a white chef's jacket and apron. She inspects a set of measuring spoons as other students prepare food in the background.

A Shared Commitment to Culinary Experiences

Sharing space with New York Kitchen and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County will help students learn from local experts and explore connections between food, agriculture, and hospitality. The center will also welcome community members for cooking classes, nutrition programs, regional events, and tastings of local wines and craft beverages.

New York Kitchen

Explore the flavors of New York State at New York Kitchen, a nonprofit connecting people through hands-on cooking classes and beverage education, youth programs, industry training, and community experiences that celebrate local agriculture and the people behind it.

Visit New York Kitchen

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Discover connections between local farms, cooking ingredients, and healthy communities. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County supports local agriculture and provides public education on nutrition, food safety, and food preservation.

Visit CCE-Ontario

Project Funding and Support

The culinary arts center project is made possible by donations from the Sands Family Foundation and the Canandaigua Area Development Corporation (CADC), and funding from the State University of New York (SUNY) and Ontario County.

Rooted in the Finger Lakes, the Sands family has a long-standing tradition of business leadership, philanthropy, and investment in the communities where they live and work. Their support has strengthened local education and enriched our community for generations.

The Sands family's history of working alongside FLCC includes the Constellation Brands–Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC), a top-rated US outdoor concert venue, and the Sands Family Center for Allied Health, FLCC's healthcare education facility that addresses critical workforce needs in the region.

The culinary arts center marks another important chapter in this legacy. By championing this investment, the Sands Family Foundation is supporting the future of culinary education, agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and economic development across the Finger Lakes.

Breaking Ground

Ontario County broke ground on the $24 million culinary arts facility on Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua on August 10, 2026.

The new space will further establish Canandaigua as a food and beverage destination and promote culinary excellence, economic development, and food tourism across the Finger Lakes.

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