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Board of Education Approves Naming of Herndon Career Center Culinary Arts Facility and Student-Run Restaurant
The Herndon Career Center culinary arts training facility will officially be named the Herndon Career Center Institute of Culinary Arts and the student-run restaurant, which will be located inside of the institute and open on select dates, will be named Cinder. The names of the institute and student-run restaurant were selected by a committee made up of Board of Education members, Herndon Career Center staff members, and professionals in the field of culinary arts who assist the Herndon Career Center culinary arts program. The Raytown School District Board of Education voted to approve the naming of both the training facility and restaurant at the Board of Education meeting on April 13.
Herndon Career Center Director Dr. Cheryl Reichert shared the meaning behind the naming of the training facility.
“When naming the facility, the committee wanted a name that signified that students will continue to learn a baseline of culinary skills and knowledge with high levels of expectations and opportunities ahead of them. The Herndon Career Center Institute of Culinary Arts was selected as the students will be embarking on their culinary careers in the new facility,” said Dr. Cheryl Reichert.
When the discussion turned to the naming of the restaurant, the committee wanted a name that had a tie to the roots of the building design, the history of Raytown, and the training and education in the trades that happens at Herndon Career Center. The committee also sought feedback from community members on the naming of the restaurant.
“With Raytown being founded by a blacksmith and the dining room design incorporating this as a base point, the committee thought Cinder spoke to the history while also being a name that is unique and will be identifiable for years to come,” said Dr. Cheryl Reichert.
The Herndon Career Center Institute of Culinary Arts was on the list of Strong Bonds, Bright Futures projects approved by the voters in April 2019 and is set to open in the fall of 2020.
In February, the Herndon Career Center Culinary Arts team earned first place out of 18 teams at the ProStart Culinary Missouri State Competition held in Springfield, Missouri. The team was set to represent the state of Missouri in the National ProStart Invitational in Washington D.C., in May, before the competition was cancelled due to COVID-19.
In 2018, the Herndon Career Center Culinary team earned the title of national champions and each student received $200,000 in scholarship funds. In 2019, the team came in second in the national competition. In the last three years, students on the culinary and culinary management teams have earned a combined total of $2,224,000 in scholarship funds.
The Herndon Career Center Culinary Arts program is under the direction of Chef Mike Chrostowski.