May 23, 2023
Mid-Continent Public Library has officially opened the doors to its much-anticipated Culinary Center, located inside the Library’s Green Hills location. The innovative new Center features a teaching kitchen for food and nutrition-focused classes for the public, as well as commercial kitchen space for local startup food businesses.
The Culinary Center will begin offering classes to the public in June on a variety of topics and catered to foodies of all ages. All programs are free to attend, but registration is required. From technique-focused programs like Food Preservation Basics, Beginning Culinary Knife Skills, and Outdoor Cooking 101, to recipe-centered classes like Make Your Own Chili Powder and Rubs, Healthy Caribbean Cooking, and Flour Power: A Kid’s History of the Tortilla, the Culinary Center will offer cooks of all interests and skill levels a chance to gain hands-on knowledge about food preparation, nutrition, and foodways (eating habits and culinary practices of people, regions, or historical periods).
The other half of the Culinary Center’s service, commercial kitchen space for local startup food businesses, is also now available. For a minimal rental fee, businesses can use the four commercial kitchen spaces, including two incubator kitchens, a shared equipment kitchen, and a prep kitchen. Each comes equipped with a variety of features—range tops, convection ovens, conventional ovens, freezers, coolers, etc. Scholarships to cover kitchen rental fees are also available to those who qualify.
The MCPL Culinary Center is a unique resource for the Kansas City northland, which was part of the inspiration for the facility.
More information about the MCPL Culinary Center and its services can be found at mymcpl.org/Culinary. To inquire about renting commercial kitchen space, and to learn more about available scholarships, email culinary@mymcpl.org.
More About Mid-Continent Public Library’s Culinary Center
The MCPL Culinary Center is a destination and resource for anyone interested in learning about food and culinary entrepreneurship. Led by Director Xander Winkel, the Culinary Center team offers customers a combined 60+ years of culinary and food business experience. Winkel, who has a background in nonprofit management and small business development, is joined by Kitchen Manager Taylor Smith, a registered dietitian whose expertise includes federal food regulations and one-on-one dietary counseling, and Program Manager Charles Tibbs, a former executive chef with experience managing a range of food operations, from small startups to stadiums with over 100 kitchen staff. Connect with the Culinary Center on Facebook.
