After one year of partnering with Feed Albany, a non-profit group founded by Capital Region restaurant professionals who wanted to help both unemployed restaurant employees and provide nutritious prepared meal solutions to local residents in need during the pandemic, the SUNY Schenectady School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism hit the milestone in March 2022 of having prepared 4,000 meals for the organization.
In Spring 2021, when banquets were not taking place due to the pandemic, the School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism (HCAT) began working with Feed Albany. Associate Professor Kim Otis serves as the College’s liaison with the organization. Last semester, students in Quantitative Foods courses, taught by Instructors Rain O’Donnell and Adam Foti, prepared approximately 300 delicious meals per week, which included frittatas and home fries, roasted chicken and vegetables, chicken pot pies, and vegetarian meals including cauliflower steaks with mashed potatoes. Students in Banquet Management classes, taught by Mrs. Otis and Assistant Professor John O’Connell, assembled them into self-contained meal packages that are easy to deliver and distribute. The meals were then given to those in the community with food insecurities, distributed through the Schenectady Police Department.
This semester, the School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism has resumed hosting banquets on campus, but student chefs, faculty, and hospitality students continue to work with Feed Albany, preparing about 100 meals per week that are distributed throughout the Capital Region to homebound individuals, and to food distribution sites and local free food fridges.
“Partnering with Feed Albany provides us with the opportunity to teach our students the skills and strategies that we normally would, with the added benefit of providing meals to our community members,” Kim Otis said.
The collaboration allows students to hone their culinary and hospitality skills while instilling a sense of community and giving back, life lessons that hopefully they will continue to build upon throughout their careers.
