Savannah Culinary Institute announces construction to begin this summer

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Culinary Institute announced today that construction will begin this summer at 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for the expansion of Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Arts program.

The Technical College System of Georgia recently selected The Pinyan Company as the construction manager. The Pinyan Company is based in Savannah and has established itself as one of the most quality conscious and customer-oriented firms in the area. They are working on pre-construction estimating now and plan to start construction in mid-August. They anticipate it will be a 10- to 11-month project.

“We are honored to have been selected as construction manager for this incredibly unique project,” said The Pinyan Company President Danny Pinyan. “Savannah is widely known for its world class culinary venues and well-chronicled historic district. This restoration will only add to the luster of both. We have completed over 40 projects in downtown Savannah. Our team has never been more excited than we are to commence the work on this project.”

Hansen Architects, an award-winning Savannah-based firm with noted accomplishments in Historic Preservation, is the design firm. Savannah Technical College and the Technical College System of Georgia have collaborated with the firm on many projects over the years, noted Hansen president J. Paul Hansen. “We are very pleased to be trusted with this important project in the heart of historic downtown,” he said. 

With only 3,000-square-feet of classroom, lab and cooking space, Savannah Tech has had extremely limited resources at the Savannah campus. The kitchen operates 16 hours a day Monday through Thursday, plus four hours on Friday. In 2014, the College designated one classroom on the Savannah Campus as sugar and chocolate lab, allowing additional space beyond the kitchen to be dedicated to culinary arts instruction. With the success of the Baking & Pastry Arts program, classes are full, and the College is unable to offer enough sections to meet demands.

The expansion will more than double the available instructional space for Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. Entry-level (first year) students will continue to take courses in the teaching kitchen and classrooms at the College’s campus on White Bluff.

“This has been a long time coming,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “We started dreaming about this project in 2009 and started really looking in 2011. We have had some near misses, and some great opportunities. This is exactly where we needed to be, and the building we needed to be in.”

“This location represents the very best real learning opportunity for our students,” said STC Culinary Arts Department Head Chef Gearry Caudell. “This has been a huge missing piece of the puzzle that we haven’t been able to do until now. We are excited about it.”

Savannah Culinary Institute graduates are working in the area’s finest restaurants and establishments, including the Alida Hotel, Local 11 Ten, Le Café Gourmet, Savannah Yacht Club, and The Landings Club in addition to catering, entrepreneurs and private chefs.

With support from the Savannah Technical College Foundation, the College purchased 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for an expansion of its Culinary Arts program, which will more than double the available instructional space. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. The hands-on, real-world experience in the restaurant/bakery will allow students the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use, complete a required field placement, and gain first-hand experience in restaurant operations.

New students are admitted to the baking and pastry program year-round. The priority application deadline for fall semester 2022 is July 22. For more information about Culinary Arts at Savannah Tech visit: www.facebook.com/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.

About the Savannah Technical College’s Savannah Culinary Institute

The Savannah Culinary Institute, an American Culinary Federation-accredited culinary arts program, has been described as the “best in the U.S.A” by its ACF accreditation review board. According to the ACF committee chair, the Culinary Institute of Savannah, offering ACF-accredited diploma and degree programs in culinary arts, has gone “well over and above the standards and expectations for a technical college teaching facility.” The committee recommended that the program receive the maximum accreditation time of seven years, when the average is three years. Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts associate degree graduates have a 100% placement rate in their field since 2015. The program has earned regional and national recognition with ACF-sponsored competitions. For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.

#2244 | June 2, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu