Kellogg Community College invites students and community members to check out the college’s newly renovated Student Center during a free Student Center Grand Opening event from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 3.
The event will feature free samples of food featured on the menu of the Bruin Bistro, the college’s newly renovated cafeteria; caricature artists; a photo booth; music; and drawings for several prizes for KCC students.
John Di Pierro, director of Institutional Facilities and Public Safety at the college, said the event is meant to highlight the new spaces for students on campus, particularly the cafeteria.
“It’s to celebrate the newly remodeled Bruin Bistro,” Di Pierro said. “It has all new equipment, an all-new serving line and a new menu.”
The renovations expanded the prep area in the kitchen, created a patio area including benches and picnic tables for outdoor dining and increased the seating capacity in the Kellogg Room – formerly known as the Quiet Dining Room – from 80 to 100.
Big-screen televisions, a raised dining platform that can double as a performance area and state-of-the-art sound system technologies add to the entertainment value of the space as a gathering for student and community events.
“We also introduced more comfortable seating and bistro-height tables to give it a restaurant feel as compared to a more institutional feel,” Di Pierro said.
Laura’s Gourmet Catering, the food service provider for KCC, also hired a new executive chef, Charles Franks, who plans the bistro’s menus and prepares food for students and staff.
Entertainment during the Sept. 3 event will be provided by Detroit rapper ILLYA at 11 a.m. and singer-songwriter James Williams, a KCC student, who will perform beginning at 12:15 p.m.
TaNisha Parker, manager of Student Life at KCC, said she’s excited about the grand opening event as a way to highlight the new space and what it means for students.
“This event is a great way for students to experience the type of activities we’ll be hosting for them on campus in the future,” Parker said. “It’s a new space and we’ll be doing some cool things for students.”
The 29,000-square foot renovation project began in the spring of 2012 and cost an estimated $6.9 million. It was completed this summer and includes a new Student Services Hub and several renovated offices for staff in addition to the renovations to the cafeteria and kitchen areas.
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