Mott Culinary Arts Institute
"I retired from General Motors after 36 years and decided to go back to school. I never thought I would want to work in a restaurant! I love to cook at home and when I came to Mott, I realized my passion for fine dining, upscale cooking and serving others. My dream is to one day launch my own food truck!"– Mott CC Student
NMTC Provides Financing to Support Job Training
The mission of Mott Community College (MCC) is to provide high quality, accessible and affordable educational opportunities and services that cultivate student success and individual development and improve the overall quality of life in a multicultural community. The Mott Culinary Arts Institute provides students with the opportunity to complete an associate degree in Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts, Food Service Management or to complete a one-year certificate in Professional Cooking or Professional Baking. As the degree program grew in popularity among students, Mott identified the need for an expanded facility.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a foundation that began in 1926 with a focus on Flint, donated the iconic Woolworth Building to serve as the new home for the Mott Culinary Arts Institute. Cinnaire, in partnership with Chase, provided a $9 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to support the project. Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, a non-profit development organization, partnered with MCC to extensively renovate the 100-year old building.
The new Culinary Arts Institute allowed MCC to expand their curriculum and to more than double their program capacity to serve approximately 400 students, bringing new students to the area and creating secondary economic impact in downtown Flint.
Project Details - By The Numbers
Total Development Cost
$11.9 Million
NMTC Investment
$9 Million
Project Type
Historic, Community Development
Population Served
Low-Income Students
Providing a First-Class Education Experience
Mott Culinary Institute was the presented with the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits 2020 QLICIs of the Year Awards. The awards recognize community development entities that made exceptional qualified low-income community investments (QLICIs) using New Markets Tax Credits.
The Culinary Arts Institute provides a first-class education experience. The state-of-the-art facility boasts multiple culinary and baking laboratories, including a chocolate and confections lab, a grade manger lab, a dry-aged meat room and a temperature-controlled wine cellar. Courses are taught by award-winning, certified executive chefs, and food service professionals.
Students gain real-world experience by participating in classes in the onsite Coffee Beanery and Applewood @ Saginaw Street restaurant. The Coffee Beanery serves as a working laboratory, with students responsible for operating the coffee shop as part of their training. Students prepare freshly baked pastries, serve hot beverages and handle the business side of the Coffee Beanery.
Next door at the Applewood @ Saginaw restaurant, students are busy training in positions from the back of the house to the front, serving as line cooks, dishwashers, servers, guest hosts and more. Open to the general public for limited hours, Applewood @ Saginaw serves an upscale menu in a beautifully adorned space. The restaurant features a fresh new menu monthly to give students the opportunity to learn and expand their culinary knowledge.
"I’m not yet sure what I would like to do in the food and beverage industry but going to school here gives me the chance to learn about a lot of the different career options. Right now, I’m enjoying my time taking several different classes and exploring the many options an education at Mott Culinary Arts Institute provides."
– Zachary, Mott CC Student
Our Locations
Home Office - Lansing
1118 South Washington
Lansing MI, 48910
Indianapolis
320 North Meridian, Suite 516
Indianapolis IN, 46204
Wilmington
100 W. 10th Street, Suite 502
Wilmington, DE 19801
Chicago
225 West Washington, Suite 1350
Chicago, IL 60606
Madison
10 E. Doty Street, Suite 617
Madison, WI 53703
Grand Rapids
100 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Suite 202
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Detroit
2111 Woodward Avenue, Suite 600
Detroit, MI 48201
Milwaukee
231 E. Buffalo Street, Suite 302
Milwaukee, WI 53202
