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Four area businesses have donated essential baking ingredients to the NDSCS Culinary Arts department. These ingredients provide significant support for the department by supplying frequently-used ingredients for the program’s baking projects, while giving students the opportunity to bake using locally sourced products.

“We teach our students that great products can be found a short distance from your back door,” said NDSCS Culinary Arts Associate Professor Kyle Armitage. “This is a large movement happening in food service. The focus on using local products is great for the environment as well as the producers. Now our students have the opportunity to learn and practice with ingredients from right here in the Red River Valley.”

The donated products include:

• 2000 pounds of sugar from Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative of Wahpeton, N.D. This extra-fine sugar donation will provide for the department’s baking projects for approximately two years. Armitage noted the easy ability of this sugar to dissolve without over mixing.
• 20 gallons of corn syrup from Cargill of Wahpeton, N.D. This product will be used in baking units for the program, as well as by the student-led Chef’s Club, which will use the corn syrup in pecan pies for its annual pie sale.
• 50+ pounds of fresh baker’s yeast from Lallemand Inc. of Wahpeton, N.D. This contribution will supply all of the department’s yeast needs for the academic year. The yeast will be used for the program’s bread unit, and for any yeast doughs made for the 6^th Street Eatery in the spring.
• 300+ pounds of high protein bread flour from Ardent Mills in Fairmount, N.D. The flour is made from red spring wheat harvested in this region, and will be used for bread, sweet yeast doughs, pizza and pasta. This will supply the department’s bread flour needs for the year.

“We are so thankful for these generous donations of ingredients that we would typically need to purchase on a regular basis for our day-to-day program needs,” said Armitage. “We have wonderful support from our community. This fall, community members provided 800 pounds of apples for our students to use in baking projects. We hope to continue to grow and expand these partnerships to provide even more value for our students.”

The NDSCS Culinary Arts program provides students with a broad range of skills and experience that enables them to be employed in a variety of careers within the food service and hospitality industry. Additional information about the program can be found online at ndscs.edu/culinary.