A recipe for success: Culinary innovation at South Seattle College

Culinary Academy students at South Seattle College are turning up the heat in a newly remodeled kitchen designed to meet modern sustainability and learning goals. Outfitted with high-tech, electric energy-efficient appliances, the kitchen reflects thoughtful planning around both curriculum needs and clean energy practices.

The college needed to switch to clean electric power from natural gas and replace 30-year-old equipment, among other things, according to Dean of Hospitality Brian Scheehser. That’s how the Department of Commerce was able to help.

Commerce awarded South Seattle College a $241,982 Clean Energy Fund Building Electrification grant in April 2023, meant to help the college decarbonize its campus. That enabled the change to electric power, which required moving out old equipment, like the stoves. It also helps the college modernize and attract more students.

“We asked ourselves, where are we going, and how can we attract students to our culinary arts program?” said Scheehser. “The grants we received allowed us to install the infrastructure needed to make the switch,” said Scheehser.

A culinary evolution in phases

In 2020, South Seattle College launched a three-phase culinary transformation focused on innovation and evolving industry trends. The first phase updated Café Alki, an all-electric, state-of-the-art, carbon-neutral coffee house where students gain hands-on culinary and hospitality experience.

Next, the college opened the new research and development kitchen, complete with a built-in recording studio for livestreaming classes, demos, and competitions. The high-end commercial kitchen serves as a hands-on lab for real-world training and creative collaboration, with a similar setup to kitchens on TV cooking shows.

The kitchen accommodates 15 students and is a professional-grade filming space. Students can record their work for Instagram, YouTube and other platforms, giving them a head start on job applications and digital portfolios.

The college is now entering phase three of its $7.4 million transformation project, which will convert the remainder of the building. Renovations are being completed in phases, with different areas to be updated at different times, so the project is expected to be completed by 2026–2027.

Reimagining for sustainability

Sustainability is also a recruitment strategy. South Seattle College actively engages students in curriculum development, using their input to shape course content and campus priorities. In partnership with major local employers, the college aligns its programs with real-world workforce demands.

“We realize what’s important to our students is technology and sustainability,” Scheehser said. “We often have the carbon footprint conversation throughout the culinary process.” This includes considerations around cooking equipment, lighting and ingredient sourcing.

Kitchen upgrades include energy-efficient electric equipment like an electric grill, griddle, fryer, heat pump and high-temp dishwasher — which sanitizes with hot water instead of chemicals. Smart heating and cooling adjust based on room occupancy to boost efficiency. This investment supports a larger campus transformation centered on safety, sustainability and student success, made possible through grants like Commerce’s and donor support.

A campus committed to sustainability and global impact

The upgraded culinary kitchen is one part of the South Seattle College’s broader push toward to sustainability. The college is also the only institution in Seattle offering an electric vehicle (EV) automotive curriculum, developed with local industry partners, to prepare students for careers in clean technology.

Since 1969, South Seattle College has served a diverse community of nearly 9,600 students on its 87-acre hilltop campus in West Seattle. Students come from across King County and beyond, including more than 100 international learners. As a result, the college’s sustainability efforts have the potential to make a global impact.