L-R: SEBS Executive Dean Laura Lawson, professor and department chair Joshua Miller, Distinguished Professor Carol Byrd-Bredbenner and Melissa Keresztes, lecturer and Foods Lab Coordinator at the bread-cutting event for the new teaching kitchen. Photo credit: Office of Public Outreach and Communication/Lori Nardoza.
The Department of Nutritional Sciences unveiled a new teaching kitchen on September 11 as part of a state-of-the-art culinary foods lab that is designed to support exciting new courses and serving more undergraduates.
A novel bread ribbon-cutting for the new teaching kitchen drew students and faculty to the second-floor culinary foods lab in Davison Hall on the Cook/Douglass campus, including SEBS Executive Dean Laura Lawson, professor and department chair Joshua Miller, Distinguished Professor Carol Byrd-Bredbenner and Melissa Keresztes, lecturer and Foods Lab Coordinator.
The new kitchen is equipped with 12 workstations—two of which are ADA-compliant—and support 24 students, whereas the old space had only 10 workstations, none of which were ADA-compliant. “Our teaching kitchen being ADA-compliant was a huge incentive for renovations to occur, as it reflected our focus and vision to be more inclusive,” explains Keresztes.
She is understandably proud of the renovated space and the amenities. “State of the art culinary equipment includes a glass door reach in commercial refrigerator, two energy efficient ventilation hoods by Spring Air, and our beautiful red Italian induction ranges from Bertazonni that have many unique features, including proofing, dehydrating, air frying, convection, warming and pizza modes.”
Keresztes shares a fun fact about the ranges that were manufactured in Italy. “According to the Bertazonni representative, ‘the ranges are true Ferrari red and the panels for the range—made by Bertazzoni—are painted in the Ferrari paint factory.’”
Spacious and visually appealing, the new teaching kitchen also promotes productivity and efficiency for students navigating heavy courseloads and busy schedules. “The brand-new commercial dishwashing equipment includes a 3-compartment sink and two Hobart ware washers that wash, rinse and sanitize in just under two minutes.”
The kitchen supports the 3-credit course, Culinary Nutrition (11:709:201) paired with the 1-credit lab (11:709:202) in addition to Experimental Foods (11:709:489), a 4-credit course.
The modern new teaching kitchen in Davison Hall on the Cook/Douglass campus. Photo credit: Office of Public Outreach and Communication/Lori Nardoza.
Keresztes looks back at the lab and its original uses and offers some insight into how the modernized space fits into the aspirations and plans for both the school and department.
The original food laboratory was built in 1962. Courses at that time primarily enrolled women, as the focus was on home economics, explains Keresztes. “The subjects were related to cooking, sewing, table setting and ironing, which were among the basic life skills for being a home maker at the time.”
Melissa Keresztes in the newly unveiled teaching kitchen in Davison Hall on the Cook/Douglass campus. Photo: Courtesy of Melissa Keresztes.
After preparing generations of nutritional sciences undergraduates with hands-on courses, it was time to renovate and modernize, says Keresztes. “Several safety and sanitation concerns coupled with outdated appliances, improper ventilation and poor accessibility were ultimately reasons enough to commit to the lab remodel.”
Renovations began in December 2023. Several original items, including dinnerware, serving dishes, linens and even an antique Ironrite ironing machine had still been stored in the foods lab.
“During demolition, old artifacts were found behind the counter tops. It’s like a time capsule, of sorts. We found a handwritten recipe card for candy, and ashtray, a dated potholder in its original packing and a Polaroid photo of a woman, whom we still have not been able to identify.”
According to Keresztes, the new teaching kitchen remodel aligns with both the school and department’s SEBS strategic plans. “It is a space that provides state-of-the-art classrooms while the lab promotes hands-on, experience-based education that helps advance health and wellness research and educate the next generation to advance a healthy, sustainable future.”
The renovated space also serves as a place to engage alumni, community, government and industry partners, and amplify SEBS’ leadership in helping to transform the lives of New Jersey residents and beyond.
Keresztes also notes that the renovations allow for greater alignment with the department’s strategic plan in that the new teaching kitchen lab helps to foster education in our future leaders in nutrition, dietetics, health and culinary arts.
“A part of our vision for the space is to also provide community engagement such as a continuing education opportunity to faculty and staff, healthy cooking classes, and space rental agreements to departments across campus,” adds Keresztes.
