The Portage College St. Paul campus held a grand opening for a unique new endeavour that aims to offer fresh food to the community on a regular basis.
A grand opening celebration took place at the college on Feb. 14 for the Portage Market, which is located inside the St. Paul campus, on main street.
Beverly Lockett says the market has been in the college's plans since renovations at the campus in St. Paul took place five or six years ago, and it was just a matter of "getting the dream and getting the vision together."
The mood on Thursday afternoon was celebratory. A large cake, made at the college, was ready to be served to those in attendance, and the shelves and coolers in the market space were filled with delicious items.
Lockett says the market will offer the community a space to purchase good, handmade food. The space is also a benefit to the students at the college, who can now be part of the entire cycle, and will get to see people actually buying their products.
Food at the market is mostly prepared by the culinary and baking students, while some assorted items may be prepared by the college’s caterer, Andrea Gauthier, who also happens to be a graduate of the Portage culinary program, according to information received from the college.
Along with serving coffee and tea, there may also be some special in-house drink made by the programs within the college, such as lemonade. Food will run in line with the college's programs and what students are busy preparing in the kitchen. For example, one month students may focus on international food, but once those items are sold, they may not be available until the following year, according information from the college.
Initial plans for the market are to operate from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Hours may be extended if there are special events taking place with catering. The goal is to have to market longer once the college is more aware of the demand for service in St. Paul.
Randy Benson, the chairman of the board of governors with Portage College, was on hand for the ribbon cutting. He believes the market will be a great opportunity for the community, and sees it as one of many partnerships that will continue to evolve in St. Paul.
The market is also planning on offering more than just items prepared at the college. Plans to work on a commission based system for people who would like to sell their products in the store are underway, although only a limited number of non-food items will be taken.
Lockett explains that one example of this could be items created at the Lac La Biche campus through the Native Arts and Culture program.
Local producers can also ask for their fresh fruits and vegetables to be sold through the store, as long as the items are labelled with the producer’s name and the name of their farm.
The college cannot accept food items that were not produced in the Portage College facility due to health inspection regulations. But items produced at the college's facility, which can be rented out by local producers, may be accepted.
For now though, those involved in the creation of the market are simply celebrating the opening of the space, and "we're going to be smart, and start small," says Lockett.
