New York kosher chef training center shuts down

The Center For Kosher Culinary Arts has closed its professional training programs.

The Brooklyn center, which trained more than 500 people during the program’s eight years of operation, will continue to offer cooking classes to the public, Kosher Today reported.

According to the report, the center’s founder, Chef Jesse Blonder, “could not find a partner to help him expand the program and had come under increasing pressure from state Vocational Education authorities.”

“With pride and professionalism, we trained a community of culinary and pastry chefs who now share their skills and talent with the kosher food world,” Blonder said. “They bring exemplary skills and passion to restaurants, catering, manufacturing, media, management as personal chefs, and more. We know they will continue to make us proud.”

The center was the only kosher cooking training school outside of Israel, Kosher Today reported.

Blonder told Kosher Today that he “would regroup and search for ways to continue training chefs in this age of high demand for kosher chefs.”