CANTON -- A new kitchen at Cornell Cooperative Extension could be a big help for farmers looking to market their products, two state lawmakers say. “The commercial kitchen provides an option for …
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CANTON -- A new kitchen at Cornell Cooperative Extension could be a big help for farmers looking to market their products, two state lawmakers say.
“The commercial kitchen provides an option for farmers interested in value added processing but hesitant to make the major expenditure without knowing if their product will be financially viable in the marketplace,” said Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton.
"We are on the cutting edge. We know the future of our economy is largely based on value added agriculture processing. This kitchen really embodies a lot of the major pieces of the puzzle coming together very quickly to really impact the North Country economy, all in one big punch," said Assemblywoman Addie Russell, D-Theresa.
Jerry Manor, president of the extension board of directors, said the agency wanted to dedicate the kitchen in honor of the work Anita Figueras did for the agency during her tenure as finance manager from 2001-2014.
"This beautiful kitchen is a dream come true, a vision realized. I'm honored beyond measure that this is a place where I will be remembered," Figueras said.
The commercial kitchen will provide a broad platform for extension’s educational programming in the areas of agriculture, nutrition and youth development and will also provide local producers with a long-awaited commercial kitchen environment for light food processing and development of value-added products.
The facility boasts a variety of specialized equipment that is not widely available including two six-burner gas stoves with exhaust hood and fire suppression system, a commercial refrigerator and freezer capacity, a blast chiller / flash freezer, a commercial food dehydrator, a large-scale commercial vegetable processor, a large-scale floor mixer with multiple attachments and a vacuum sealer.