Mendocino College, based in Ukiah, Calif., has received a $500 donation that will be used for equipment at the Ukiah campus. Courtesy photo.

UKIAH, Calif. – The Culinary Arts Management program at Mendocino College, led by newly hired faculty member Nicholas Petti, recently received $500 from the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission.

The program plans to use the funds to purchase equipment for the facility on the Ukiah campus which was built several years ago using a donation from Dennis and Madelyn Yeo and the Mendocino College Foundation.

“The grape growers are natural partners for our program,” said Petti, the college’s first full-time culinary arts instructor. “We’re thrilled that they donated part of the proceeds of their annual wine competition to us.” The other half of the proceeds went to scholarship funds for farmworker families.

According to Petti, “The funds will help the culinary arts program graduate students who will be valuable to area employers. Although some students are enrolled in culinary classes as electives for transfer, the majority of them are working toward their culinary arts certificate.”

Students electing to complete the certificate will possess the skills necessary to succeed in jobs in the foodservice industry.

The two-semester program covers everything from local foods to advanced pastry making.

For more information about the program, visit the Mendocino College Web site, or call Nicholas Petti at 707-467-1052.