Did you know that there are nearly 800 full-service restaurants and 300 quick-service restaurants in Delaware County?
Culinary is one of the top job opportunities in Pennsylvania, and it is a Pennsylvania High Priority Occupation (HPO). For skilled workers in culinary arts and hospitality, the future is bright — yet for business owners in the sector, the labor shortage is daunting.
Delaware County Community College (DCCC) is helping to meet that need by turning out skilled graduates poised to enter the industry. The College’s award-winning Culinary Arts program offers chef-instructors with real-world, high-end restaurant experience who teach DCCC students the art of creating fine cuisine. It is a key component of DCCC’s “Building Community Campaign” — a bold $7.5 million initiative to provide greater access to education, promote social and economic mobility, and share the future of workforce development in the region.
“The chef-instructors at DCCC were excellent, and the College was incredibly supportive of my unique challenges as a working mother,” said DCCC Culinary Arts graduate Khia Smith of Lansdowne, now pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Neumann University. “I acquired not only great technical skills but also ‘soft’ and supervisory skills that will help position me for management jobs in the hospitality industry.”
Work continues in preparation for the January 2026 opening of the College’s new Southeast Center at the site of the former Archbishop Prendergast High School (401 North Lansdowne Avenue, Drexel Hill). The new Center — including a full culinary demonstration kitchen — will address the region’s economic and workforce gaps, creating a stronger economy and meeting employer demands. The fundraising goal of $7.5 million includes $5 million earmarked for the Southeast Center and $1 million for regional workforce development.
The Southeast Center is set to drive remarkable change in the local community. These outcomes, estimated at the beginning of the campaign, are projected for the first five years of the center’s operation and highlight its transformative potential:
- 11,030 qualified workers will be trained for high-priority fields at the Southeast Center.
- Every dollar donated to the campaign is estimated to return $11 in local earnings.
- The local economic impact generated by DCCC will be $1.5 billion.
- 94 percent of career/technical DCCC graduates are projected to work in their related major.
“As the demand for a skilled workforce reaches new heights, the College is poised and ready to prepare our career and technical education students to meet the ever-changing business and industry employment needs of the region,” said DCCC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Laura Chisholm, Ed.D. “By supporting the Building Community campaign, companies and individuals across Delaware and Chester Counties will help create a critical pipeline between students at the College and life-changing opportunities for in-demand jobs earning family-sustaining wages. It is about creating not just immediate workforce solutions, but generational change.”
Business and philanthropic community members interested in forging strategic partnerships with the College are invited to attend special upcoming industry sessions. These forums will provide an opportunity to explore ways to support the Building Community Campaign through a named space in the new Southeast Center, a transformational gift to address critical workforce needs, or other meaningful contributions that will drive long-term impact.
Upcoming sessions are as follows:
- Wednesday, Feb. 12: STEM
- Wednesday, Feb. 26: Skilled Trades/Advanced Technology
- Wednesday, Mar. 5: Healthcare
- Wednesday, Mar. 26: Nonprofits
The forums will be held in the STEM Building, Room 1403 on DCCC’s Main Campus in Media (901 S. Media Line Road). The program starts at 4:00 PM, followed by a light networking reception. To RSVP, contact [email protected], call 610-359-5131, or visit DCCC to learn more.
