FULTON – With a grant from Pathfinder Bank and the completed commercial kitchen checked off the renovation’s project list at CNY Arts Center, the multi-arts organization announces the launch of Arty’s Cookie Jar as part of the Culinary Arts programming.
Featuring a menu of classic cookie favorites, the Cookie shop will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. A generous $2,000 grant from Walmart Foundation provided start-up funds for inventory and supplies.
“We have long awaited the completion of this beautiful teaching kitchen and there are so many exciting ways to use it,” said Executive Director Nancy Fox. “From cooking classes to chef-inspired dinners, there is a lot of excitement about this new opportunity to increase our arts programming and also bring folks to the Arts Center.”
The kitchen was always intended to be a source of earned income for the non-profit organization.
“When the pandemic shut us down and took away our primary source of income, the theatre and live performing arts, we had to look for ways to diversify our revenue streams,” Fox said. “Getting the kitchen finished was the first order and then we had to determine how to make money from it.”
With live theatre unlikely to return to full capacity for the foreseeable future, the cookie shop will provide an alternate source of income to support the center while sharing the calendar with cooking classes and demonstrations, including Farm to Table events next summer in the plans.
“We are hoping the community will support us by stopping in for a cookie, or a dozen,” Fox said. “The grant from the Walmart Foundation was perfectly timed to help us cover those start-up expenses.”
A grant from Pathfinder Bank made the kitchen renovation possible which includes a commercial ten-burner stove with state of the art fire-suppression system. A portion of the office next door was partitioned to make a large pantry allowing for ample storage.
“We just couldn’t be more grateful and excited for the generous support of both these corporations who have stepped up to make this dream come true,” Fox said. “The possibilities for Culinary Arts are endless and the community will benefit from having this new space available.”
Arty’s Cookie Jar, open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and extended hours during Arts Center events, is closed during cooking classes and culinary events such as Artycation. Kids cooking classes are held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday and Thursdays through November 12. On those days, the cookie shop will open at noon. For more information, call 315-598-ARTS (2787). Website information will be added soon.
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