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In The News: Culinary-inspired library planned at Green Hills
Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) is progressing through its visionary capital improvement plan, which set ambitious goals to modernize and reposition its broad network of more than 30 library branches. Helix, along with our partners at SAPP Design Architects, has supported MCPL’s evolution with the design and construction of new destination branches that target specific needs in the community.
MCPL’s new Culinary Literacy Center, slated to open later this summer, was spotlighted in a recent article in The Landmark. As reporter Valerie Verkamp notes in her piece, “patrons will soon have another reason to snag a good book and get swept away to their heart’s content at their local public library. The Mid-Continent Public Library is building a new culinary-inspired Green Hills Library Center that will feature a coffee shop, demonstration kitchen, two full-size kitchens available for food-based businesses, and a community programming room.”
According to the article, the inspiration for the new Culinary Literacy Center came from libraries across the country that have adopted similar approaches. “Whether it’s the goal of visitors to learn basic culinary skills or master a scrumptious meal and sublime dessert, the center will play a healthful and vital role in educating locals about assembling and serving super-satisfying meals. True, the clever idea to promote literacy through food was ambitiously derived elsewhere and used as a model for libraries across the county. Nevertheless, the Green Hills Library Center will be the first of its kind in this region to teach healthy cooking.”
“Cooking and eating are educational acts and provide opportunities to learn math, science, languages, history, and so much more. Using cooking as the vehicle for learning, the Culinary Center at MCPL’s Green Hills Library Center will advance literacy through food and cooking around a communal table.” — Steve Potter, MCPL Director and CEO
The article continues: “Today, more than ever, people understand the importance of striking that heart-healthy balance, and many need a place to connect with people and learn about feeding their bodies with nutritious foods. On the basis of success of other culinary literacy centers, the Green Hills Library Center will serve as a magnet for food and literacy.”