New CMC Aspen Morgridge Teaching Kitchen celebrates with ribbon cutting

Kitchen to serve both professional student chefs and cooking enthusiasts

Feb. 26, 2024 – Colorado Mountain College hosted a ribbon cutting and public open house on Feb. 14 at its new CMC Aspen Morgridge Teaching Kitchen at the Aspen campus.

The Colorado Mountain College Foundation and the Morgridge Family Foundation are offering this new commercial-grade kitchen to both professional culinary students and community members interested in perfecting their cooking skills.

A brief presentation was part of the festivities, featuring CMC President Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser; Steve Skadron, CMC Aspen and Carbondale campus dean; and Carrie Morgridge, vice president and chief disruptor of the Morgridge Family Foundation. Through their foundation, former Aspen residents John and Carrie Morgridge have given several major capital gifts to support CMC, including the campus’s new kitchen.

At 1,173 square feet, the kitchen has a 10-student capacity for CMC’s culinary program and can host 12 to 24 people for cooking classes and other uses. It includes a 405-square-foot student lounge and a 73-square-foot study room.

GE/Monogram donated six pieces of high-end home equipment for CMC’s non-credit programming including two induction cooktops, a double oven range, a wall oven, storage drawer and hearth oven. Boos Butcher Block Company donated two butcher block worktables.  The kitchen also has state-of-the-art Rational iCombi Pro combination ovens as well as two standard commercial ovens.

The new kitchen will play an important role in a partnership between Colorado Mountain College and the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, an annual culinary event and one of the most celebrated food and wine festivals in the United States. The sold-out festival takes place over three days in June and includes five separate tastings for hospitality sector leaders and guests from across the globe.

In 2023, a team of CMC students and their instructors produced the programming for the Best New Chefs event at the festival. CMC will support the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen again in 2024 and the new Morgridge Teaching Kitchen will serve as a signature collaboration venue.

The CMC Aspen Morgridge Teaching Kitchen is located at the Aspen campus, 0255 Sage Way, Aspen Business Center, Aspen.