Emma Alward, a senior, prepares to serve hors d’oeuvres during the grand opening of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s $7 million expansion, which includes a culinary arts department. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

BIDDEFORD — Elected officials and school leaders spoke over the gentle sound of apron-clad students preparing prosciutto-wrapped figs and smoked salmon blinis with caviar in the brand-new extension of the Biddeford Regional Center for Technology.

The new culinary arts program has been up and running for about four weeks, and Tuesday’s celebration of the center’s $7 million expansion is the first major event students have catered.

The wing includes the space for new culinary arts, hospitality and athletic training programs, as well as expanded EMT, plumbing and heating courses. The extension will also house middle school programming and classes for the Biddeford Adult Education school.

The district received a large grant from the Maine Department of Education for the improvements in 2022, part of the billion-dollar Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan investment.

On Tuesday morning, faculty, administrators and students gathered for the ribbon cutting of the expansion built by Gorham-based Great Falls Construction.

State officials including Gov. Janet Mills broke ground on the site in June 2023. The center was one of four in the state that was awarded money for career and technical education projects. It serves students from Biddeford, Saco, Kennebunk and Old Orchard Beach.

“Biddeford has long been a beacon of innovation and industry. From the textile mills that once powered our economy to the high-tech companies that now call our city home, we’ve always been on the forefront of change,” Superintendent Jeremy Ray said. “This expansion is just the next step in a proud tradition.”

He said the center used to only serve upperclassmen, but it now offers 20 programs to more than 500 students. He also said it used to primarily cater to students who weren’t interested in college, but that’s no longer true.

Connor Moore, a junior, prepares crab cakes during the grand opening of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s $7 million expansion, which includes a culinary arts department. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Dwight Littlefield, the state’s director for career and technical education, said the opening of the center aligns with a statewide goal to grow technical education.

“In six years, we’ve seen a 20% increase, serving over 10,000 students across the state.” he said. “Here in Biddeford alone, since 2020, they’ve seen a 54% increase.”

The center’s director of 10 years, Paulette Bonneau, said she had long wanted to offer programs like cooking and hospitality to meet the demands of growing industries in the area.

“We are in a hotbed of tourism and restaurants, Biddeford has become known as a foodie town, and we knew at some point that was a goal for us, and we looked at different options,” Bonneau said. “But we were ready, and when this money became available we knew what we wanted, we put all of our efforts forward and we were very successful.

Steve Ogden directs the culinary program. He said this inaugural class is preparing students for work in the real restaurant industry because they are part of establishing the program from the ground up.

“This will be the only year that the kids will open a restaurant. That’s what they’re doing, actually ordering the stuff that’s coming in every day. They unpack it, they organize it, they inventory it,” he said. “Twenty years from now, they can say yeah, I helped build that program.”

Ogden said there are 17 students enrolled this semester, although the program will have the capacity for about 30. Junior Caleb Tardif said he’s loving the classes so far, especially baking.

Martin Grohman, mayor of Biddeford, addresses a crowd during a grand opening of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s $7 million expansion on Tuesday. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

“It’s just like a science,” he said. “You need the correct things, a little bit too much will mess it, and a little bit too little will mess it up as well.”

Tardif is one of those students who is planning to go to college – he wants to study physics or chemistry – but he said this technical background will help him find a job at a restaurant when he goes away to school. He said he strongly recommends the program to future students.

“It’s something different than their normal classes,” he said. “And it’s definitely an experience.”