The new commercial kitchen about to be opened in the Flaxmere Community Centre will do double duty - used for training budding baristas and for hire to community groups holding functions in the centre.
There will be a grand unveiling next Saturday at which time the name for the kitchen,chosen by the community, will be revealed. The competition to name the room is open until Wednesday.
A full kitchen had been on the wish-list for the community centre for some time, said Hastings District councillor Henare O'Keefe, who is on the board of the Flaxmere Planning Committee.
"The kitchen is pretty impressive and it is something our community is going to be very pleased with. We do need somewhere people can cook for big gatherings being held in the centre; things like birthdays, church gatherings.
"This result is brilliant; perfect. It adds another spoke to the wheel of community connection; a place where our people can gather in the centre of our town for kai and korero. And that it can be used to train our young people who want barista skills is a much-welcome added bonus."
Mr O'Keefe would be at the opening on Saturday, July 8, in his capacity as Hastings Ambassador.
"That role is about celebrating all that is good in Hastings, and building connections within our communities across all races, creeds and colours. I really am looking forward to seeing this facility help build those relationships."
For FutureCol, the facility is perfect, says head of department Dianna Karamaena. The training organisation will be offering free courses in hospitality from the site from August, with the students learning barista skills, light food preparation and table service.
It is about taking the course to the community, said Ms Karamaena.
"There is a big need for qualified baristas, and the course will be right on the doorstep for people who would like to learn either part time or full time."
The courses are for anyone aged 16 or over. "You might be 16, or you could be 56. This is about giving people skills that mean they can work part time around their family needs, or that they can take around the world."
To enter the competition to name the kitchen, either drop into the community centre, grab a form and drop it in the box; or post your idea onto the Flaxmere Community Centre and Flaxrock Gym Facebook page.
To find out about the Introduction to Café and Barista programme contact FutureCOL on 878 5420, 0508 693 888 73 or see: www.futurecol.ac.nz
