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Kroger to build culinary training center

Aiming to make its home city a “food hub” and improve the level at which it executes everything from corporate branded goods to prepared dishes, Kroger will begin building a culinary training center near its headquarters in Cincinnati, CEO Rodney McMullen said Thursday.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

June 24, 2016

2 Min Read
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The training facility will serve as a

Aiming to make its home city a “food hub” and improve the level at which it executes everything from corporate branded goods to prepared dishes, Kroger will begin building a culinary training center near its headquarters in Cincinnati, CEO Rodney McMullen said Thursday.

McMullen said the company would break ground next month on the Kroger Culinary Training and Education Center. “It will serve as our national epicenter for everything culinary, from equipping Kroger chefs with world class skills, to elevating food trends, to developing delicious new dishes and corporate brand products,” he said. “Our team is creating a curriculum for our associates so that they can share not only their passion for food, but also their knowledge of food with customers.”

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The announcement comes less than a month after Walmart opened a culinary center near its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., including employee training and test kitchens. Between them they signal intentions to bump up the quality of the food offerings as a means of distinguishing themselves.

“We believe that a unique state-of-the-art facility will elevate Kroger and further establish Cincinnati as a hub for the food industry,” McMullen added in remarks during the company’s annual meeting Thursday.

McMullen said the facility would limited to Kroger employees but that the company was considering opening cooking schools in two stores in Cincinnati.

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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