Chaney Dining Center Hosts Canton Jamaican Restaurant 'Da Kitchen'

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Jody A. Pitt owner of Da Kitchen Jamaican Restaurant in Downtown Canton makes rice and mixed vegetables in SUNY Canton’s Chaney Dining Center Kitchen.

CANTON, NY (03/05/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton's Chaney Dining Center recently presented students with a full menu of Jamaican cuisine.

Dining center staff invited guest cook Jody A. Pitt from Da Kitchen in downtown Canton to cook her specialties. Pitt is a former student who saw the opportunity to share her cooking alongside the dinner service at Chaney

"Chaney provided the ingredients and I provided my recipes," Pitt said, as she stirred a large pot of rice in Chaney's kitchen. "I'm so happy to see students come out. I love to see people enjoying our food."

She prepared ox tail, curry chicken, rice and peas and jerk pork.

Students lined up for the specialty fares. Tracy T. Miller, a Sports Management Major from Brooklyn, was already a regular customer at Da Kitchen. Miller said he loved the convenience of having the food at the dining center. "I wish they had this all the time," he added.

Susan D. Law, director of dining services, said having guest cooks from local restaurants fits in with the overall mission to tie food services with local vendors and growers. "We like to tie our operations with local businesses whenever we can," she said. "In this case it gives students new options while helping Jody market her business."

Steven W. Maiocco, assistant director of dining and executive chef said, "Our students love to try new things and are very appreciative of the expanded selection."

The Dining Center also hosts local vendor and grower exhibitions each semester to highlight its ties with local businesses.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier College for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The College delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management, and public service to students in the North Country, New York State, and beyond. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as eight exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The College's 14 athletic teams compete in state-of-the-art facilities as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.

-www.canton.edu-