Steinbach Arts Council is excited to finally renovate their kitchen

The kitchen renovation at Steinbach Arts Council (SAC) is in full swing.

Renovating the kitchen is the final stage in their Co-op Community Spaces in Collaboration with the City of Steinbach project which first started in 2018. 

David Klassen Executive Director for SAC says he is excited to finally wrap up the project. 

“We've been promising to finish this last piece of that renovation for a long time, and we're finally able to put those last sort of buttons on the project.” 

The kitchen hasn’t been renovated since it was first put in over 30 years ago. 

“Our countertops were already starting to fall apart, our work surfaces were insufficient, and our faucets were no longer functioning properly,” he says. “So this is really to increase the functionality of the kitchen and invest in our culinary arts programming.” 

He explains that not everything in the kitchen is being replaced. 

“As any nonprofit, we would try to get the most out of what we already have and then make improvements in a responsible way. The cabinets were in very good condition, so we were able to reuse those and replace countertops, sinks, faucets and kitchen island, and then put some new lighting in.” 

Klassen notes they weren't able to put any of the funding into the appliances.  

“The ones that we had were functioning well enough. And eventually we would hope for larger fridges and more industrial stoves and that sort of thing. But for now, we reused what we already had.” 

Culinary kids classes and adult workshops in the culinary arts both take place in the kitchen. 

Klassen says Arts for Tots also uses the space to do Montessori-inspired teaching. 

“We expose kids to a number of different kitchen experiences, things like making pizza or cooking other simple foods that a preschooler can actually latch onto and take that experience with them.” 

They also use the kitchen as a multi-purpose space. 

“So we get a lot of uses out of that small space.”  

Klassen says they are excited to have a fully freshened up kitchen that will allow them to begin running their culinary arts programs again. 

“We had to stop those programs during the pandemic, and now people are really excited to participate, and we'll have a beautiful new kitchen to facilitate those classes.” 

He assures the kitchen will be completed by the time classes begin in the middle of September. 

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