Jacksonville Business Journal: FSCJ culinary arts cafe opens in downtown Jacksonville (Photos)

Link to article: https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/03/15/fscj-culinary-arts-cafe-opens-in-downtown.html

The upstairs windows still have Pella architect stickers on them, but downstairs, the FSCJ culinary cafe at 20 W. Forsyth Street is ready to serve the public.

The cafe, 20 West, had its ribbon cutting and grand opening on March 15. The project involved renovating the 104-year-old Lerner building and turning it into apartments for 60 students and a 5,000-square-foot downstairs cafe to be used by the school’s culinary arts program.

A two year effort, the project was funded by a $4.5 million loan from LISC and a $600,000 grant from the Downtown Investment Authority. Danis construction led the build-out.

“This is the beginning of our downtown immersion project,” said FSCJ retiring president Cynthia Bioteau. “We look at the urban core as ready to light up again. And it will light up when we contribute our resources... and our greatest resource are our students.”

Students will begin living in the dorms in August. The cafe is led by FSCJ alumni Brett Cromer, a former Uptown cook and co-founder of Herb & Core in Springfield.