What has served as a training ground for culinary arts and hospitality students at City College of San Francisco for years is now facing closure due to ongoing budget cuts.

The school’s cafeteria could be the latest victim of budget cuts as the culinary arts and hospitality program looks to cut $250,000 from its $1.6 million budget.

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies Department Chair Tannis Reinhertz said the cafeteria will close in three months unless the necessary funds are found over that time period. In lieu of these budgetary troubles, the school has launched a fundraising campaign targeting graduates of the culinary arts program.

Reinhertz said roughly 50 to 70 people graduate from the two-year culinary program each semester and they are hoping to reconnect with alumni to help save the cafeteria, which is a vital core for students who can get hands-on experience working in a high-volume environment.

The cuts are just part of a projected $14 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year for the school, although those numbers could nearly double if certain measures fail on the November ballot.

Photo Credit: Vincent Palmier, The Guardman

• Tag: Alumni, budget cuts, Cafeteria, City College of San Francisco, closure, Culinary Arts Program, Fundraising Campaign