New Student-Ran Eatery Officially in Place Following Ribbon Cutting Event at Middletown Commons
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on April 07, 2026
Pierpont Community & Technical College celebrated the opening of Café ’74 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week at Middletown Commons, marking the launch of a new student?run café designed to provide hands?on, workforce?focused training for students in the college’s Food Service Management programs.
The event followed a soft opening earlier this month and brought together students, faculty and staff, local and state leaders, business partners and community members to formally welcome the café into the region.
“This café is a clear example of who we are and why we exist,” said Dr. Michael Waide, Interim President of Pierpont Community & Technical College. “This student-led, lab-based café represents the very best of community college education. Here, our students in pastry and baking, culinary arts, and food service management are not just learning concepts in a classroom. They are applying them in real time.”
Café ’74 gives students direct responsibility for daily operations, including food preparation, customer service, inventory management and use of industry?standard equipment and point-of-sale systems. The café is connected directly to Pierpont’s culinary teaching kitchen, allowing students to move seamlessly from instruction to service in a professional setting.
“This is workforce education at its finest,” Waide said. “It is hands-on, it is practical and it is aligned directly with the needs of our local economy.”
The café was developed with support from a $90,000 grant through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act State Tourism Program, awarded through the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.
The investment expands Pierpont’s Culinary Academy and supports experiential learning opportunities that place students in real?world professional settings before graduation.
David Beighley, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, described Café ’74 as a natural and impressive next step for
Pierpont’s academic programs.
“This café is more than a place to grab a great meal; it is a living classroom,” Beighley said. “It’s where theory meets practice, where skills are sharpened and where our students gain real?world experience that prepares them for meaningful careers in hospitality, culinary arts and food service management.”
Students rotating through Café ’74 prepare a menu that includes breakfast items, bakery selections, wraps, salads and coffee drinks, all produced under faculty supervision. The café’s name honors 1974, the year Pierpont was founded, underscoring the college’s long?standing mission of access, opportunity and workforce preparation.
For Natalie Feltz, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for Food Service Management, Café ’74 represents a shift toward experiential learning models that mirror how the industry operates. Feltz cut the ribbon during the ceremony as students and college leaders gathered behind her.
“With a student?run, counter?service café, our classroom becomes a real business,” Feltz said. “Students aren’t just learning concepts from a textbook; they’re managing production, running service, engaging with customers and experiencing the pace and accountability of a real operation.”
Community leaders and partners joined Pierpont faculty, staff and students for the ribbon cutting, including members of the Pierpont Board of Governors, state and local officials, and representatives of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce. Following the ceremony, guests were invited to sample menu items and interact with students working in the café.
“It’s about more than the food,” said White Hall Mayor Jason DeFrance. “It’s about what restaurants and hospitality bring to a community and about preparing people who care about that experience.”
The ribbon cutting was hosted in partnership with the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, highlighting Café ’74’s role in both education and economic development.
“Pierpont has long been a cornerstone of education and workforce development in our region,” said Dani DeVito, President of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce. “Hands?on learning experiences like Café ’74 build confidence, develop real?world skills and strengthen the workforce our local businesses depend on. It’s an honor to welcome Café ’74 to the chamber and to our community.”
For students, the café offers an opportunity to apply classroom learning before graduation while serving the public.
“Working in Café ’74 has helped us understand what it really takes to operate a business,” said Rachel Baker, a Pierpont student. “We’re gaining experience we’ll carry into our careers while having the chance to serve the community.”
Café ’74 is located inside Middletown Commons, Suite 129, and is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the academic term as part of scheduled course instruction.
