Now Westwood really cooks: Rec preschool first to use center’s renovated kitchen

Westwood Recreation preschoolers inaugurate the renovated Community Center kitchen, 55 Jefferson Ave., in January. Photo: Westwood Recreation Department.

WESTWOOD—The Westwood Recreation Department recently announced the grand opening of its newly renovated commercial kitchen at the Westwood Community Center, 55 Jefferson Ave. The borough said the renovation was funded through its capital account and the Westwood Recreation Department’s trust account.  Westwood residents architect William J. Martin and chef Ross Goldflam provided complementary oversight and professional services for the project.   

Mayor Ray Arroyo posted Jan. 26, “Kudos to Gary Buchheister, our recreation director, and to our rec board members for their vision (and patience) that has given us a fully upgraded Community Center kitchen.”

He emphasized, “No taxpayer dollars were involved. And the new rental fee schedule ensures these trust fund dollars will soon be replenished.”

The renovation, he said, now enables residents to plan events that might require onsite food preparation. The kitchen features a six-burner commercial gas stove and oven, triple-basin sink for cleaning and sanitizing, stainless steel countertops and prep island, and two large refrigerator/freezers.  

The kitchen now also includes important safety features such as a dedicated handwash station, an upgraded commercial exhaust hood, and a new fire suppression system.   

Buchheister told Pascack Press the renovation was an important part in the department’s long-term facility improvement plan. “Having a safe and fully functional kitchen in the community center creates many new event and programming opportunities. We look forward to exploring the creation of new life-skills classes for all ages such as nutrition, cooking and baking, as well as working with local chefs and caterers on private events and programs.” 

As part of the grand opening, the department said, “Westwood Recreation Preschool students were given the honor of being the first to cook in the new kitchen. Teachers Natalie Boes and Kim Quill worked with their ‘little chefs’ to prepare a spaghetti lunch as part of their study of the Caldecott award-winning children’s book ‘Strega Nona’ [1979], which features a kindly witch with a magic pasta pot who helps feed her village.”

Buchheister said residents and neighbors who participate in Westwood Recreation programs will receive information on upcoming cooking classes in program guides, emails, and on social media. 

He told us, “I’ve been working toward this since the day I first stepped in here, 16, 15 years ago. The issue came to fruition when we tried to do a cooking class, and I was instructed by our local fire official — and he was completely in the right — that we’re not allowed to do any cooking, because it’s not a commercial kitchen.”

He said, “The previous kitchen had a little vent, but you’re not allowed to do anything…. even boil hot dogs. You have to have a full hood and fire suppression system, so we weren’t able to utilize it.”

Before the facility was the borough’s community center it was the borough hall, and before that it was a car dealership.

“This building’s been recycled a couple of times over,” Buchheister said. “When they renovated it to the community center, they didn’t have foresight, or maybe the funding wasn’t there. They did it as inexpensive as possible. Now we have a commercial oven, burners, everything is stainless steel, and by health code you have to have a grease interceptor, and hand wash sink, a three-compartment sink — this is all by code.”

And he said the investment was all the more important as the community center is an evacuation site and an emergency warming and cooling site.

“We literally just finished it. We’re in the process of our due diligence, and we’re going to put together policies on rentals, be it for a reunion party or for a local organization’s pancake breakfast, or if a local entrepreneur has, say, a dessert company and they’re working out of their house, and they needed to cook in a commercial kitchen overnight — that’s how a lot of these things work — then they could rent this out. So it’s a benefit for them and rental income for the town,” he said.

Certainly the center is popular today, said Buchheister. “Seniors, boy scouts, girl scouts, all the local PTAs and PTOs have their fundraisers here; we have our classes; and eventually we’re looking at starting cooking classes for adults, kids, seniors…” 

Other center amenities include two large multipurpose rooms, a full-court gymnasium, a meeting room seating up to 16 people, a preschool, and the Recreation Department office.

To learn more about facility rentals with use of the kitchen for private events or for use by professional chefs and catering companies, contact Buchheister at (201) 664-7882 or email gbuchheister@westwoodnj.gov. Westwood Recreation programs and forms are listed at westwoodnj.gov/recreation