Jeff Kleinman halls debris at the former Transfer school that Winner is converting to a culinary school.
PORTRAIT OF A WINNER
New school to teach culinary, hospitality skills
The former Transfer Elementary School on Edgewood Drive in Pymatuning Township has been a part of the Winner family for a long time.
From a family farm to an elementary school to the Winner International School of Arts and Sciences, Winners have been traversing that land for years.
The area is part of a farm that was the homestead to James E. Winner Jr., chairman of Sharon-based Winner International. Winner's four children attended elementary school in the building.
And last year he bought the building and he said he plans to open a culinary school there this fall.
While work has started, the final plans are still in the works. Winner talked about one artist's rendering that showed a green awning covering the driveway at the front doors of the school.
``It's going to teach culinary and hospitality skills needed in the restaurant and hotel business,'' Winner said, adding that an executive chef from Canada has been named and a curriculum is being fine-tuned.
Winner said he believes talented people who wish to pursue careers in hotels and restaurants are living in Mercer County but many do not have the opportunity to do so. Many of the culinary schools and other institutions that teach those skills are outside the area.
Published June 30, 1997
