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RCC Hopes To Replace FLIK Hospitality Group By Summer
By Tina Traster
Hudson Market on Main in Nyack will close Friday while it seeks to replace its hospitality vendor for its food service and café. The market, run by Rockland Community College’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts Center, is issuing an RFP (request for proposal) this week as it searches for a new operator to replace FLIK Hospitality Group by the summer.
The opportunity to partner with the Hudson Market on Main has been posted on Bidnet Direct.
“We are grateful for the collaboration with FLIK to launch the market and appreciate the support they provided for the Culinary Arts Center students,” says Mark Davidoff, the center’s director.
RCC will continue to contract with FLIK through the end of the semester at the Hawk’s Nest (student café) on the Main Campus in Suffern, at concessions for events at the Field House, as well as other catering opportunities on the RCC campus.
Hudson Market on Main, which opened Nov. 2019, is located in the heart of Nyack at 5 North Broadway in a village building that had long been vacant until the RCC Hospitality & Culinary Art Center was created to foster qualified employees for restaurant and tourism jobs in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The program offers fast-track culinary arts degrees and certificate programs, workforce-ready training for veterans and underserved populations.
The 45-seat market and cafe was founded to provide hands-on, real-world learning opportunities for culinary students, but it also hoped to be a destination for the community and visitors to Nyack. The menu included ingredients sourced from the Hudson Valley, including vendors from the Nyack Farmers Market, Hudson Valley Harvest in Kingston, Catskills Mountain Sugar House in Grahamsville and more.
FLIK is part of the Compass Group, a global company that serves conference centers and hotels, premium airport lounges, law firms, pharmaceutical companies, and sports and entertainment venues, according to their website. The company says its philosophy is to take “a small batch approach to serving the unique needs of each of our clients.”
Chef Cris Spezial, program director for the center, said “The relationship with FLIK was invaluable for our students. They experienced firsthand what goes into running and managing a retail establishment offering a real-world experience.”
The market will remain open during spring semester for twice-weekly pop-up experiences curated by RCC Culinary students. The space is also available for events.
The Food Enthusiast classes for the community will also continue. The upcoming schedule includes Love is in the Air on Feb. 7, Pasta Making on March 10, Holiday appetizers and hors d’oeuvres on April 7 and Spring Special on May 12. https://sunyrockland.edu/about/campustour/hospitality-and-culinary-arts-center/
In addition, the Rockland County Visitor’s Center, which has been housed in the market, will be relocated to the building lobby where visitors can pick up maps, brochures, and rack cards for a variety of venues.
