Cornell's Revamped Food Lab Trains Aspiring Chefs

Students in the Nolan School's Restaurant Management course get hands-on experience in the upgraded Grailer Food Lab.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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The Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration's Grailer Food Lab has undergone a major renovation, dividing the space into a full-service kitchen and a teaching kitchen. Students in the Restaurant Management course are now able to get practical experience running a real restaurant, with chef assistants supporting their learning in the new, energy-efficient facility.

Why it matters

The revamped Grailer Food Lab provides hotel administration students with a state-of-the-art facility to gain real-world culinary and restaurant management skills. The new layout and technology upgrades, including an all-electric, induction-based kitchen, make the lab a more effective teaching environment.

The details

The Grailer Food Lab's renovations have created a more efficient setup, with a full-service kitchen in the front and a teaching kitchen with 14 workstations in the back. This allows the Nolan School to run the student-operated Establishment restaurant while also hosting other classes and events. The new all-electric, induction-based kitchen equipment reduces energy usage and carbon emissions compared to traditional gas-powered appliances.

  • The Grailer Food Lab recently reopened after two years of renovations.
  • The Restaurant Management course is a long-time pillar of the Nolan School's curriculum.

The players

River Aquino

A '27 student who demonstrated his culinary skills by preparing a shrimp salad appetizer in the new kitchen.

Christian Latimer

The chef instructor who taught the students how to make truffle fries in the fryer.

Isabelle Louis

A '26 student who noted the efficiency of the new kitchen setup.

Robert White

The associate director of instructional support and lab operations in the Nolan School, who said the new layout is more conducive to learning.

Heather Kolakowski

A senior lecturer in food and beverage management at the Nolan School, who commented on the increased space in the lab.

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What they’re saying

“We can definitely tell that the kitchen here is built for efficiency. It's really nice to have a very efficient setup so that we can run a full-service restaurant while teaching and learning and having students understand how it works.”

— Isabelle Louis, Hotel administration major, '26 (Mirage News)

“The new layout of the lab is more conducive to learning. It's much easier for us to teach in and make sure that everybody's getting the same information.”

— Robert White, Associate director of instructional support and lab operations, Nolan School (Mirage News)

“It just looks bigger, even though it's literally the same footprint.”

— Heather Kolakowski, Senior lecturer in food and beverage management, Nolan School (Mirage News)

What’s next

The Nolan School plans to continue utilizing the upgraded Grailer Food Lab to provide hands-on culinary and restaurant management training for its hotel administration students.

The takeaway

The revamped Grailer Food Lab at Cornell's Nolan School represents a significant investment in equipping the next generation of hospitality leaders with practical skills and experience in a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient teaching environment.