{"id":41016,"date":"2025-10-20T14:37:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=41016"},"modified":"2025-10-20T14:37:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:37:40","slug":"new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab Serves Up Dining And Hands-On Training For Young Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_41017\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41017\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-41017\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41017\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student chef at Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab in Albany practices saut\u00e9ing techniques during dinner service. The program, powered by the SEAT Center, trains young professionals in the culinary and hospitality industry.<br \/>Courtesy Hattie&#8217;s Culinary Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By Staff Writer<\/p>\n<p>The first week of service at Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab, powered by the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, marked an enthusiastic start for a new culinary venture that combines workforce training, community engagement, and the enduring legacy of one of the Capital Region\u2019s most iconic restaurant names.<\/p>\n<p>Located in the historic Hattie\u2019s Albany space on Madison Avenue, the lab officially opened to the public on Oct. 9, launching a new chapter for both Hattie\u2019s and SEAT. The innovative partnership transforms the restaurant into a hands-on classroom where students receive comprehensive training in both back-of-house and front-of-house hospitality operations while serving guests during live dinner service.<\/p>\n<p>Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab operates every Thursday and Friday evening with two seatings\u20145:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.\u2014offering a prix fixe menu priced under $40 per person. The menu combines Hattie\u2019s beloved Southern classics with globally inspired dishes designed to broaden student-chefs\u2019 culinary education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a good turnout \u2014 every reservation built the students\u2019 confidence even more,\u201d said Jennifer Lawrence, founder and CEO of the SEAT Center. \u201cThe community is thrilled to see an establishment dedicated to training young professionals. Guests love the opportunity to support young people and their future while dining out. Many people raved about the food, service, and overall energy inside the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"><span class=\"\"><b><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s2\"><!--more--><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span>The SEAT Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming lives through education, workforce development, and social enterprise. Through its Culinary Lab program, the organization provides students with both technical and soft skills that prepare them for careers in restaurants, hotels, and other areas of the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n<p>Lawrence said 12 students are enrolled in the inaugural training cohort, including eight working in the kitchen who had never worked in the industry before. \u201cThey are rising to the occasion,\u201d she said. \u201cAs soon as the first guest walks in, all of their training and preparation become evident. At the end of each night, you can hear the back of house erupt in a celebratory \u2018we did it\u2019 cheer when the last ticket is fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Property owners Ed and Lisa Mitzen, who purchased and restored the Hattie\u2019s Albany property, share that vision. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to see this space come alive in a way that both honors Miss Hattie\u2019s legacy and supports the next generation of talent,\u201d said the Mitzens. \u201cThe Culinary Lab is a powerful example of how community partnerships can create meaningful impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawrence said the partnership honors Hattie Austin Moseley\u2019s original spirit of generosity and inclusion. \u201cIn 1938, Hattie stepped off a train in Saratoga Springs with just $33 in her pocket. It wasn\u2019t just the food that made her famous \u2014 it was her compassion,\u201d she said. \u201cNearly a century later, her legacy of generosity and opportunity lives on through SEAT Center. Together, we\u2019re honoring her spirit by training and employing young people launching their careers in culinary and hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, SEAT hopes to expand service to include lunch and additional evenings. \u201cLocal business and partner support as customers is vital,\u201d Lawrence added. \u201cEvery reservation helps students gain real-world experience and supports a program that builds our region\u2019s future workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reservations for Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab can be made through Resy, and program details are available at www.theculinarylab.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Staff Writer The first week of service at Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab, powered by the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, marked an enthusiastic start for a new culinary venture that combines workforce training, community engagement, and the enduring legacy of one of the Capital Region\u2019s most iconic restaurant names. Located in the historic Hattie\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":41017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>New Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab Serves Up Dining And Hands-On Training For Young Professionals - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab Serves Up Dining And Hands-On Training For Young Professionals - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Staff Writer The first week of service at Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab, powered by the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, marked an enthusiastic start for a new culinary venture that combines workforce training, community engagement, and the enduring legacy of one of the Capital Region\u2019s most iconic restaurant names. Located in the historic Hattie\u2019s [&hellip;]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-20T18:37:40+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/\",\"name\":\"New Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab Serves Up Dining And Hands-On Training For Young Professionals - Saratoga Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-20T18:37:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2025\/10\/new-hatties-culinary-lab-serves-up-dining-and-hands-on-training-for-young-professionals\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/10\/hatties.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":750,\"caption\":\"A student chef at Hattie\u2019s Culinary Lab in Albany practices saut\u00e9ing techniques during dinner service. 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