CCAC coming to bustling Charleroi business development
Chef Christine Somales prepares to test some recipes in her kitchen at Sweet and Spicy Culinary in Charleroi, a shared space with Off the Wall Arts.
Rebecca Devereaux|Herald-Standard
Some of the classes offered at Off the Wall Arts in Charleroi are pottery and painting.
Rebecca Devereaux|Herald-Standard
Wine tasting is offered at Off the Wall Arts in Charleroi.
Rebecca Devereaux|Herald-Standard
Washington Winery is one of the new businesses at the Charleroi site.
Rebecca Devereaux|Herald-Standard
Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce James Protin Jr. talks about what new business opportunities are being provided at 530-532 McKean Ave., in Charleroi.
Some success is born of humble beginnings and almost by accident.
So was the case for a bustling incubator-like business development in downtown Charleroi featuring Off the Wall Arts started by Casey Clark, who is now sharing space with Christine Somales, who offers cooking classes at Sweet and Spicy Culinary. The two are running their businesses at 530-532 McKean Ave. along with several other businesses.
Now, the partnership will bring the Community College of Allegheny County to Charleroi by the fall.
Somolas has taught at CCAC since 2010 in a wide variety of cooking classes, similar to what she does at Sweet and Spicy.
“They are enrichment, noncredit courses,” Somales said. “Basic cooking, cake decorating, ethnic dishes. What’s nice about CCAC is they have some goals they want to achieve but let you write the classes up.”
Somales said CCAC fits into the combined business well, offering flexibility of courses.
“They were looking for available space, so I told them I have a kitchen at Off the Wall Arts,” Somoles said. “That’s what got the ball rolling. CCAC is expanding and is so happy to come into this area.”
Somolas said she recognized that CCAC was offering community courses in subjects that Off The Wall Arts offers, such as painting, pottery and dance. So she connected Clark with CCAC officials, who came to view the Charleroi site in April.
“It was like serendipity — all of the pieces came together,” Somoles said.
“Through CCAC, the kitchen will be open up to other cooks. For all of the culinary classes through CCAC, all of this will be opened up to them. We don’t sell (food) out of here. The kitchen is for teaching.”
CCAC classes will begin in the fall in Charleroi. The noncredit community courses are separate from CCAC’s continued interest in the former Donora Elementary Center campus.
Jamie Protin, president of the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the CCAC courses will attract people to the valley from throughout the region. The term lifestyle classes defines the life enhancing classes, Protin said.
He noted that with CCAC, the two buildings will be home to nine businesses: CCAC, Off the Wall Arts, Mackin Engineering, Hot Shotz Photography, CCE Drafting, Washington Winery, Sweet and Spicy Culinary and the Dance Loft.
The ninth business opens today — Clark will open Perked up Cafe at 532 McKean Ave. The cafe will offer wraps, baked oatmeal cookies, soups, salads, flat breads.
Clark said the cafe will have an eclectic vintage home vibe. The shelves of the cafe are decorated with everything from an egg beater to 1950s magazines, from S&H Green Stamps to a children’s riding fire truck and vintage cameras.
“It’s something we can use down here for busy bodies like us who don’t have an hour to sit down for lunch,” Clark said of Perked Up.
“It will be a great alternative for working people who want to grab a sandwich, coffee and soup and go back out the door, or sit and eat.”
And it will be the latest business to call the little section of the 500 block of McKean Avenue home.
“There were no grants,” Somolas said. “Everyone reached into their own pockets and worked to make it happen. It’s like a business incubator, but it all just filled out.”