RCC's Hudson On Main Market Closes To Seek New Business Partner

NYACK, NY — Hudson Market on Main will close Saturday for the rest of the winter as Rockland Community College seeks a new partner to help operate the cafe at 5 N. Broadway.

Opened in late 2019 as a collaboration between RCC'S Hospitality & Culinary Arts Center and FLIK Hospitality Group, which runs the student cafe and Field House concessions on the college's main campus, Hudson Market on Main was known for its innovative menu featuring ingredients sourced from Hudson Valley vendors including the Nyack Farmers Market, Hudson Valley Harvest in Kingston, Catskills Mountain Sugar House in Grahamsville, and more.

The hope is to reopen this summer with a new partner and innovations.

Meanwhile, classes for RCC culinary students will continue uninterrupted in the same building, and during the spring semester, will offer a pop-up experience twice weekly so you can still enjoy meals freshly prepared by the students. Items will be available for take-out or dine-in.

Also, the popular Food Enthusiast classes for the community, spearheaded by Mark Davidoff, director of the Nyack Extension Site, will continue. The upcoming schedule includes Feb 17 - Love is in the Air, March 10 - Pasta Making, April 7 - Holiday appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, and May 12 - Spring Special. Find more information on these classes here.

The Rockland County Visitor’s Center will be re-located to the building lobby where people can find resources including maps of the region, brochures and rack cards for various venues and entertainment options across the county.

The market is part of RCC's Hospitality & Culinary Arts Center, which was created in response to the growth in restaurants and tourism in the Mid-Hudson Valley and the resulting need for more qualified workers.

It offers fast-track culinary arts degrees and certificate programs, plus workforce-ready training for veterans and under-served populations.

The Market was established to provide additional real-world learning opportunities for students while also serving the community and visitors to Nyack — both as a cafe and through cooking classes for the community.

RCC will continue to work with FLIK at the Hawk’s Nest (student café) on the Main Campus in Suffern, concessions for events at the Field House, and other catering opportunities.

“We are grateful for the collaboration with FLIK to launch the Market and appreciate the relationship and the support they provided for the Culinary Arts Center students,” Davidoff said.

A spokesperson for FLIK noted that together the college and the company were able to develop a restaurant that supported the local community during the height of a global pandemic. "Though our relationship is changing, we are still committed to working with RCC’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts Center to provide a pipeline for future employment opportunities."

The college put the partnership proposal out to bid on Tuesday.

“The relationship with FLIK was invaluable for our students. They experienced first-hand what goes into running and managing a retail establishment offering a real-world experience," said Chris Spezial, Program Director for the Hospitality & Culinary Arts Center. "We look forward to a similar relationship with the new partner when the Market reopens.”

Find info and register for classes here.