Gift will help create a new hands-on learning experience for hospitality students
PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. – Mark and Leslie Spencer have given $250,000 to support the revitalization of the St. Regis Restaurant at Paul Smith’s College, helping create a new setting where students can learn the hospitality business by working in a real restaurant.
Located on Lower St. Regis Lake, the restaurant will be renovated to serve as a student-run operation and learning space for students studying culinary arts, hospitality, and related fields. It compliments the College’s existing training restaurant, the Ganzi, by introducing a larger, more complex restaurant space for upperclassmen to operate.
Students will gain experience across the operation of the restaurant, from culinary production and service to guest relations and day-to-day management. The renovated space will also include a teaching kitchen viewing gallery, allowing guests to see students and faculty working during service.
Leslie Spencer spent summers in the Adirondacks, and the family’s involvement in the project began after they connected with Chef Robert Dumas, director of the Institute of Adventure Hospitality & Food at Paul Smith’s College.
“Paul Smith’s gives students the opportunity to learn in a way that is very different from a traditional classroom,” Mark Spencer said. “The St. Regis Restaurant is a great example of that. Students will be able to work with faculty, serve real guests, and learn what it takes to create a successful hospitality experience. We are pleased to support that opportunity.”
The project also includes support from Joe VanWhy as part of his broader investment in hospitality education at Paul Smith’s College.
The restaurant has a direct connection to the College’s history. Apollos “Paul” Smith arrived in the Adirondacks in 1859 and built a hotel on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake that became a renowned wilderness destination. His legacy eventually gave rise to the institution that bears his name.
For today’s students, the site offers a chance to connect that history with the future of hospitality.
“Our students learn their profession by doing it,” said Dumas. “At the St. Regis Restaurant, they will work with faculty, serve guests, and experience the pace and expectations of a real restaurant. That is the kind of learning that prepares students to step into the profession with confidence.”
The Spencer gift is part of a growing wave of private support for Paul Smith’s College. In recent months, donors have committed support for hospitality facilities, student spaces, and the College’s broader direction.
Media Contact:
Ben Brosseau, Director of Communications, Paul Smith’s College
bbrosseau2@paulsmiths.edu, 518-327-6031
About Paul Smith’s College:
At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu
