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Community | Responsibility | Value | Craft | Culture
Our Purpose

Community | Responsibility | Value | Craft | Culture
Our Purpose

Our Purpose

Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food serves as a hub for food training, activities, events and business in Northwest Arkansas. In addition to workforce readiness in the expanding hospitality sector, the school's goal is to explore the larger food world in theory and practice, specifically focusing on agriculture and food issues within the context of community development such as farming, health, food entrepreneurship and public education. Brightwater is one of the most well-rounded, thoughtful and innovative programs in the nation. The school's global understanding, regional roots and community engagement make it a cultural destination for the entire food experience.

Brightwater approaches food as art, food as wellness, and food as business to offer an entirely unique approach to the culinary arts. As an academic department of Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), Brightwater offers uniquely holistic programming with academic and career training in the areas of Artisanal Food, Baking and Pastry, Beverage Arts and Culinary Arts. Special classes in applied farming, seasonal cooking, and the art of fermentation are among the many one-of-a-kind classes that can be found at Brightwater.

The school also features an on-site greenhouse and garden which provide students with a deeper understanding of the complexity of food production, the food system, and its connection to human health and the environment. 

Brightwater provides world-class training for individuals, students and professionals at any point on their journey into the world of food. The school's goal is to develop leaders who combine culinary skills with the ability to recognize and address complex food issues.

Mission

Through community engagement and academic programs, Brightwater provides world-class training and learning for individuals, students and professionals at any point on their journey into the world of food.

Vision

Make the study and craft of food accessible to all - creatively, entrepreneurially and sustainably.

Brightwater Building

History

In 2013, Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food was first conceptualized to be the cornerstone of a comprehensive food strategy to help strengthen the food system. The Walton Family Foundation and NWACC partnered to transform the college’s culinary arts program, building upon theory and practice of how food is grown, transported and produced. Brightwater was to be located within Bentonville’s growing 8th Street Market and offer technical skills for an entrepreneurial and innovative movement, while simultaneously engaging the community through training, commerce and events.

NWACC selected the name Brightwater - an apple indigenous to Northwest Arkansas that had been commercially cultivated in the late 1800s - for its new groundbreaking culinary program, and opened the center’s doors in 2017.

 

Core Values

Brightwater embraces the following core values that reflect our mission and guide our decisions, actions and provision of services.

Community

Community

We are many communities in one. We are an academic and educational community that engages teachers, practitioners, experts and students. We are an open community for anyone interested in the experience of food. Our community has a sense of place. It is rooted in a particular area, region and country. We contribute to the cultural life of the community where we live. In return, it contributes to our institution by engaging with us and supporting our work.

Responsibility

Responsibility

We believe in a 'smart food' approach to culinary practices and enterprises. This means that we create programming and use teaching methods that have the fundamental objective of responsible use and stewardship of the land, ingredients and food sources. In order to achieve this, we teach food systems and services, an understanding of many agricultural methods and a transparent inquiry into food production. By doing so, we provide students with critical thinking skills to balance the economic, agricultural and industrial implications in both the short and long term. We are looking for options that are more than sustainable. They are responsible. Farm to table? Perhaps. Crop to cuisine? Yes.

Value

Value

There are many educational alternatives today that provide cultural learning and career training. However there are few that provide real value in the way that we do. Without ever sacrificing educational experience, quality of programming or real skill development, our institute remains accessible. Value is determined on an axis of what you get versus what it costs. We are committed to being a learning resource that offers notable value and prestigious programming at once.

Cake

Craft

Our approach to the culinary arts, cuisine and food is rooted in artisanal practice. We teach crafts that have-historically-only been taught through long apprenticeship with rare masters. We bring these artisans and craftsmen into the classroom for hands-on teaching in practices such as butchering, brewing, preserving, baking and more. We find our way to the art of food through these artisanal methods.

Students

Culture

We offer a totally immersive experience into the entire culture of food. Our offerings are robust and diverse. They are rooted in history and tradition, the most current and relevant expertise, modern service and experience, and just emerging trend lines and technologies. We dive deeply into our local agriculture and regional offerings to develop tools and an understanding of food that has global applications. We believe that foodways provide a rich and human understanding of any culture.