Feature Photo: Aerial perspective of the center portion of the Cuisine Solutions factory. Image: Google Streets.
Posted: 5-4-2021
by Adolfo Pesquera
San Antonio (Bexar County) — Brooks Development Authority officials will meet May 12 with the ambassador of France to celebrate the grand opening of Cuisine Solutions, a new $200 million plant that was recently completed.
Cuisine Solutions is an industry-leading supplier of high-quality prepared gourmet entrees, sauces and other food service menu items. Construction began on the facility in March 2019. The facility is located at 8339 Aviation Landing.
This is the largest single investment at the former Air Force base, to date. Cuisine Solutions will be hiring more than 500 employees to operate the plant.
The 315,000 square-foot facility is located on approximately 23.7 acres of what was undeveloped land immediately west of Aviation Landing from the Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering.
Cuisine Solutions was named winner of Food Engineering magazine’s 2021 Sustainable Plant of the Year for its San Antonio facility. A LEED-certified plant, it is the largest sous vide plant in the world. It was honored for its innovative approach to sustainability, including the use of solar panels on covered parking canopies that return energy to the local grid, aggressive water and storm water management, and traceable life-cycle information for a number of products and materials throughout the plant.
The plant design was a collaboration between Cuisine Solutions engineers and chefs and the architectural team at Stellar. Stellar served as the building, while Cambridge Development Group was the developer of the project, Food Engineering reported.
“This new state-of-the art sous vide manufacturing facility reflects our vision to create the best and most innovative food company in the world utilizing the sous vide technology,” Cuisine Solutions founder and chairman Stanislas Vilgrain told Food Engineering.
The Wednesday, May 12 ribbon cutting ceremonies begin 4 p.m. Doors open at 3:45 p.m. for temperature checks. Dignitaries in attendance will include Philippe Etienne, Ambassador of France to the United States; Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff; Cuisine Solutions Chairman Vilgrain; Cuisine Solutions president and CEO Felipe Hasselmann; Brooks Board of Directors chairman Jim Campbell.
Virgnia-based Cuisine Solutions initially announced plans for a 290,000 square-foot facility that would cost $120 million during a February 2019 ground breaking. Over time, however, the scope of the project expanded. It was originally anticipated the plant would open mid-2020, but the construction ran into delays because of the pandemic.
Cuisine Solutions operates plants in France, Thailand and the United States.
adolfo@virtualbx.com
