Food for Good • A culinary school serves up second chances.

DELAWARE CULINARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE FIRST STEPS TOWARD SECOND CHANCE.

WHEN STUDENTS GO TO CLASS IN THE CULINARY SCHOOL AT THE FOOD BANK OF DELAWARE, THEY ARE PUTTING A BRIGHTER FUTURE ON THE MENU.

Food bank spokeswoman Kim Turner says most students had been unemployed or underemployed, and others, referred by the Delaware Department of Corrections, are re-entering the workforce. They all are looking for a second chance at success.

“To become a community free of hunger, we need to provide individuals with job skills so they can find employment making a living wage,” Kim says.

Classes of 15 to 18 students train with professional chefs in the food bank’s kitchen for 12 weeks. They have the opportunity to become Servsafe® certified, followed by a two-week work experience at a local restaurant. Those paid stints often end with the student being hired.

“In Delaware, we have seen that the restaurant industry is very forgiving of people’s past mistakes, and they just want somebody who is passionate about the field and who will show up every time,” Kim says. “So in addition to teaching culinary skills, we really focus on instilling professionalism.”

Kim recalls a student who served at a reception where he received compliments from the governor and a U.S. senator. But when the party was over, he had to return to prison. That evening brought his future into sharp focus. Today, he is training new employees, impressing managers and moving up the ranks at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant.

To provide real-world experience, the Food Bank of Delaware operates its own Discover Cafe, which is open to the community. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however, the cafe closed. Instead, the food bank began to offer “Family of Four” meals prepared by students and packaged for pickup. Proceeds support Culinary School scholarships.

Students leave the Food Bank of Delaware with sought-after skills and new ambitions. “At graduation, a lot of students will tell the audience that they’ve never completed anything in their lives,”

Kim says. “There are so many students who are just thankful for the opportunity to come through the program.”