You have probably given to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. Maybe cans of vegetables, boxes of pasta, written checks or hours of volunteer time.
But it’s not just a place to get a bag of groceries.
For a select group of students, the Foodbank trains, teaches and sets them on a trajectory for success in the culinary world. Since 2011, its Culinary Training Program graduates average a 95 percent employment rate.
“I want to see them make it, see their dreams,” says Jacquelyn Linder, Foodbank’s director of nutrition programs. “I want to see them inspired where they thought there was no hope.”
Linder says this program is her baby and is tough. “It’s a very stringent program. Among what they are learning, we are teaching students to come on time. They can only miss three days out of the free 12-week program.”
With four sessions a year, students come from almost everywhere, Linder says. “All walks of life — re-entry, public housing, entrepreneurs, at-risk and in-need populations,” she says. But it’s not for everyone. If people can afford culinary school, Linder steers them to other Peninsula places. This program is for “the people who really need it,” Linder says.
“Most of these students have not had structure in their lives,” she says. “We give people a chance who may not get a second chance.”
It does more. While training, the students prepare the meals for Foodbank’s Kids Café, providing 540 meals daily for students at 14 after-school programs. Or 2,700 students (or meals) every week.
“I can’t speak highly enough about this program,” Foodbank CEO Bob Latvis says. “It’s not just essential to the Foodbank but to the community as well.”
Latvis says this program is more than simply teaching folks the culinary arts. “It’s giving them a complete transformation. They are sought after for their skills and service and work ethic. They leave here excited to go out and make a difference in other people’s lives.”
One is Chef Delvin Moore. “Chef Del” owns Savor of Elegance, a personal chef and catering business entering its fifth year. A 2012 graduate of the Culinary Training Program, Moore says, “It molded me into the man I am.” Now 11 years sober, he says, “The program gave me ground rules and skills to help me move up and up. I speak at the graduations for these classes. I’ll do anything Ms. Linder asks. She’s all about helping people who really need help. This program changed my life.”
Linder runs the program out of the Foodbank’s commercial kitchen she helped design. “We’re not a school, we are a program,” she says. “We were the first program in the Commonwealth, offering to teach food skills, life skills and giving back to the community.”
Linder’s first class came from the Newport News Sheriff’s Office with eight people securing employment within 30 days of finishing the program. “It’s what I’m most proud about in my career,” Linder says. “The Foodbank is able to provide this hands-on skill and work ethic to the students who need it.”
Mornings see students preparing meals with two professional chefs while learning culinary skills and nutrition. Afternoons the focus shifts to the classroom, and community volunteers teach time management, team building, leadership, how to write a resume and how to get and keep a job.
This free training even includes an entire chef uniform, including tread-safe, closed-toed shoes, two chef coats, black Dickie pants, socks, undershirt and a chef hat, along with other materials for training.
In its 14th year and graduating its 51st class this past December, graduates include chefs on cruise ships, owners of catering businesses, food truck owners and restaurant owners.
Linder says, “We are looking to assist individuals in financial hardship who have a genuine enthusiasm for food service — and can commit to the effort required to gain the skills and professionalism necessary to succeed in the culinary industry.”
“Everything here at the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is seamless, with organizational strategies that are paramount. And we are so thankful for our wonderful and dedicated volunteers who help to make this all possible,” Linder says.
TO THE POINT:
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, Culinary Training Program
Address: 2401 Aluminum Ave., Hampton, VA 23661
Contact: Jacquelyn Linder, director of nutrition programs
Phone: 757-596-7188
Email: info@hrfoodbank.org
Website: www.hrfoodbank.org
