Food Bank employment training makes a difference

In the coastal Delaware resort area, Grain on the Rocks, inside the Lewes ferry terminal, is a destination for those who enjoy a premier waterfront view, casual dining, outdoor concerts or options to dine inside in air-conditioned comfort.

For the Food Bank of Delaware and Milford’s first Kitchen School students, it’s a lot more. It’s a job opportunity, and it’s also about making new friends, working as a team and gaining meaningful employment. Students from Milford’s inaugural class are fully immersed in this real-world workplace environment, using their new skills and starting their careers.

Kitchen School students spend eight weeks at the Food Bank kitchen in Milford or Newark. After that, an additional four weeks is spent transitioning to permanent employment through on-site job coaching. Students have also learned some workplace soft skills through classroom instruction.

Four students are part of the kitchen staff at Grain, and for an uninitiated observer, the bustling work environment may seem like trial by fire. Grain seats 600 people inside the spacious dining room, and an outdoor concert can boost the number of additional guests by 1,500, said Chef William Gladney.

Like most restaurants facing staffing issues, Grain can benefit from skilled, dependable culinary staff, and this award-winning chef says he’s been happy that Victoria Rust, Cassie Dickey, Kayla Strohmeyer and LaShaunda Lynch, Food Bank of Delaware Kitchen School students, came on board in late June. Right now, they are mostly working mornings, doing essential prep work like chopping and weighing portions, among other tasks key to the success of a kitchen operation.

“I’m overly impressed,” said Gladney. “They are a big help, instrumental.” He notes these new, part-time employees have already expressed interest in moving into full-time positions. Rust, for example, has been trying her hand quite successfully at a sauté station. He provided Lynch with recipes, and she took it from there.

“They fit in very well. It’s a breath of fresh air,” Gladney said.

Shalisa Alexander, the Kitchen School chef instructor, has made on-site visits to check on her protégés, and she too is pleased. “This program has changed their lives and given opportunities to individuals that have been overlooked and undervalued,” she said.

The students agree; they love what they are doing. Gladney noted he was impressed with Dickey’s knife skills, so she was cutting up cherry tomatoes for salads. “I love it here. I get out of the house, and I’m working. This is my dream come true,” Dickey said.

The Kitchen School seems to be a win-win for everyone. Alexander, who daily guided the students in making from-scratch meals including themed lunch buffets, said she benefited from the kitchen classroom as well.

“What did I learn from the class? I learned perseverance, compassion, laughter and so much more,” she said.

In partnership with the Delaware Restaurant Association and Delaware Department of Labor, the new Kitchen School program offers specialized training to provide employment opportunities in the food and hospitality industries for adults with disabilities.

Classes in Milford and Newark run from Tuesday, Sept. 5 through Friday, Oct. 27, with workplace transition time from Monday, Oct. 30 to Wednesday, Nov. 22. Sessions are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to noon, Friday.

The 12-week curriculum has been developed to include group instruction and individualized training in the culinary school’s professional kitchens.

Kitchen School staff assist students in finding partner employers whose needs match their strengths and help the transition into a permanent workplace. Staff also provide support to students and employers for at least one year after graduation.

For more information, go to fbd.org/thekitchenschool.