The Community Servings Teaching Kitchen trains people interested in careers in the food service industry who are currently unemployed or facing barriers to full-time employment. As they learn basic food service skills, program participants help our kitchen staff prepare the meals we deliver to our clients each day. Trainees can also receive food safety certification, which helps them get a job in the industry.

This program is a natural outgrowth of our core mission of providing free, home-delivered, nutritious meals to the critically ill.  As David B. Waters, Community Servings' CEO recently explained: "We've always relied on generous and dedicated volunteers to help us prepare our clients' meals.  Some have gone on to join our kitchen staff as employees or find other food-service jobs using the skills they learned at our agency.  Formalizing this practice was a win-win situation." 

Summer 2009 Class Graduation

In a ceremony held at Community Servings, the nine members of our third class of trainees graduated on August 18, 2009. After the ceremony, one graduate explained how much of an impact the program has had on his life:  "I had to wait until I was 51 years old to have a mentor and someone who believed in me. I am serious about this; I have a reason now to try to stay on the right path."  Another added:  "I was so depressed with no where to turn and I heard about the program and was accepted. It has changed my life. For me Community Servings was an oasis in the desert."

According to Chef/Trainer Susan Logozzo, the Summer 2009 class was outstanding.  "They were focused, enthusiastic about learning, and very serious regarding their studies." "We accomplished a lot together," she added. Although the members of the class had a wide range of backgrounds and personalities, they got along and worked together really well. Working alongside Community Servings' kitchen staff, they made valuable contributions to the agency's mission, which included creating and preparing an entree that adhered to the restrictions of a renal diet. The result, pictured below, was roast chicken with mushroom sauce and red peppers, rice pilaf, and fresh summer squash. Low in the minerals that unhealthy kidneys can't process, the meal's variety of taste, color, and texture made it a dinner that our clients would look forward to eating. It really was delicious!

Long-time Community Servings' LifeSavor sponsor, The Langham, Boston, has offered a job to one of the Summer 2009 graduates. Community Servings continues to support the remaining job-seekers with resume writing, letters of reference, and job-search assistance. Of the graduates from the first two classes, 66% have landed full-time jobs with benefits.

Kitchen Apprentice

Lakeisha Hall, a member of the Winter 2009 class, was a young unemployed single mother with a GED when she heard about the Teaching Kitchen. After completing the 12-week program, Lakeisha became our Kitchen Apprentice, a three-month position funded by the Great Bay Foundation. In addition to providing Lakeisha with a financial stipend, the apprenticeship helped her solidify her skills and prepare her for the job market. She said without the program, she would probably still be at home doing nothing. "I've really accomplished something in my life.  Having a child so young, I thought I wouldn't," said Lakeisha. Summer 2009 graduate Maurice Ellis will be our next Kitchen Apprentice.

Community Servings is currently recruiting trainees for the Fall 2009 class, which begins on September 8, 2009. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the program, please contact Susan Logozzo or Rebecca Ober.  Susan and Rebecca can also be reached at (617) 522-7777.