Started in 2001, FoodChange’s Culinary Training Program teaches underemployed Harlem residents a fundamental understanding of nutrition, food economics, food safety, and culinary principles, and gives them ample practical, supervised training in the real-world setting of a professional kitchen. The program includes a learning center that offers vocational counseling and employment placement assistance. Graduates have found jobs in schools, hospitals, corporate cafeterias and leading New York restaurants—positions with steady career prospects and decent pay.

Capitalizing on its recognized expertise in nutritional issues and emergency food assistance, FoodChange created the Culinary Training Program to prepare unemployed people for rewarding career opportunities in the food sector, promote healthy eating habits in inner-city communities like Harlem, and groom a new generation of health-conscious chefs.

Operating year-round, the training center accepts approximately 60 students who attend one of the five separate, 10-week training sessions. The program combines formal classroom education, closely monitored culinary training in teaching kitchens, and supervised, hands-on food preparation in FoodChange’s professional kitchen that prepares more than 750 dinners each day.

While classes are free of charge, attendance is rigorously monitored throughout the program. Classes meet each weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through FoodChange’s partnerships, students also participate in internships at corporate dining facilities, industrial caterers and private restaurants.

The training center is located at 252 West 116th Street (between 7th Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard). The building houses several of FoodChange’s direct service programs, which enables students to get readily exposure to the different food-related programs offered at the site.

For more information, contact Jesse Taylor, Senior Director, Community Kitchen/Senior Meals, at jtaylor@foodchange.org.