Any long-term, sustainable solution to hunger must involve work to feed the line of people seeking help and shorten it. Second Harvest's Culinary Training Program has been doing just that for ten years. The Second Harvest Culinary Training Program is a continuing education opportunity offering adults facing barriers to employment the culinary and life skills … [Read more...] about Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program Marks 10 Years, Looks Ahead to Celebrating More Student Success
Culinary Training Program
Chef Israel Santiago
“We’re here for you,” Chef Israel “Izzy” Santiago tells his students at the Second Harvest Culinary Training Program. “We take our students – one by one – through the path,” he said. “We have to understand where you come from to understand where we’re at and where we’ll go.” The 16-week program provides free kitchen and life skills training to help people pursue … [Read more...] about Chef Israel Santiago
Transforming Lives: Elvin’s Story
Elvin loves to be around people. In his hometown of Ponce, Puerto Rico, he worked in hospitality for 20 years. But “I lost my job in 2020, as a lot of people did, because of the pandemic,” Elvin said. He and his family moved to Orlando to offer better support to his son, who has special needs. Despite Elvin’s decades of experience, he could not find a job for almost a … [Read more...] about Transforming Lives: Elvin’s Story
A Hunger for a New Career
After what felt like a year and a half of nothing, Nate knew he needed to do something. He had dreams of going to culinary school but knew he’d have to work for years to afford even one class. That’s when he learned about Second Harvest Food Bank’s no-cost Culinary Training Program. “The moment I heard about the program it felt like hope,” said Nate. He applied the next … [Read more...] about A Hunger for a New Career
P is for Persistence.
It took three tries for Paul to complete Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program. “For me, the saying ‘third time’s a charm’ couldn’t be truer,” said Paul. When he first started the program, he couldn’t focus. The pandemic only made things worse. He didn’t have any income and transportation was a challenge. Helping his mom with her catering business gave him the … [Read more...] about P is for Persistence.
