Eight students from area high schools are a different kind of fired up over the summer – they’re the first to participate in a summer internship program through the Treasure Coast Food Bank, learning the skills they’ll need for a career in the culinary industry all while helping to feed hungry children.
“It’s the first stepping stone,” program coordinator David Vaina said. Some of the students, such as Jada Walker, hope to open a family-operated restaurant one day. Having the training and earning the certifications now help her, and her fellow classmates, along that path.
Walker is a rising senior and will be enrolled in her third year of culinary classes at Fort Pierce Westwood High School. She said her ultimate goal is to pursue a career in criminal justice while simultaneously running her own restaurant.
“I want to feed the locals and give opportunities to my family to work,” Walker said.
From a young age, Walker has been beside her grandmother in the kitchen. The eldest of a baker’s dozen of grandkids, Walker proved capable in the kitchen.
Grandma has since taught her a number of tricks in the kitchen and even bestowed upon her the honor of cooking the collard greens for the first time.
So, when she saw a poster for CareerSource’s Green Aprons program – a culinary program for adults – she decided to check it out and learned of the summer internship program for teens.
She applied, went through the assessment process and interviewed. She was selected and is one of eight participating in the program.
Walker fully plans to ace her ServSafe Manager Certification test at the end of the program – a vital piece of paperwork for those in the culinary field – and, along the way to that certification, she’s happy knowing that her work in the kitchen is helping to put food in front of school children who would otherwise have difficulty finding food during the summer.
The teens in the program prepare thousands of meals that go out to Summer Meals’ host sites where children gather to eat while schools are closed. The biggest challenge Walker’s had so far is wrapping her head around preparing 1,500 meals at once – far larger than any task her grandmother has ever handed her, and that includes helping with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, she said.
“It’s a massive effort,” said program coordinator Vaina. Students take the meal orders, figure out meal prep and also package the meals for transportation.
The students work from 8 a.m. to noon daily and draw a paycheck. Not only do they get real-world, hands-on learning in the kitchen, but also classroom instruction. “It’s a hybrid,” Vaina said of the combination of experience.
The students will learn a variety of kitchen skills, including knife work, baking, sauces, meat carving and pasta.
Though the teens will spend a good amount of time in the kitchen and the classroom, they will also be taking two field trips. One will be to a local farm to learn about locally grown produce. The other will be a visit to St. Lucie County’s Sunshine Kitchen professional food service incubator.
Bank of America, a sponsor of the Green Apron program, will also send a representative to the class and work with the students on financial literacy skills.
“If something’s your dream, you just have to go after it, no matter how much work it takes,” Walker said.
Any adults interested in the full 12-week Green Apron program and any teens interested in the six-week summer internship program are encouraged to reach out to the Treasure Coast Food Bank. More information can be found at www.StopHunger.org.