Five homeless or formerly homeless adults showed off their culinary skills Saturday in celebration of their successful completion of Shepherd’s Table’s Culinary Skills Training Program (CSTP).
The goal of the 12-week program is to guide students to prepare for a cooking job and gain life skills to help them keep and succeed at that job. This is the fifth group that graduated from the program.
The new chefs created and prepared their signature dishes to an appreciative group at Progress Place on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, who y tasted each of the dishes.
“We put them through a lot,” said Christina Moore, director of the innovative meal program at Shepherd’s Table. Participants learn to work in a team, deal with conflict and handle challenges in the kitchen, she said.
Christina served her Spring frittatas while praising the program. “I love it here. It’s taught me a lot of patience. I have grown from here,” she said. “I actually like cooking again which I never thought would happen.”
Robert with his macaroni crab cakes and special “kicking sauce” already has two job possibilities. “I used to be on the other side of this line,” he said, referring to his unsheltered days. “Now I have my own place.”
He had lived at Progress Place during the pandemic and attended a previous group’s graduation celebration. Now he was very pleased to be the one preparing and serving food.
Ebonie dished out her angel eggs while noting that her dream job would be chef on a cruise ship. The Progress Place resident said, “I went through a lot of challenges. I’m just trying to get my life together and more forward.”
Terri created a strawberry chicken with crab meat entree. She previously had lived in the shelter. Her goal is to work in the kitchen of a shelter and maybe someday set up her own shelter dining facility.
“I feel like just because someone is homeless doesn’t mean they can’t eat good.”
Imani created several types of cannoli and a stuffed shells with sea food infused with cherry blossoms. “I’ve always loved cooking,” she said.
Amy Thomas, who volunteers at Progress Place coteaching a mindfulness group, said she enjoyed everything she tasted, “I’m pretty sure the cannoli will be my favorite, but I am saving it for last.”
Shepherd’s Table Chef Gary Bullock led the culinary program. He beamed with pride as he observed his students create, cook and serve their specialty. “I watched them go from not very sure to confident. Confidence in this industry can go a long way.” For these students, “I think the sky is the limit.”
All five students passed their ServSafe test on the first try and received a certificate confirming they are experts in food safety.
