Non-profit provides culinary class for homeless and unemployed
STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — A culinary class for a cause: a non-profit in Stuart is teaching homeless and unemployed culinary skills so they can start a new career path.
At Love and Hope in Action (LAHIA) - people in need not only get clothes, hot meals, and haircuts - they're being taught life skills to fill hospitality jobs in martin county.
"Cooking is a passion of mine, my father was an amazing cook and instilled that in me and I do believe that a way to a person's heart is through their stomach," said culinary student Tracey Johnson.
Tracey Johnson has always loved cooking and now she's learning how to do it professionally.
"Hopefully when I finish this program I will be qualified to work in a kitchen, hopefully for a charitable organization," said Johnson.
Tracey is learning to cook through charitable organization LAHIA. The non-profit has a new culinary program for the homeless or unemployed, taught by a certified chef.
"We have this awesome commercial kitchen and so I volunteered for a few months and then I thought this would be a great place to be teaching people how to cook," said Chef Carla O'Donnell.
Chef Carla is teaching skills a server, line cook, or even a sous chef would need to get a job.
"Basically we are teaching everything from basic knife skills to serve safe sanitation, we teach all kinds of cooking techniques," said O'Donnell.
"Not feed them, not just clothe them, keeping them clean, but now there's an opportunity for them to learn a skill...Hopefully, be able to get a job somewhere and improve their lives," said Johnson.
The class is free for students and funded by donors. It's a nine-week program that ends in a certificate that could be the key to a professional kitchen.
"Doing what you love and get paid for it? That's awesome!" said Johnson.
You can donate directly to the culinary program through LAHIA. They need funding for food and equipment.
