In Pasadena, at the First United Methodist Church, aging out foster youth became culinary students and prepared a five-course meal for dozens of guests gathering at the church’s courtyard.
The culinary students’ ages ranged from late teens to early 20s and they were happy to prepare the meal under the supervision of professional chefs. These chefs had volunteered their time to teach these aging out foster youth how to prepare stuffed mushroom caps, how to marinate carrots for a vegetarian ceviche, how to slow roast tomatoes for rigatoni, how to make arugula shallot chimichurri for grilled flat iron steak, and how to create a dessert of brown sugar blackberry upsidedown babycakes.
The Graduation for the Aging Out Foster Youth
The dinner served as a type of gradation for these young adults. They had spent the last ten weeks in a new culinary training program. The program was created by Hillsides, the Pasadena-based foster care, and mental health charity. 10 out of the 12 original students finished the program.
Correnda Perkins and her colleagues dreamed up the program. She said, “We weren’t sure how many were going to stick it out. Our population can be transient, especially when housing isn’t stable.”
Hillsides’ Programs for Aging Out Foster Youth
Perkins is in charge of Hillsides’ programs for “transition age youth” who are between 18 and 25. These young men and women have aged out of foster care but still need extra support, which includes housing and workforce training. Two of the foster care youth who are aspiring chefs are homeless. Six lived in transitional housing that lets them stay for only two years.
The Culinary Apprenticeship Program pays these students $13 an hour and will help them decide if they want to pursue restaurant work.
“They don’t always have time to follow their passions,” says Perkins. “They need a paycheck.”
This also provides them with something to put on their resumes, which can help them with further employment opportunities.
Over the course of the program, the students learned how to properly use knives, keep a kitchen clean, how to blanch vegetables, and make sauces. They were even shown how to shop at a farmers’ market and allowed to make their favorite coffee drinks.
Looking to the Future
Many aging out foster youth will find a future in culinary arts thanks to the Culinary Apprenticeship Program. Others will have learned how to function in a work environment. It is more important than ever that these kinds of programs provide education and help to youth who have aged out or are going to age out of foster care.
For the record, the dinner was a success and each of the youths was allowed to invite a couple of guests. Taking pride in their work is an important skill that this dinner provided, and hopefully will continue to provide to future aspiring chefs who need the little bit extra when it comes to guidance and love.