About

Transformation Kitchen™

We are creating a training production kitchen and fast-casual lunch designation within the heart of Hudson Valley, NY, to reskill typically underserved communities such as: the long term unemployed, formerly incarcerated, people living with disabilities, women that have come from trauma-based environments, and others that are in need of living wage opportunities, at no cost to the individual participant. We recognize that there is a global shortage of skills and workforce across many industries since the pandemic. 

Transformation Kitchen will demonstrate to other industries experiencing skills and workforce shortages how upskilling, re-skilling and providing a safe space for those who are typically underrepresented and overlooked in the workforce, can help industry and employers address these issues. 
 

The additional benefits from the program are addressing food insecurity within our production kitchen and community outreach, employing individuals from underserved communities, reducing crime and the unhoused populations, as well as strengthening the community.  We will be able to reduce the necessity for the reliance on other nonprofits, as people develop skills, secure employment, and can secure housing.  It will also support the development of greater self-efficacy for participants, and we know this has a rippling effect on children, families, and communities.

The culinary aspect of the training kitchen will focus on knife skills, sanitation, basic kitchen skills, equipment use, safety, production cooking, weights and measures, catering, and will help them to successfully take and receive their Serv-Safe 5-year Manager’s Certification. Students will be given uniforms, daily lockers that must be cleaned out each day, and will have access to all kitchen equipment.
 

Each class season we will work with local disability employment agencies, career centers, and other organizations to identify people that are open to learning and are at a phase in their life where they want and need help to change their circumstances. These vetted students will focus on learning by being offered daily meals and training at no cost. Each of the training steps will be a month-long process, five days a week, completed five hours per day from 9 AM to 2PM. Students that have struggled with a single step will be allowed to retake a given segment one time before having to exit the program.

We will use the services of our engaged Partners at negotiated rates, to help teach social media skills, resume building, interviewing skills, and basic social skills to the students. We call these Power Skills. Some of these courses will be in-person, and some will be virtual training.  We partner with many of our nonprofit partners to deliver our tailored Elevated Mindset® positive psychology coaching program for participants engaging in pre-employment training programs. This includes career coaching and well-being counselling that supports them in shifting their mindset, overcoming limiting beliefs, and developing confidence, purpose, and self-belief. 

We work with participants to develop a career and well-being action plan, and we have achieved outstanding transformation with people over the past 2 years. Let me know if you are interested in more information and you are welcome to add it to the grant to demonstrate how Transformation kitchen is a holistic solution for people. We have delivered this to people with disabilities, refugees, those who are incarcerated, at-risk young people and long-term unemployed people.

Having well-rounded participants will increase their net-worth outside the training. Participants that successfully complete the 3-month training will be offered an equitable living wage job either with the program itself, or with one of the Partner businesses that align with our Mission, Vision, and Purpose. 

We will develop relationships with local business and government to provide catering services for on-premises pickup that the Seniors will help with. We also will develop free community nutrition classes taught by the Seniors.  We want to offer nutritious lunch options to the community at reasonable rates within the first year in a fast-casual environment. This portion of our program will allow our graduates not only to thrive within the kitchen but give them real-world exposure to the culinary business. This is the most lucrative revenue stream. Companies like the idea of giving back but want something for their money. This offers them a way to give back while receiving a healthy lunch in the process.

We also see the potential for additional training to take place within the TK environment that may lead to other careers in Communications, Outreach, Nonprofit Management, and more, to build and stretch our ability to affect change in communities.

We would like to offer housing and financial support as part of this program in the future. 

We would like to affiliate this program to other national groups in the future.

We would like to open this kitchen model in other states and countries in the future.

This program addresses building stronger communities, healthy citizens, breaking down food insecurity, helping with re-entry to communities and showing other businesses, especially those within the service industry, how to create financially successful companies that put people first through providing engaged workspaces and living wages to their teams. The success of this program is greater than the 60+ students per year that will graduate. It's also about the families and communities that will be impacted, and the rippling effect it will have on them. 

Impact on participants. In our programs we measure success through participant attendance, engagement, completion, and employment rates. We then measure sustainability of employment, for example during post-placement support monitoring contracts we ascertain if students are still employed after 4, 8, 12, 26 and 52 weeks. The post-placement support mentoring supports high employment sustainability and in turn, supports the relationships we have with employer partners who hire our participants.

Impact on Community.  How we can provide healthy meals to after-school programs, shelters, teach free nutrition classes, and open a Fast-Casual operation to provide healthy catering and lunch options for the community.

Impact on companies.  How we inspire other service industry leaders, and beyond, to begin the process of emulating sound business strategies that put people first, creating healthier employees and healthier bottom lines.