Job Training

Five Ways to Reinforce Culinary Lessons in the Kitchen

Natalie Evans

Natalie Evans | Outreach and Programs Coordinator

Natalie joins Catalyst Kitchens with experience in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Entrepreneurship, Retail, Catering, and Sales. Natalie was the Lead Catering Chef Instructor for Farestart’s Apprenticeship Program and Adult Culinary Program. In her new role, she will be supporting programs and outreach initiatives. Natalie enjoys connecting individuals to resources that helps them develop professionally & personally.

Students progress at different speeds in the kitchen, posing a real challenge for a chef trainer focused on teaching students and ensuring catering orders are completed correctly in a timely manner. Catalyst Kitchens team member Natalie Evans shares some tips & tricks from her days as a Catering Chef at FareStart with strategies on how to reinforce culinary training techniques in the kitchen and provide extra support to students who need additional reinforcement.

How We Support Chef Trainers

Anne Nylander

Anne Nylander | Resource Design Associate

Anne brings extensive experience to her role as Resource Design Associate from over a decade of work in the specialty coffee retail business. Anne has worked as a trainer, consultant, and coffee industry advocate, and is excited to bring her knowledge to the social enterprise community. In her role, Anne creates powerful resources that bring positive impact to the Catalyst Kitchens member network.

The majority of chef instructors come into their roles with culinary backgrounds and are new to teaching or providing social services support to individuals with employment barriers. This is where Catalyst Kitchens comes in - our roles is to provide coaching, resources, and technical assistance to give these trainers, and all staff members at our member organizations for that matter, what they need to succeed.

Working Towards a Living Wage: Providence's Advanced Training Residency Program

Corinne Molz

Corinne Molz

Corinne brings experience to her role of Communications Coordinator from her background in event planning, international development undergraduate degree, and her passion for the foodservice job training social enterprise model. Her career goals are devoted to lifting others out of the cycle of poverty through economic empowerment through employment/workforce development. She previously served FareStart as a Catering Captain, Catalyst Kitchens as Program Associate, and currently manages all of Catalyst Kitchens communications efforts through email marketing campaigns, website development, written materials, social media, physical promotional materials, and internal communications. 

Providence is stepping up their game in providing advanced training with their 2 year residency program. The result is a $4-$6 wage increase for student graduates. Learn how this program is making an impact on their students' careers.

Intern Today, Employee Tomorrow: Second Harvest Food Bank Internship Program

Corinne Molz

Corinne Molz

Corinne brings experience to her role of Communications Coordinator from her background in event planning, international development undergraduate degree, and her passion for the foodservice job training social enterprise model. Her career goals are devoted to lifting others out of the cycle of poverty through economic empowerment through employment/workforce development. She previously served FareStart as a Catering Captain, Catalyst Kitchens as Program Associate, and currently manages all of Catalyst Kitchens communications efforts through email marketing campaigns, website development, written materials, social media, physical promotional materials, and internal communications. 

Sometimes, the best way to learn is to do. Employer partners are throwing their hat in the ring to host students to work in their kitchens. Model Member Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is leading the way with their advanced training internship model, a 16 week program for graduates to get hands-on experience in the kitchen and a chance for a full time job offer.

Beyond the Kitchen: Coaching & Evaluation Skills for Front Line Staff

Justin Smith

Justin Smith

Justin has worked for years merging food, gardening, and the culinary arts with services for vulnerable populations in both Chicago and Seattle. In his role as Program Development Manager, Justin draws on a wide range of experience with instruction, curriculum writing, program expansion, youth education, and over a decade of work in restaurants and hospitality.

Culinary training positions within our training model are not for the faint of heart. On the surface it is a straightforward role: your goal is to prepare culinary students for the kitchen - how to hold a knife, work on a line, and filet a fish. However, this role takes on an entirely new face when your student population is learning how to thrive in a workplace and push past their personal barriers during the program.

“Living Pictures”: Visualizing Data with Tableau

Emily Olsen-Harbich

Emily Olsen-Harbich

Emily is interested in challenging traditional community development norms to solve complex social issues at scale. She's worked at the grassroots level as a community extension agent in Peace Corps Cameroon and managed cross-sector initiatives while working in management consulting for a Washington, DC based firm. Emily's experience creating compelling communications tools, including an award winning documentary film, help her to support and enhance the inspiring work of Catalyst Kitchens members around the country.

What is Tableau and how can it help your organization? Essentially, Tableau is like Microsoft Excel’s stylish bilingual cousin. Tableau software is designed to analyze and visualize the columns and rows of data collected from multiple sources into an interactive dashboard. Get to know Tableau's software and Catalyst Kitchens uses it's visualization tools to bring network data to life. 

How to Recruit Students During Low Unemployment

Corinne Molz

Corinne Molz

Corinne brings experience to her role of Communications Coordinator from her background in event planning, international development undergraduate degree, and her passion for the foodservice job training social enterprise model. Her career goals are devoted to lifting others out of the cycle of poverty through economic empowerment through employment/workforce development. She previously served FareStart as a Catering Captain, Catalyst Kitchens as Program Associate, and currently manages all of Catalyst Kitchens communications efforts through email marketing campaigns, website development, written materials, social media, physical promotional materials, and internal communications. 

The Catalyst Kitchens model is designed to create long-term pathways out of poverty rather than quick fixes. We know that hard culinary skills can help get a student a job and soft skills, like teamwork and communication, will help them KEEP a job. Catalyst Kitchens training programs provide this support to develop long-term career plans with wage progression and career advancement.

Why Do Catalyst Kitchens Programs Train Students in Foodservice?

Corinne Molz

Corinne Molz

Corinne brings experience to her role of Communications Coordinator from her background in event planning, international development undergraduate degree, and her passion for the foodservice job training social enterprise model. Her career goals are devoted to lifting others out of the cycle of poverty through economic empowerment through employment/workforce development. She previously served FareStart as a Catering Captain, Catalyst Kitchens as Program Associate, and currently manages all of Catalyst Kitchens communications efforts through email marketing campaigns, website development, written materials, social media, physical promotional materials, and internal communications. 

This infographic will give you the top five reasons why Catalyst Kitchens members think the kitchen is the best place to train students for the workforce.

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