Member Stories

Katrina's "Tough Love" Approach at Kitchens for Good

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. 

Everyone needs a cheerleader sometimes. Students at Model Member Kitchens for Good have found theirs in Katrina Meredith, Director of Workforce Development, who works to support students through the program with encouragement and by holding them accountable for their actions. Her tough love approach to counseling has paid off with Kitchen for Good's 75% graduation rate.

City Light's First Student Graduation!

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. 

We are excited to celebrate with Catalyst Kitchens member City Light Community Ministries as they graduated their first class last week! With support from our Catalyst Consulting team, City Light celebrates five graduates from their first culinary class, each completing 12 weeks of job training & seeking employment in the culinary industry.

The Power of a Good Mentor

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.

We piloted our first mentorship program this January with twelve mentors & mentees paired across the network to advance their professional goals on both sides of the relationship. Using Lisa Ann Edwards' mentoring approach, our program focused on asking mentees the right questions to arrive at the answers themselves.

Chef Timothy & the Kroc Center of Boston on Defining Student Success

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. 

Chef Timothy has been helping students find their path with The Salvation Army for almost 15 years. His organization, the Kroc Center of Boston, has recently joined the Catalyst Kitchens network through the Jacques Pepin Foundation scholarship fund, an effort to open more doors for small culinary training programs to access Catalyst Kitchens member resources and programmatic support.

Meet Jeru Gobeze, the 2018 Catalyst for Change Award Winner!

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 year we are thrilled to recognize Jeru Gobeze, Café & Training Program Manager at Fresh Grounds by RS EDEN in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been with Fresh Grounds for close to 4 years and is a leader in teaching young adults to master barista skills, improve their customer service, and understand how to be successful in the workplace. Jeru does a little bit of everything at Fresh Grounds, providing 1:1 training support for students and managing the café’s sales and revenue targets.

New Programs, Stronger Standards, More Graduates

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.

With new business come new challenges. Coast Mental Health’s foodservice operations have exploded since they joined the Catalyst Kitchens network in 2017 with a brand new catering program and in-house contract meals program for their housing residents.

“Shorten the Line” – A Visit to the Houston Food Bank Program

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.

Our consulting team packed their sunglasses last month and headed South to visit the Houston Food Bank in Southeast Texas.

Congratulations to Idalia Nuñez, Winner of the Catalyst for Change Award!

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. 

Catalyst Kitchens is extremely pleased to announce that Idalia Nuñez, Life Skills Education Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in Orlando, is the third recipient of the Catalyst for Change Award.

Meet Chef Tasheena Butler, our 2016 Catalyst for Change Winner!

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. 

We are so pleased to award the second recipient of the Catalyst for Change Award to Chef Tasheena Butler, Culinary Training Coordinator at Liberty's Kitchen in New Orleans.

Chef Marianne Ali, the first Catalyst for Change Award Winner

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. 

Catalyst Kitchens presents the first CK Annual Award in recognition of an individual from the CK network whose outstanding service and dedication to empowering lives through job training has made a significant impact to individuals, their community, and the field of food service social enterprise. The first recipient of this award is the very special Chef Marianne Ali, Director of Culinary Job Training at DC Central Kitchen. Marianne embodies the spirit of this award; she has given her heart and talent to supporting student goals and the success of DCCK. 

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