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Culinary Training Students and Graduates

For the last ten years, our Culinary Training program has provided adults facing barriers to employment with the skills needed for sustainable careers in food service at no cost to them. Since then, our chefs have trained 470 people and each one of those graduates have gone on to a career in the food industry. Our students and graduates inspire us daily.

Meet Xavier

There can be a lot of pressure on young adults to attend college and follow a traditional career path. For some people, like Xavier, career pathways are journeys of self-discovery.
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Meet Suzeline

Suzeline took a leap of faith and bet on herself. She packed up her life in New Jersey and traveled to Orlando to begin her journey.
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Meet Bruce

Bruce never considered a career in the culinary industry until he found himself cooking alongside a chef at a local rehabilitation center in Orlando.
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Meet Stacey

Stacey's journey unfolded in a series of chapters, each with its own unique challenges and revelations.
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Meet Dezmond

Dezmond initially thought his career would be in technology but couldn’t resist the allure of culinary arts.
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Meet Pascale

Anything is possible if you keep working on your goal. I'm grateful to be able to seize this opportunity and turn it into the career I've dreamed of, said Pascale.
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Meet Nerlande

Going to school, working, and caring for my kids was not easy, but I made it, Nerlande said on graduation day. "I feel happy and proud of myself and my career."
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Meet Elvin

I said to myself, 'Now is the time to do it because I have the time to do it.' Elvin said. "Cooking is something I've wanted to do for a long time."
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Meet Nate

He had dreams of going to culinary school but knew he'd have to work for years to afford even one class. That's when he learned about Second Harvest Food Bank's no-cost Culinary Training Program.
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Meet LeMoris

I was finally ready to make a change, says LeMoris as he recalls what led him to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida's Culinary Training Program.
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Meet Paul

The biggest lesson I learned in the Culinary Training Program is to be coachable, to take feedback and look for opportunities to improve, in the kitchen and in life.
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Meet Yolanda

I was raised by my grandmother and became her caretaker for the last several years, she explains. "Now I am turning back the clock, going to school, and making my life better for myself."
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Meet Matilde

It may seem small, but to me, this was a big deal, says Matilde. "And it's not just one life my life that changed. It's my whole family. Thank you."
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Meet Enas

From the first day I walked in, I felt like I had an angel around me. I feel like I have a big family again.
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Meet Chef Kenneth

The day I was introduced to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida was one of the greatest days of my life.
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View more Culinary Training Student “Recipe for Success” stories

View Stories of Hope and Courage