 "Photo: Delaware Food Bank")
When Tyra Cornish worked as a front-line server at Russell Dining Hall last year, she often marveled at the reaction of students when they received their food. However, she wished she was able to play a role in cooking the meal.
"I wanted to know that I was part of the reason they have a smile on their face and they enjoyed the meal because I prepared it, instead of just serving it," Cornish, 21, a Wilmington resident, said.
Now, she is enrolled in classes at the Food Bank of Delaware's culinary school and learning skills that will help her do just that.
Program Director Tamara Varella said the school, which opened inside the Food Bank's Newark warehouse in 2002, is intended to give students adequate culinary skills so they can get a job in the field. Many students are referred to the school by the Department of Labor and other social services because they need help honing their job skills.
"They are here because there is some kind of barrier to their employment," Varella said.
Tuition for the program is $3,900, but many students get funding through the Department of Labor. The rest of the funds come from grants to the Food Bank.
Cornish said she dropped out of high school, but has since gone back to night school to work on her degree, in addition to enrolling in the culinary school. She said the Food Bank program has helped her develop food preparation skills, as well as a passion for the field.
"I dibbled and dabbled in the kitchen before, but once I got here, I realized it's something I'm good at and could make a career out of," Cornish said.
Nick Durbin, chef instructor at the school, said the program teaches students basic cooking skills - from knife techniques to buffet presentation - and prepares them for the ServSafe test, a national food safety certification. When students graduate from the 12-week program, they are ready to work in a restaurant.
"We consider them well-trained, entry-level applicants," Durbin said.
Durbin, who spent 10 years working as a chef for the Hotel DuPont, Fieldstone Country Club and other restaurants, said he enjoys teaching others his craft.
"What really drives me is that I had an opportunity to go to the Culinary Institute of America, and I had an opportunity to get my foot in the door at some fine dining restaurants, but these guys don't," he said. "However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't have the opportunity to get a good job."
Durbin said culinary art skills are good to have because those who have them rarely find themselves unemployed for long.
"People always need to eat," he said.
Varella said students learn life skills - such as how to write a resume and how to find a job - in addition to learning cooking techniques and participating in hands-on training. The facility includes a classroom stocked with computers adjacent to the kitchen.
Students get the opportunity to use their new skills working for the catering service run by the Food Bank, the proceeds of which are used for scholarships, she said.
"It shows them the entrepreneurial side of the business and they get more hands-on experience with the cooking and taking the orders," Varella said.
Students also help Food Bank volunteers prepare meals that are distributed to after-school programs.
For the final two weeks of the program, students are placed in paid internships in local restaurants, she said. After that, Food Bank employees help them find permanent jobs.
Varella said the program has an 82 percent graduation rate. Of those who graduate, 87 percent are placed in a permanent job, she said.
Robert Young Jr., a Newport resident who graduated from the culinary school in June, said the program helped him get a job working in the cafeteria of Wilmington Hospital.
"Chef Nick is a good dude," Young said. "He treated you like this was the field."
Young, 29, graduated from the Institute of Audio Research in New York and was working as a correctional officer when he saw an advertisement for the Food Bank program and was able to get a grant to attend. He has been interested in culinary arts since he was a child, he said.
"I like working with my hands," he said.
Cornish said she hopes to one day work at the Hotel DuPont or another fine-dining restaurant.
"Now that I'm back on track, I have my mind on getting my high school diploma," she said. "If I can dedicate myself to coming here every day, I can dedicate myself to going to high school at night."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!