FAQ
What is your mission statement?
C.H.E.F. creates life changing opportunities by providing recovery focused restaurant training, mentorship, and leadership development for individuals who are in or seeking recovery, have insecure housing, or are involved in the justice system.
What is your vision statement?
Our goal is to provide people who want to enter the hospitality industry in a healthy, recovery supported environment and get out of the vicious cycle of poverty and addiction.
About C.H.E.F.
We are more than a restaurant training program; we are about fostering a positive and healthy lifestyle focused on recovery. The goal is to offer additional recovery support while teaching individuals the restaurant skills, behaviors, and techniques to gain and maintain a full-time paid position within the community.
Who will you serve?
Our primary base of students will come from halfway houses, sober living homes, housing insecure, justice system involved, and those in need of a positive change and a helping hand up.
Why we are different?
We feel we are different as we focus on the person as a whole and emphasize healthy living and recovery support. We are able to prioritize recovery as our staff has lived experience. We not only teach restaurant and culinary skills, but emphasize and support healthy, positive living.
Do you have to be an addict to attend?
No. Our recovery meetings and healthy living classes are focused on substance use and mental health. We support all avenues of recovery and the individual in their choices.
What does the program offer?
We offer a “Simply Certs” program for those with restaurant experience and seeking additional recovery support. This program encompasses:
· Resume writing
· Interview skills
· Healthy living classes
· Recovery support
· ServSafe certification
· Employment assistance
· Case management
We also offer a 5-week training program that encompasses “Simply Certs” with the addition of extended restaurant training and the opportunity for paid shifts.
CHEF is also a registered apprenticeship program that offers line cook, kitchen manager, and restaurant manager apprenticeships for students wanting to explore a career in the restaurant industry. This is a 6–18-month full time-paid opportunity for those who qualify.
Who or what services will my donation go towards?
Without the assistance of the community and donors, this dream would not be possible. The generous donations will go towards helping grow and expand recovery programs and create a supportive environment that will give the students the best opportunity to be successful in recovery and a healthy lifestyle.
What are your CHEF’s goals?
Our goal is to expand our services so that we can support more individuals seeking a lifestyle change. To enhance the scope of support available to our students, we will continue to build relationships and partnerships within the community. We are a part of the solution, and it begins with changing the lives of our students and the community in a positive way. We live by the rule of “you must give it away in order to keep it”. Our unique experiences have given us an incredible opportunity to be of service to others and the community in a positive way. We want to not only show them but lead as an example that there is a way out of the vicious cycle of poverty and addiction.