The
Culinary Arts Training Program
The Basics of Running a Profitable & Proud CATP
Chef Timothy Tucker & Eric Hall
The Salvation Army National Social Services Conference
April 4-7, 2017
Our First Class: Winter 2014
What is the Culinary Arts
Training Program?
•10-week program (5 days per week, 4.5 hours per
day) serving the Dorchester/ Roxbury community
for students in need. Students divide their time each
day between the classroom and the kitchen.
•Students will learn knife skills, food terminology,
kitchen safety standards, recipes, workplace
perspectives, and other necessary expertise for
strong performance in the culinary arts. They will
also meet with local farmers, industry
representatives, and food suppliers in the field.
•We will utilize the Kroc’s robust community
partnerships to help place graduates with top chefs
in their local communities and beyond.
Who is the CATP’s Chef Instructor?
Chef’s Highlights
• Graduate of Sullivan
University in Louisville, KY
• Worked at The Mansion
Chef Timothy is the former Executive Chef at the Salvation Army’s
on Turtle Creek (Dallas,
Center of Hope Meal Service in Louisville, KY. Inspired by the needs &
TX), The Painted Table
spirit of the community they served, he developed the Culinary Arts
(Seattle, WA), & Three Mile
Training Program in 2005.
Island on Lake
Winnipesaukee (Meredith,
NH)
There are now several cities where the CATP has been implemented
successfully, including: Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; and here in Boston, MA.
Chef Timothy left the KY and FL programs fully financially sustainable.
• Distinguished Alumni
Award & Community
Service Award (2007,
Sullivan University)
Chef Timothy’s passions include cooking with fresh, organic ingredients
to provide healthful, tasty cuisine.
Who are the CATP’s
students?
•Primarily from the surrounding Dorchester/
Roxbury community, though we have had students
come from as far away as Worcester!
Student Statistics
•Usually do not possess a college degree. However,
we have had a few students with advanced degrees
(Master’s) that are aiming to start employment in a
• Average age: 32 years
• 71% female
new field.
• Have a high school diploma:
87%
•Many have Cape Verdean, Jamaican, or Dominican
backgrounds that emphasize cooking skills. Some
have never set foot in a kitchen before!
• 85% unemployed OR
underemployed (not making the
Boston living wage of $13.89/
hour)
• 20% have minor criminal records
(have not been convicted of a
felony)
Life-Skills & Empowerment
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Why Life-Skills
Have the group define Life-Skills
Traditional Approach (soft skills)
Level of Issues, Realities &
Circumstances
• Eric Hall Approach
• Results
Traditional Approach
• Some soft skill
training
• Interviewing skills
• Developing
interpersonal skills
• Building confidence
• Resume writing
• Communications
skills
• Organizational skills
• Workplace diversity
Level of Issues, Realities &
Circumstances
Issues, Realities &
Circumstances
• Homelessness
• Custody battles
• Low or no income
• Low or no work skills
• No Diploma or GED
• Children in system
• System conflict (Toya/PH
client)
• Self-image/esteem issues
Reasons & Life-span of
issues
• Habits & personal
disciplines
• Lack of resources
• Lack of advocacy skills
• Conditioning
• Systemic
• Sometimes generational
Eric Hall
Approach
• Go beneath the surface
• Stop treating the
symptoms
• Introduce new disciplines
that lead to sustainable
change
• Build the individual from
the inside out
• Show that through a
process of learning and
growth any person who is
willing can become more
valuable and change their
life, relationships, career
and their economy
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Life Skills Outline
Introduction (make a personal
connection)
Emotions Make the World go
Around
Perspective is a Thief
Branding without Selling
Protect Your Soil (Become your
own best advocate)
Money Talks 1&2 (Monopoly
Game)
Are you a River or a Reservoir
(The power of giving back/legacy)
Resumes & Interviewing included
Results/Outcomes
• Steady employment
• Promotions/raises
• New business
ventures
• Cookbooks
• Cycle of poverty
broken
• Generational Impact
Media coverage
Generational Impact
Network of Friends & Colleagues
How Does It Help?
Industry-Recognized
Certifications
• All students earn the ServSafe Food Handlers
Certification as a component of successful
completion of the class.
• All students are entitled to one ServSafe Managers
Certification exam. Preparation is part of class
instruction.
• All students graduate with Jr. Apprenticeship
certification recognized by the Commonwealth of
MA.
Life Skills & Career
Support…
• During the class, the students work with a Life Skills
Coach weekly (more sessions take place one-on-one)
to develop “soft skills” and learn to manage their time,
career, finances, and personal lives. They also
develop resumes and participate in mock interviews.
Many leave the class with secure employment
already in place.
Even After Students
Graduate
• The CATP does not stop supporting students just
because they graduate! Staff follows up with them to
track their progress. If possible, they work with
workplace management to resolve any issues that
might come to light. Many have moved up from
entry-level positions to supervisory levels, and
even started their own businesses.
Culinary Arts Statistics
Class Graduation Rate
89%
72%
76%.
Over 12 classes since 2014,
the percentage of students
that start class and graduate
is 89% .
Job Placement Rate
The percentage of students
that
obtain
employment/
begin school within 1 month
of graduation is
currently
72%.
Referral Rate
The percentage of those
employed/ in school who
have been referred by the
program is currently 76%.
*On average, the Culinary Arts program staff makes contact with the students
every 6 months to keep current on their progress.
Culinary Arts Statistics
Fundraising for the CATP
Utilizing our partnership with grant writers and the Development department at
Massachusetts DHQ, the CATP has been able to secure funding from both private donors
and foundations, including:
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The Ratshesky Foundation
T. Lyle Williams Fund
We also hold annual fundraisers, like the Cooking for Success fundraising concert
performed at the Kroc Center (photos and logo below).
CATP Partnerships
The CATP develops and cultivates diverse partnerships with
neighborhood actors such as:
Above: Graduate Frances
Sammah and Chef Timothy at her
new workplace, Commonwealth
Kitchen.
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The Chef’s Table Foundation
The Food Project
Urban College
EATALY
Wegman’s Food Markets
Boston Sword & Tuna
Spoiler Alert
Superior Lamb Processing
TD Garden (home of the Boston Celtics and Boston
Bruins)
Community Servings
The Daily Table
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Automatic Bar & Grill
Commonwealth Kitchen
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association
CATP Partnerships
Below: Chef Timothy mans the
CATP table at the Harvard Just
Food! Conference.
Above: Meeting of MPACT at the Kroc Center.
The CATP is also is a proud member of select professional organizations, which serves to promote
the program and its mission in the community. These include:
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The Job Training Alliance (JTA)
The Massachusetts Professional Association of Culinary Trainers (MPACT)*
The CATP also presents are area conferences of interest, such as the Harvard Just Food! Food
Justice Summit at Harvard Law School (pictured above).
*This organization was co-founded by Chef Timothy Tucker.
Some of the CATP’s Guest Chefs…
Chef Andy Husbands of The Smoke Shop
BBQ and high-end eatery 647 Tremont.
He was also a contestant on Season 6 of
Hell’s Kitchen!
James Beard Award-winner (Best Chef
in the Northeast) Chris Schlesinger of
East Coast Grill. He even gifted the
students with some of his books!
Student Activities
Most Fridays while class is in session, the CATP holds an event called Foreign Feast
Fridays. The class prepares delicious dishes– entrees, sides, drink, and dessert!– from a
certain culture. Past countries have included South Africa, Puerto Rico, Korea, China,
Germany, Italy, and Spain! Employees and outside visitors are welcome to dine with us, and
donations to the program are encouraged.
These events have been successful for fundraising and awareness outreach in our
community.
Student Activities
Students learn all the culinary basics needed to
become employed in a professional kitchen,
including knife skills, recipe reading and
creation, and of course, cooking!
Students also take field trips during the
program to volunteer at like-minded food
organizations like Community Servings,
as well as to see the operations of local
partners like Wegman’s Food Markets,
Curio Spice Co., and The Food Project
(shown at left).
Where do the students work after graduation?
The CATP works with numerous community partners to find students gainful employment after graduation.
Here are just a few examples:
Left: Graduate Ishana Strazzero-Wild in front of the
restaurant she works for in EATALY, located in downtown
Boston (below). She has already received a promotion since
starting work there in 2016 and now works at a fine dining
restaurant in the complex.
Where do the students work after graduation?
The CATP works with numerous community partners to find students gainful employment after
graduation. Here are some of the places our graduates have gotten work:
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Above: Graduate Tonya Hamilton rolling
chocolate in the kitchen of gourmet Boston
chocolatier Apothecary.
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TD Garden (home of the Boston Celtics and
Boston Bruins)
EATALY (and its restaurants)
Wegman’s Food Markets
Restaurante Cesaria
Legal Seafoods
Tasty Burger
Baja Taco Truck
Hopsters
Temple Bar & Grill
647 Tremont (fine dining restaurant)
Community Servings
The Daily Table
Commonwealth Kitchen
Current Culinary Arts Happenings
April 2017
The class was the subject of an article by Sacha Pfeiffer (of Spotlight fame) in the Boston Globe
newspaper. Click here for the article.
Class Thirteen is currently ongoing.
Chef Timothy is working to gain more employer, supplier, and funding partners from the vast
Boston food community.