The goal the Teaching Kitchen is to provide all trainees with basic food preparation and cooking skills, kitchen safety and sanitation practices, and basic job readiness and life skills so that all graduates will be able to compete for and secure entry level, well-paying jobs in the food service industry. Trainees study to obtain ServSafe Food Handler certification, with those scoring above 85% having the option to take the test for ServSafe Manager Certification. All trainees receive professional development and job placement assistance throughout the training and for one year post-placement with comprehensive case management throughout service period. List of program components:
Program Introduction - Overview of the program, distribution of course materials (notebooks, textbook), discussion of curriculum and goals. Review of program requirements.
Nutrition - Presentation of the food pyramid and recommended daily servings. Discussion of nutrients, healthy and special diets (showing examples from Community Servings’ kitchen), label-reading.
Introduction to the Commercial Kitchen - Practical identification of large equipment, utensils and hand tools, trainees become familiar with parts of the knife and how to handle.
Measuring & Math - Overview of vocabulary and measuring tools, equivalents, weights and measures. Practice of how to find recipes and change quantities for formulas.
Kitchen Management - Review of all components of kitchen management: ordering, rotation, stock and storage.
Safety and Sanitation - ServSafe Certification Course is taught in the classroom setting. Trainees take official certification exam at the end of the program.
Vocabulary and Kitchen Concepts - Discussion of textbook material, handouts, worksheets and testing for each unit of kitchen work.
Kitchen Modules 1& 2: Savory Foods, Sweets and Breads - Demonstration of techniques, preparation, cooking and baking methods, understanding roles of ingredients, tasting, identification of foods, vocabulary and use of ingredients in recipes or formulas.
Kitchen Module 3: Community Servings Production - Trainees assist in meal preparation and shadow employees in four kitchen stations to learn the duties of each: utility room, receiving and storage, operation of equipment, and packing and labeling.
Kitchen Module 4: Guest Chef Demonstration - Each training session hosts guest instructors from Boston’s food-service community who rotate and provide specialized instruction to our trainees. Past guest chefs include the Executive Chef from the Capital Grille and the Executive Chef from the Langham Hotel.
Kitchen Module 5: Field Trips - As a group, trainees visit a commissary, hotel kitchen, food supply warehouse, or restaurant kitchen. Examples include Upstairs on the Square and the Harvard University Commissary.
On-Site Internship - Trainees spend 120 hours over the 12-week period working on-site in our kitchen on a variety of tasks related to that week’s learning module and daily operations.
Training Program Graduation - Community Servings’ holds a graduation event, inviting family members, friends and support networks to celebrate each trainee’s graduation. Trainees cater the event to showcase their skills. Certificates and graduation gifts are awarded.
