Culinary arts apprentices at the Gary Comer Youth Center are learning a few tricks of the trade from Executive chef Anthony Bernal and Pasty Chef Elaine James, and it's all thanks to a partnership with Truth Be Told Restaurant in Woodlawn.
“The goal here is to expose the young people to as many facets of the culinary and hospitality industry as we can,” says Remington Price, Gary Comer Youth Center co-director. “To give them the insights and the lived experiences to decide if it’s the career path they want to choose.”
The students learned how to cut and plate a chicken dish, as well as how to prepare a couple of desserts during a course this week.
This is Jordan Cowan’s second time enrolling in the culinary program. He just graduated from Gary Comer College Prep, but is still undecided about his career.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“It definitely opens my horizon because they were talking about how different (areas) work, so definitely it opens my mind to which field I want to study," he says.
Kennedy Head was an apprentice two years ago and says the experience is paying off.
“We did meal service, we worked on the line, we did knife cutting, we prepped for the next day, all type of things, which really helped me as a culinary worker now," Head says.
Local
Chef Anthony Bernal had a little advice for the students.
“(I told them) to work hard, to understand that this is not an easy position, it’s not an easy industry. But, it’s very rewarding at the same time. There are endless opportunities. They have to find the direction they like and go for it.”
All the produce and herbs used to create these dishes comes from their community garden across the street from the youth center.
Jonathan Bates, associate director of culinary arts and nutrition at Francie Comer Culinary Art Center, says, “It shows our young people that we have food in our community and we can grow it. Now, our job is to show them how to cook those things.”
One of the dishes created during this event will be on the menu at Truth Be Told restaurant for a few days. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Gary Comer Youth Center
