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Local Chefs Teaming Up with Hospitality House; Chef Training and Kitchen Readiness Workshops Begin June 16

June 10, 2014. We have all heard the phrase, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” Well that saying couldn’t be further from the truth during the week of June 16. Hospitality House and Circles of the High Country will be teaming up with local restaurants and chefs to teach hands-on culinary skills to low-income and at-risk residents of the High Country.

“We live in an area where food-related jobs flood the market,” said Chatty Majoni, Circles of the High Country program coordinator.

“In order to maximize these circumstances we decided to help give folks the best advantage possible in competing for these jobs.”

image015Six participants, currently enrolled in mentor and internship programs at Hospitality House, will participate in six separate kitchen rediness workshops throughout the week of June 16. Each workshop will be focused on an individual topic and be taught by a different chef. At the end of the training each participant will talk away with a signed certificate showing that they possess the basic chef skills a restaurant is looking for when hiring for their kitchen.

“The people enrolled in our programs want to work hard, they want a new beginning and a reason to be proud of their work,” said Tina Krause, incoming executive director for Hospitality House.

“These chef workshops are a unique opportunity that will enable them to build resources and connect with skills that further their ability to grow in the future. We are grateful to our local restaurants for sharing their resources and tremendous talents with the community in this way.”

Courses will include Meat Cutting and Preparation by Westglow Resort Executive Chef Nate Curtis, Breakfast, Brunch & Egg Cookery by the New Public House Executive Chef Michael Foreman, Fruit and Vegetable Preparation by Canyons of the Blue Ridge Chef Team, Soups and Sauces by personal chef Robert Black, Bread Baking by Stickboy Chef Jeremy Bollman and Dessert Making by Westglow Resort Chef Matthew Rivers.

This training program is made possible through a partnership with Blue Ridge Seeds of Change and Heifer International. Hospitality House has been partnering with Blue Ridge Seeds of Change and Heifer International since 2012 helping to build the local food movement and get more people moving in the direction of employment in local food systems.

For more information call 828-264-1237.