Pictured: The Haven on-campus kitchen where the new Culinary Training Academy will take place. The culinary team at The Haven hosted their annual 150-person Thanksgiving luncheon for their education students and their families.

The Haven is pleased to announce they have received a $50,000 grant from the Gould Family Trust Foundation at Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) for a Culinary Training Academy with Rise Up Café. This program, “The Culinary Academy: Empowering Through Experience!” is designed to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience and training in the dynamic and rewarding field of food service. The Haven has a large commercial kitchen on its 32-acre campus that provides culinary training and jobs for Haven clients. Daily, these clients plan, cook, and distribute meals for The Haven’s 66 Selby Preschool students. Rise Up Café, located across the street from Gulf Coast’s Sarasota Philanthropy Center, is a coffee shop in downtown Sarasota that provides dozens of jobs for adults with disabilities, with an additional 300 future employees on the waiting list. With this grant assistance from Gulf Coast, The Haven and Rise Up Café will launch a culinary training program that will allow current Rise Up Café employees and the individuals on their waiting list to receive culinary training on The Haven’s campus. Participants will have the chance to work alongside experienced professionals in a variety of food service settings, such as restaurants, cafes, and catering companies, and they will learn essential skills such as food preparation, cooking, customer service, table service, and kitchen operations in a supportive and inclusive environment. The program will develop important social and interpersonal skills for participants. Approximately 120 participants a year will receive 40 hours of training each. Upon completion of their training, participants receive a certificate and the opportunity to be placed into integrated employment with assistance from The Haven job coaches. The goal is to have each individual master skills to prepare them for secure employment in the restaurant industry. Visit thehavensrq.org/haven-rise-up-culinary-academy to apply for the Academy.

Pictured: The Haven on-campus kitchen where the new Culinary Training Academy will take place. The culinary team at The Haven hosted their annual 150-person Thanksgiving luncheon for their education students and their families.