At the heart of our Food Response Network is Germaine’s Kitchen and Café (GKC). GKC offers a 16-week culinary workforce development program for adults with barriers to employment, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We have cultivated a space that allows them to grow their skill sets and gives them confidence to reach personal and vocational goals. In addition, our students serve hot meals to neighbors in need of access to nutritious food as a part of the Hot meals for Unhoused Neighbors initiative.
Our culinary workforce development program and hot meals initiative
Sustaining our community through access to fresh food, job skills training and hot nutritious meals
Our culinary workforce development program
Welcome to Germaine’s Kitchen Café, a Culinary Arts program of Catholic Charities Oregon. Here, our program delivers a variety of essential skills helping our students and participants on a path to success in a professional kitchen or foodservice operation. Our program offers in-class instruction on the fundamentals and foundations of cooking along with the very important job/life skills and hands-on learning in just 16 weeks.
Our program is pace based to accommodate all the different learning styles, abilities and practices of our students, allowing them to grow their skill sets and giving them confidence to reach personal goals.
As a part of our program, our students prepare hot meals for our unhoused neighbors in Southeast Portland.
Hot Meals for Unhoused Neighbors is an initiative that focuses on food preparation and distribution efforts to feed those who are experiencing homelessness and/or food insecurity. As part of that initiative, Catholic Charities of Oregon provides approximately 350 meals a week for unhoused neighbors in Southeast Portland.
If you need food assistance, please contact us here.
Apply now for culinary training at Germaine’s Kitchen and Café!
Germaine’s offers a 16-week paced, individualized culinary training program. Students will develop job readiness and the teamwork skills needed to work in food service or a related field. The program includes hands-on training and one-on-one support in a newly-remodeled commercial kitchen in SE Portland.
Germaine’s Kitchen and Café provides specialized learning opportunities for people with a range of learning abilities. Students learn skills for success at work and in the community.
Students gain the following core competencies in a professional kitchen setting:
- Customer Service
- Time Management
- Personal Responsibility
- Teamwork
- Food Safety
- Culinary Knowledge and Skills
- Kitchen Math
- Knife Skills
- Equipment Knowledge
Classes are Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 am to 2:30 pm
Upcoming sessions:
Fall 2023: September 11, 2023
Winter 2024: February 12, 2024
For more information and a tour, contact Kelsey Allan at kallan@ccoregon.org
Interested in applying? Visit our Contact Page, and fill out your contact info along with a brief message about your interest in the program.
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