BLOC Teaching Kitchen and
BLOC Special Events & Catering
Food. Friendship. Future.
BLOC Teaching kitchen is a partnership with Kroger's "Zero Hunger Zero Waste" initiative. It is comprised of an 8-week training, mentoring and cooking program designed for
those who have dropped out of high school, are referred and are desiring to work in the
culinary field. This apprenticeship platform equips students with the
essential certifications and skills required to get a good quality, well-paying job in the culinary industry.
The training entails:- 2-8 Apprentice Participants (Goal)
- Ages 16 to 24
- 8-week Program (7-8 per program
session)
- 84 Hours of Professional Job
Training
- ServSafe Certification (Required)
- Cooking Management (inventory, budgeting, purchasing & team
management skills training)
With classes taught by personal Chef, Anthony Jordan and Chef/Culinary Artist Susan Ruhe, BLOC Teaching Kitchen desires to bring hope through skills development, relational connections and community. Both Chef Anthony and Ruhe holds their Personal Chef Certification (PCC) from the renowned Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State & the American Culinary Federation. Chef Ruhe also has her Ohio bakery license and owns a personal catering business in addition to serving as BLOC's lead trainer and manager of Special Events & Catering.
BLOC Teaching Kitchen also partners with Santa Maria Community Services to align the needs of our community by offering our program to students referred through this exemplary partnership. Santa Maria helps to serve as an extra referral source for students seeking training and employment by providing stipends for youth, supplies, job coaching outside the kitchen and potential costs with ServSafe certifications.
The added "sweet spot" for our culinary education and job training is BLOC's Special Events & Catering business and Pastry-bakery services, which also operates out of the Teaching Kitchen and BLOC Coffee Company. Upon our first week in operation, the students catered over 300 meals to Children's Hospital! The business manages customers' needs ranging from corporate and private events to weddings, brunches and more for groups of all sizes.
A truly delightful twist that adds this collaboration as the 6th social enterprise within BLOC Industries - mentoring and placing quality BLOC-trained neighbors into good paying jobs in our shared communities among area business partners, which helps with local business employment and retention efforts.