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A risotto lesson at Kitchen of Purpose comes with exacting standards. After students prepared the dish with chicken broth and Parmesan, culinary manager and instructor Chef Martha quickly spotted one batch made with fish stock—and noted that it needed more salt.
That hands-on instruction is central to the Arlington organization’s dual-language culinary program, described as the only institute of its kind in the region outside New York City. A new $50,000 Jacques Pépin Partnership Circle Grant will help Kitchen of Purpose strengthen its alumni network, support a food-business incubator and add community service to its curriculum.
Rollie Wesen, executive director of the Jacques Pépin Partnership, said Kitchen of Purpose has spent more than a decade using food to create opportunities and build community. Its training is designed to give underserved immigrants, people of color and women the skills, confidence and professional connections needed for culinary careers.
Kitchen of Purpose began in 2012 as La Cocina. Founder Paty Funegra launched the program to provide job training for Latinos, initially operating from the basement of Mt. Olivet Church.
After redevelopment along Columbia Pike, the organization was offered a new home. Its 5,000-square-foot facility now includes a culinary classroom kitchen, rentable kitchen space for independent businesses, offices and a small cafe that is closed for renovations.
CEO Brian MacNair helped Funegra establish the original program before spending 10 years as development director at D.C. Central Kitchen. During that period, he traveled with chef José Andrés and helped the organization grow from $1 million to $11 million. When Funegra decided to retire about a year and a half ago, she asked MacNair to lead Kitchen of Purpose.
Training that leads to jobs
Although entrepreneurs can rent kitchen space in the building, MacNair said culinary education remains the organization’s primary mission.
Each eight-week class begins with 16 students, with about 12 to 14 typically completing the course. Kitchen of Purpose enrolls roughly 80 people annually, graduates about 70 and sees approximately 60 secure jobs.
MacNair said the program is intended for people who have a genuine passion for cooking, not those simply seeking any available job-training course.
Graduates have found work in corporate cafeterias, casual dining and higher-end restaurants. Their average starting wage is $18.50 an hour.
One recent graduate was hired at Amazon’s Arlington headquarters, which operates multiple cafeterias. Other alumni have taken positions with Marriott, Wegmans, Wagamama and Goodwin House.
More than half of the program’s students are interested in eventually starting businesses of their own, MacNair said.
Training each student costs about $15,000. Kitchen of Purpose supports its $1.2 million annual budget through grants and fundraising, but leaders are concerned about the future of approximately $500,000 in government funding.
Alumni, entrepreneurship and community meals
The $50,000 Jacques Pépin Partnership grant, distributed over two years, will support an internship centered on alumni engagement.
Kitchen of Purpose currently checks in with graduates after three, six and nine months to learn about their experiences and challenges. MacNair said current students can benefit from hearing directly from people who have already completed the same journey.
The organization also plans to expand its food lab into a small-business incubator while incorporating service projects into culinary training.
Under one proposal, students would help prepare a three-course meal for disadvantaged families twice each month, giving them additional practical experience while serving the surrounding community.