Cohort 2 Graduate & Parent Testimonials

“This has been such a lovely program with wonderful people! It's really good practice for showing up every day and preparing for a job.  During my time at Nourish & Flourish Kitchen, I learned many skills including: running a dish pit, practicing my knife cuts, following unfamiliar recipes, and supporting a team. I was able to practice my skills at food storage, sanitation and safety, and temperature control. The experience gave me confidence and competence.

The camaraderie and teamwork in our small group has been outstanding. I find myself each day energized to show up and learn. Chef Emily likes to say: Make it Happen, and gives you the individualized support to do just that. The chef instructors treat you like a competent adult. It is also an LGBTQ+ friendly space. I so enjoyed my time there.”

— Jorja, Cohort 2 Graduate

“If you’re the parent of an adult child with special needs — or perhaps have friends who are in that boat — then you already know this feeling I am trying to describe: It’s the sense of overwhelming gratitude, coupled with relief and hope, whenever someone appears in their lives to help make the path a little less difficult, and a tad bit easier to navigate.

But when that someone is also part of a well-run, professional program that draws alongside of your child in tangible, real-world and life-affirming ways, to teach a useful skillset — whilst casting a vision for a future that could be — well, then you might just be reduced to tears at every turn.

That, in a nutshell, is what it is like to experience the Nourish & Flourish Kitchen Program from a parent-of-a-recent-graduate point of view. From Jorja’s first interview and subsequent acceptance into the cohort, through all the weeks of kitchen skills training and instruction, to the field trips and on-site exposure at potential job placement settings, I’ve watched her blossom and grow and relish her time with the chef-instructors, administrative staff, and fellow members of her class.

I haven’t seen her this happy and fulfilled since her initial disability diagnosis years ago. She’s gained confidence, learned new skills, made new friends, and is hopeful for a future that includes a spot for her in the workforce — all the things that any parent wants for their child, regardless. But especially when that child has a daily battle against difficulties they neither asked for nor chose.

Nourish & Flourish Kitchen will forever hold a special place in my heart — and, I hope, in yours too. It’s that rare gem of a non-profit — led by a team for whom this is a calling, not just a job — that accomplishes the extraordinary without waste or excess. It’s worthy of your support. It certainly has mine.

— Steve, Jorja’s Dad