The Food Service Training Academy (FSTA) is a culinary job-training program that provides individuals with an opportunity to gain skills that qualify them for employment possibilities with a living wage and without reliance on charitable and government assistance programs. Our training academy is succeeding in a tough job market!
In 10 years, the FSTA has graduated more than 500 students. In January, 2011, we welcomed back more than 100 students for our first annual Alumni Reception. View photos from the event.
As part of its mission to fight poverty, the Community FoodBank’s Community Kitchen opens the Food Service Training Academy to low-income persons who would like a new start, including residents of halfway houses, social services clients, and former offenders on parole.
The Food Service Training Academy has two primary goals:
- To train these individuals in the culinary arts and food safety.
- To prepare these individuals for sustainable employment in the food service industry by providing them with thorough life skills, job readiness training, and job placement assistance.
We find that the most important ingredient in the program’s recipe for a fresh start is pride.
Interested applicants may download the FSTA brochure to learn more.
About the Program
Offering a 14 week curriculum, the Food Service Training Academy provides an intensive education in culinary arts, baking, and food service for qualified applicants who are looking for a career in the food service field. In addition to comprehensive hands-on training in our state-of-the-art kitchen, students also receive certification in the Serv-Safe Food Sanitations Managers Course from the National Restaurant Association. Our chef instructors are certified by many of the top culinary schools in the country and actively supervise students while they prepare meals for Community FoodBank programs that support our hunger relief efforts in the community, as well as on and off-premises catering. The training program is recognized by the American Culinary Federation and the Black Culinarian Alliance.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Paul Kapner, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, students learn cooking skills, menu planning, nutrition, and safe food handling. In addition, they receive counseling in life skills to help them meet workplace expectations.
As part of training, the Academy’s chefs arrange for tours of renowned kitchen facilities including the former Tavern On The Green, in Manhattan, and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where student s observe kitchen operations and meet with restaurant managers.
“We teach our students to meet or exceed industry standards,” states Chef Kapner. Because of the growing reputation of the FSTA and the fact that everyone receives a well-rounded and thorough training at each kitchen station, the Academy has an above average placement rate in restaurants and food service companies, where there is a high demand for qualified personnel.
Want to join the ranks of the Food Service Training Academy?
Please contact Rosemarie Murray, Community Kitchen Administrator, for further information by calling 908-355-3663, ext. 240., or e-mailing Rmurray@njfoodbank.org.
Interested in hiring one of our qualified graduates?
Employers interested in qualified, ServSafe Certified kitchen help should call 908-355-3663 ext. 240. Internships are also available.
The Training Academy is supported proudly and generously by the ACE Bakery, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Prudential Foundation, State Street Foundation, and TD Bank Foundation.
