By Tracy Baxter
Over the last two months, participants in Kitchen of Champions, St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County’s culinary training and job placement program, have been putting their newly minted kitchen skills to use in helping staff chefs prepare a nutritious midday meal for anyone in need, serving up to 1,000 diners a day.
Tonight, they are wearing a slightly different toque as they labor over pots and plates—they are assisting local chef Jacob Alioto of Luka’s Tap Room in creating an elegant dining experience for St. Vincent de Paul’s winter fundraiser. Not only are they raising money to keep their program afloat; they are also gaining real-world experience to prepare for entry-level food service positions.
The program acts as a reset of sorts; many of the participants have grappled with addictions, been laid off, or suffered personal setbacks that took them out of the workforce. Completion of the program offers a fresh start, armed with new skills and a new outlook. In its first full year of operation, the Kitchen of Champions graduated 70 individuals. Nearly two-thirds of those graduates are working today.
Lonnie, 47, originally approached St. Vincent de Paul to apply as a cook. He didn’t get the gig, but he heard about the training program and knew it was for him. “Cooking’s in my blood,” Lonnie claims. “All the men in my family were cooks. It seems like we just have the gift.” But even with years of short-order cooking experience, Lonnie hadn’t picked up many of the essentials. “Now, I’m learning techniques and methods that I didn’t know before,” he says. “And how to cook large quantities of food.”
A laid-off warehouseman, Derrick, 40, stumbled across the Kitchen of Champions while seeking job leads. Although he’s new to food service, he’s already hooked on the camaraderie. “It’s a fun business to be in,” he says. “The work can get hectic but it’s like a big family. At the end of the day, everybody’s hugging.” The go-to guy for comfort food at family get-togethers (steak with sautéed onions and bell peppers is a specialty), Derrick wants to use his training to make food that nourishes both bodies and souls. “This is a great event, but I want to continue feeding the homeless versus cooking five-star meals.”
The fundraiser’s donors and guests will enjoy five courses, starting with bresaolo with arugula and parmesan, and persimmon and chicory salad with a pomegranate vinaigrette. Kitchen of Champion trainees line up on either side of the prep table, their hands darting expertly back and forth over the plates until each portion is picture-perfect, and then the dishes are whisked away.
Soon after, the team, shoulder to shoulder, relaxed but intent, adds garnishes to the main courses they helped create earlier, a tangled tuft of watercress adorning cioppino, a thick, tomato-based seafood stew loaded with Dungeness crab, squid, shrimp, and clams; and a liberal pinch of orange-scented gremolata topping braised short ribs accompanied by mashed yams and brussel sprouts. Servers file out with plates.
Simple and fresh food with an emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients has plenty of ardent devotees in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oakland’s quirky, ambitious contributions to the regional food scene are sprouting up all over the city but particularly in the Uptown district, just blocks away from St. Vincent de Paul’s. A continually growing cluster of restaurants in the area, anchored by flagship eatery Luka’s, draws in appreciative diners night after night.
Lonnie already knows how he’ll bring his new kitchen moves and food handling certificate to the mix.
“I want to become a sous chef to start,” he says as diners swoon over their first bites of dessert, orange-cardamom crème brulee with chocolate-dipped shortbread. “But my long-term goal is to own my own restaurant, blending Southern, Jamaican, and Creole flavors.”
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