Chef Training Program
Paid Restaurant Internships
Mentorship Families
Financial Workshops
Life Success Programs
We help Bay Area youth experiencing hardship secure culinary jobs through paid restaurant internships and life skills coaching. Youth are paired with a chef mentor and wraparound program to develop the vocational skills needed to secure and maintain a culinary job. Interns give back by co-teaching Sprouts’ virtual cooking classes for kids across the nation.
88% graduation rate
84% of graduates land culinary jobs
71% of graduates continue in culinary industry 4+ years
STRATEGY
Life Success Programs
All applicants enroll with life success program partners that offer services such as housing assistance, academic support, life skills building, psychiatric support, and transportation
Restaurant Internships
Youth are carefully placed with mentor chefs and restaurants that match their individual needs. In return for labor, mentor chefs teach youth everything they need to thrive in the restaurant industry. Kitchen teams transform into mentorship families, supporting the youth on their personal journey to success.
Financial Workshops
We partner with institutions such as Wells Fargo to teach interns crucial money management skills such as budgeting, setting up a bank accounting, and safe credit card use.
MEET OUR CIT’S
Our program is made possible by the donations of community members and local businesses.
CLICK TO DONATE
Your donation can change a life
SPONSOR AN ENTIRE DAY OF TRAINING
SPONSOR 1 MONTH OF TRAINING
SPONSOR HALF OF AN INTERNSHIP
SPONSOR AN ENTIRE INTERNSHIP
PERSONALIZE YOUR DONATION
WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES
- Recruitment
- Internship Wages
- Interviews + Trial Shifts
- Restaurant Placement + Orientation
- Culinary Training
- Ongoing Mentorship and Check-ins
- Money management and job readiness workshops
- Job Placement Support
- Post-internship coaching
- Insurance
- Headshots and Website Profiles
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Chef-Training Program Fundraising
- Chef-Training highlights
CHEF-TRAINING PROFILES
“I was 8 years old and I was stealing cars with my friends, seeing a lot of things I shouldn’t have been seeing at my age. I really needed somebody to believe in me because this was really my only way out. I’m a young black male, and I’m trying to make it. I’ve been through a lot…and I’m trying to make it right.”
– Mikey Quintana
Chef-Training intern at 25Lusk
Sprouts helped me get into the restaurant industry. At my internships, I started by being the pasta extruder all the way up to the hot line. I worked with lots of great people whom are still friends today. I wouldn’t be the chef I am today without them.
-Chris Hey
2013 Chef-Training Intern at Locanda
“It is hard to overstate the meaningful impact Sprouts Chef-Training Program has made on our interns. I can say with confidence that Sprouts is one of the most effective programs I’ve ever worked within my career of youth engagement.”
– Terrance Holliday
Ralph J. Bunche High School Work Based Learning Liaison
“When you teach a young person a marketable skill, you are investing in their future so they can become the skilled, self-reliant and thoughtful leaders we need to help our communities flourish. I can’t think of a better way to invest in everyone’s future, than by investing in the training of youth to become the thoughtful leaders and productive workers of tomorrow.”
Lendri Purcell
The Jonas Family Fund
“I remember after my first shift and the talk I had with Chef Thomas. In my opinion, I feel I learned more about both food and life lessons. I honestly feel that my favorite part of this program was just being able to be surrounded by supportive people who actually cared. ”
-Leslia Lapota
Chef-Training Intern at One Market Restaurant
GET IN TOUCH
mailing Address
1 Mandalay Place Unit 1503
South San Francisco 94080
South San Francisco 94080
