BALTIMORE — The Franciscan Center in Baltimore honored 14 graduates of its Dignity Plates Culinary Academy on Tuesday, including four students from the program's first-ever evening cohort.
The free culinary boot camp runs 13 weeks and covers the fundamentals of professional culinary work. The new evening program condenses that into an 8-week curriculum covering sanitation, knife safety, and equipment identification.
Baltimore nonprofit celebrates 14 graduates of culinary workforce training program
The evening cohort was created to give people balancing jobs, family responsibilities, and other commitments a more flexible path into the culinary field.
"I don't wanna call it such a tough time, but it is tough. It's a very quick 13 weeks. It's rough. It can tire you out, and as I see you all sitting here today, it's full class; you all made it to the end, and I'm so very proud of you all," one person said.
Since launching in 2021, the program has helped participants gain professional certifications and job-readiness skills, with an 84 percent graduation rate.
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