Food Jobs Work, Inc.

Food Jobs Work breaks down barriers to employment by providing adults and youth in our communities with food industry training, real-world experience, and the life skills and support needed to launch sustainable careers.

We are a culinary workforce development organization, changing the lives of underemployed adults and youth through culinary workforce training since 2017. Our students have experienced challenges such as justice involvement, poverty, homelessness, addiction or abuse. We empower them with work skills that are desperately needed by our communities, as well as the knowledge that they are capable, worthy and deserving of better days.

Our innovative 12-week adult culinary program immerses adults from all backgrounds into the culinary arts, blended with an intensive life skills program that works to chip away any self-limiting behaviors or beliefs holding them back. This program includes knife skills, sanitation, food production and catering skills, as well as a certification in food safety and in customer service.

A large part of our programming includes preparing food for others. This may mean using the class members' skills to feed the homeless or cater an upscale event. Any income from these activities benefits our life-changing programming.

We also planning a 4-week barista training program for teens and young adults, which includes food safety and customer service training.

Our long-term goals include building our own facility in North Little Rock, where we can provide instruction, catering/retail takeout meals, and a small café to feature the skills of our culinary and barista students.