This week's Philadelphia Weekly, one of the city's two alt-weekly papers, features a fascinating story about a chef who decided to take a job in a juvenile day treatment facility, teaching kids to cook.The author, a teacher who hailed from RI's Johnson and Wales Culinary Academy, isn't exactly a wuss (he had a rough childhood, barely making it out of high school, and as a line cook, once was the victim of a stabbing), but his challenges are immediate and immense.
The kids were the products of all sorts of difficult upbringings, and often brought their fears, anger, and frustration into the cooking classroom. Several admit to drug use (the author cites a study: "between 2002 and 2004, at least one in every six full-time food service workers used illicit drugs in the month prior to the survey, while 12.1 percent of restaurant industry workers had used alcohol heavily.") And upon the presentation of a hummus platter with pita and roasted red peppers, one boy yelled, "That's rich people food, and I ain't eatin' it!"
The story is definitely worth a read - it's a testament of the combined power of dedication, determination, and the joys of cooking and food.
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