Culinary students wearing black “Kitchen of Purpose” aprons have just completed their risotto made with chicken broth and a little Parmesan. Chef Martha, the Culinary Manager and instructor, inspects one dish and remarks, “Not enough salt. You used the wrong broth; you used fish stock instead of chicken stock.”

Kitchen of Purpose is the only dual language culinary institute in this area outside of New York City, and recently received a $50,000 Jacques Pépin Partnership (JFP) Circle Grant. It will be used to develop an alumni network and support a food incubator as well as incorporate community service into the curriculum.

Rollie Wesen, Executive Director of the Jacques Pépin Partnership says, “For over a decade Kitchen of Purpose has championed the transformative power of food, not just as nourishment but as a vehicle for opportunity, empowerment and community building. They equip underserved immigrants, people of color, and women with the skills, confidence and connections they need to build meaningful careers in the food industry.”

Brian MacNair, CEO of Kitchen of Purpose, known in the beginning as La Cochina, said it was opened in 2012 by Paty Funegra who wanted to start a job training program for Latinos. Originally the program ran out of the basement of Mt. Olivet Church. But several years ago when the buildings on the block of Columbia Pike were demolished and the block was rebuilt, Kitchen of Purpose was offered space. It allowed them to have 5,000 square feet to include a kitchen for culinary training as well as a kitchen for rental space by individual businesses as well as office space and a small cafe which is currently closed for renovation. 

MacNair had helped Funegra set up the original program in 2012 and then spent 10 years as Director of Development for D.C. Central Kitchen, traveling the world with Chef José Andres and growing the organization from $1 million to $11 million while he was there. Then a year and a half ago when Funegra wanted to retire she asked MacNair to take over Kitchen of Purpose.

He says although the building includes a kitchen for rental space, the culinary training is the core of what they do. “We have eight week classes of 16 students and graduate 12-to-14 each time. Not everyone makes it through. We tell them if you’re here for job training, this is not for you. But if you have a passion for cooking … some people are just born to cook.” McNair says in a year they enroll 80, graduate 70, and 60 get jobs. 

MacNair says the graduates go on to get positions in the corporate world, casual restaurants and a few at high quality restaurants. They make an average of $18.50 an hour when they graduate. 

“We have a graduate who just got hired by the Amazon headquarters in Arlington; they have a lot of cafeterias there. They go to Marriott, Wegmans, Wagamama, and we have a bunch of students at Goodwin House. 

“More than half of our students want to start their own business.” He says it costs $15,000 to train one student. Kitchen of Purpose raises money for their $1.2 million budget from grants and fundraisers but worry in today’s climate about the approximately $500,000 that comes from the government. 

The $50,000 Pépin grant spread over two years will be used to support an internship that focuses on alumni. “We currently do follow up at 3, 6, 9 months with alumni to get their feedback and to tell their story about what they experienced and their challenges. The students will listen to others who have been in their shoes.”

In addition to tapping the alumni, MacNair hopes to build on the current excellent curriculum to develop the food lab as a small business incubator. “We also want to incorporate our students into service in the community by having a three-course meal for disadvantaged families twice a month and making the students part of that.”

https://www.kitchenofpurpose.org/