Asparagus salad and bouillabaisse were on the menu of a special dinner prepared and served by teen members of the Stand By Me Mentoring Program. Gia Ghilarducci gave over her Depot Hotel Restaurant for the event, where teens learned what it’s like working “front of house” (dining room) and “back of house” (kitchen) in the hospitality industry. Mentees showed up at the restaurant at 3:30 p.m. to set up the dining room, and prepare the meal they would later serve to their guests of honor – their mentors.
They then joined Chef Antonio in his kitchen, where he led them through the preparation of a masterful three-course meal. “The Depot Restaurant usually serves Italian food, but I decided to do something different and share with the youth my passion for French Cuisine cooking,” he said. The mentees had attended a vocational training program at Teen Services Sonoma, where they earned their California Safe Food Handling Certification and learned the art of fine dining service from Chef and Culinary Teacher Steve Cohen.
The collaboration was a natural. Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance’s “Road Map to Your Future program offers a wide variety of experiences each year for mentors and mentees to visit businesses and corporations to learn about a variety of career and job opportunities around the Bay Area. As Teen Services Sonoma’s “Ready to Work” program offers work readiness certification, vocational skills trainings, job placement and coaching services to youth ages 13-24, a natural partnership has grown between the two organizations.
“I want to add my gratitude for the training that the Teen Services did for our girls,” said mentor Jan Erikson. “I can’t tell you how much these types of experiences are needed for them. They worked hard and felt proud at completion.”
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