Culinary and LOGIC program graduates in August 2024 at the Food Bank of Delaware (photo courtesy of the Food Bank of Delaware)

The Food Bank of Delaware honored 17 students from its culinary arts and LOGIC programs at its Milford campus on August 22. The graduates completed a 14-week course in which they learned logistics, warehousing, operations, inventory control and culinary arts.

“From day one, these students have shown that they are fully committed to this program. I usually hear from our team here at the beginning of class what the general vibe of the class is. From day one, all I’ve heard is how amazing these people are. This program is not easy. Not everyone who starts can finish. In order for them to be here today, they had to dedicate themselves to the program, which is sometimes difficult, and here they are today,” said Anna McDermott, Chief Impact Officer. “They would not have been able to graduate today without the support of all of you. I love how full this room is and how many people are here to support these folks. So thank you for your support over the last 14 weeks. And as we move forward in their careers, these programs would not be possible without the donations of time and resources that allow us to offer these opportunities.”

Cathy Kanefsky, CEO and president of the Food Bank, said she was happy for the graduates and proud to see how far they have come in the program.

“No student has to pay out of pocket to attend our programs. No one pays a dime to attend this program, which is pretty incredible. We’re proud to do this. It wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our community,” Kanefsky said. “We give our students what they need to be successful, not only in their careers, but in their daily lives. Nice things, they’re all important, but what they learn beyond culinary skills is what I think will make the difference in their lives.”

Graduates of the LOGIC program, which stands for Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control, included Harold Bissoon, Donte Brown, Chetor Carter, James Freeland, Vonnie Lacey, Derek Lord, Drema O’Neill, Elijah Rayfield, Anthony Schmidt and Takell Thomas. Graduates of the Culinary program included Damonae Backus, Gregory Davis, Chad Hart, Ali Harrington, Aniqua Jolly, Ida Luke and Cameran Saunders.

The event’s keynote speaker was Chef Timothy Witcher, owner of Wing Kitchen and Witcher’s Kitchen. Witcher has appeared on the Food Network show “Chopped,” losing in 2015 but returning the following year for a redemption episode, which he won. Chef James Bacchues, a cooking instructor at the Food Bank, recalled an interview with Chef Witcher in which he was asked if he had a “license,” to which Bacchues paused and honestly replied that he didn’t know what Witcher meant. Witcher praised the honesty and became Bacchues’ mentor.

“I remember when James came into the office and I asked the questions, man, he looked at me. I just want to congratulate you guys because the road is difficult and it’s getting harder. You heard me. It’s getting harder. I was thinking about it last night and I want to talk to you about feet. When I was younger and about to transfer to junior high school, I was scared and when I would go to a new place, I would walk out of my house and look at my feet. Now I was thinking about it and imagining what my feet would look like on the way to this new school,” Witcher said. “Pretty soon my fear started to subside as I looked at my feet and imagined what I wanted. So, every opportunity, I was in college and I was interning at the hotel and I had a big and angry chef and I went into this huge building with the best, biggest kitchen. And after a while you forget you’re going in and you start doing things. I was in the kitchen, my flavors were big. We’re busy and I have stuff lying around everywhere. My food looked beautiful, but I was running around the kitchen. He said, ‘You’re wasting your steps, every step you take. So when you’re on the phone, you can’t learn every step.’ And that stuck with me.”

Witcher urged the graduates to capture the moments and imagine the new possibilities that lay ahead of them. He said that when he walked into the studio for the “Chopped” episode, it was very similar to walking into a new kitchen, and that he remembered that those same feet had taken him to where he needed to be.

“That’s not a metaphor. That’s serious. Every step you take, make sure you’re doing something with intention, because no matter what, the Lord orders our steps, and if you believe that every step means something and has something to say, then use your steps. Make them matter,” Witcher said. “I just wanted to talk to these guys. Some graduations are special and this is definitely one of those special ones for me. Because not only did I get to meet the culinary students, but I got to meet the guys from LOGIC, we had some real conversations too. I got to know these guys. I know for some of you, every day was a struggle. We talked about how some days were a struggle. Some of these guys, I got to know, worked all night. They still came to class every day. I told them the hardest thing they have to do is show up every day. And that’s exactly what every single one of these guys did. They showed up every day. They worked all night.

After receiving their certificates, each graduate had the opportunity to make a few statements.

I almost missed the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful program. My advisor, Mr. Faust, recommended it to me and I was very intimidated at first because I didn’t know anything about it. Thankfully, I found out for myself. And it was one of the best decisions of my life. There are wonderful people, students and staff. Chef James called me Emoji Man. There’s a picture of an emoji, right, with a thumbs up and I would come by every day and be like, ‘thumbs up.’ “Yo, what’s up, you know? But some days, it wasn’t so ignited,” Harold Bissoon said. “I was happy every day. Every single day. I’m even sad that the course is over. Honestly, they made it very clear that once you leave, you’re never gone. I’ll always be a part of this family. I’ll always come back.” And you know, I highly recommend this to anyone who feels like they have no direction in their life right now: Check out this program.”

Bacchues stated that on the first day, Takeil Thomas had no answer for him when the chef asked him what motivated him to join the program. According to Bacchues, Thomas said, “I don’t know what else to do with myself.”

“Like everyone else, I just want to say thank you. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I came here. This opportunity has changed my life. I didn’t think I could do this in 14 weeks. Honestly, I just came here to learn something different. Everyone told me to do it. I’m glad I did,” said Thomas. “I’ve made a lot of friends and I feel like I’m in a better position now than when I started.”

On the cooking show, Bacchues explained that Gregory Davis had never cooked before the show began, which actually worked to his advantage as he had not developed any bad kitchen habits.

“The chef always has a question, but he always has an answer. He’s always there. This whole experience has been wonderful. They arranged my transportation. Aly taught me recipes and cooking processes. Greg, Cam and Ida helped me clean up because the dishes pile up. They do that, and it’s such an important part of the kitchen. I appreciate that. I appreciate Antoine, and I appreciate Sarah,” Davis said. “There’s so much support here to help people grow. And that’s what’s special about Chef James. I feel like he created an atmosphere where there was no judgment, no put-downs, where you could make mistakes but you were allowed to correct them with that helping guidance, and you didn’t get kicked out for not knowing what to do. The chef actually taught you. And that’s a wonderful thing. In closing, the Food Bank of Delaware culinary program is proof that anyone, no matter their background, race, identity, or whatever, can reinvent themselves and do bigger and better things. You learned not only how to feed your soul, but how to speak to your flesh, and if you’re good at it, maybe anyone else can say it on their own. Joy was a classroom.”

After the ceremony, the participants were treated to a lunch prepared by the culinary program.

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