HAPCO Culinary Arts provides free nutrition education and cooking classes through in-person classes and YouTube videos. It also provides free training and mentoring to disadvantaged young people who are pursuing culinary arts careers.
Professional chefs focus on ongoing everyday nutrition that is budget-friendly, easy to prepare and delicious. They encourage students to take charge of their daily nutrition with a proactive approach for sustained good health and the prevention of chronic disease.
The program emphasizes whole wellness for all ages to improve the health of our communities. Free educational classes are also offered at community centers in Orlando, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida for disadvantaged seniors as single classes or a weekly series of four classes. This program will be replicated in other disadvantaged neighborhoods with local chefs.
Our chefs are well-versed in multi-cultural cuisine that appeal to the cultural diversity of communities served. They emphasize real-world solutions for disadvantaged people who have limited income and transportation resources. They tailor content for varying household compositions including people who live alone, families and multi-generational caregivers.
Chefs incorporate practical life skills including cooking with confidence; fact-based nutrition information; kitchen, shopping and food safety tips; prep demonstrations; locally sourced ingredients; limited-ingredient healthy nutrition; weight and chronic disease management.
We will expand culinary arts educational and employment opportunities for young people through the addition of food trucks and ghost kitchens. HAPCO-affiliated chefs will manage these facilities, utilizing existing business model best practices, management expertise and community connections. Food trucks will offer mobile educational nutrition training and community event participation. They will be complemented by live music entertainment.
The Business of Food Program
In culinary arts master classes, Chef Sage educates band program students at partner high schools on the culinary arts and entrepreneurial career opportunities available in the culinary industry. Content includes:
- emphasis on alternative careers: in-home chefs, catering, ghost kitchens and food trucks
- insights into best business practices and career options
- nutrition, food shopping and cooking basics
- introduction to distressed neighborhood food deserts, community partnerships and activism
