• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • 2nd Annual Sabor de Mi Centro Block Party Boogies in Boyle Heights
  • Senior Prom Celebrates 25th Anniversary
  • “Solidarity Forever”: Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr at Trans Town Hall
  • “We Are Immense, and We Are Abundant”: Trans Pride LA Organizer Gina Bigham Looks Back on a Decade-Plus of Highlights and the Biggest Trans Pride Yet
  • Trans Actors, Athletes, and Activists Celebrate Community and Solidarity at First-Ever Trans Town Hall
  • “My Crown Is Paid For”: 12 Center Portraits of Juneteenth
  • House of Avalon, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Join Center Staff and Supporters for LA Pride: “F*ck the Margins. We’re the Center.”
  • This Year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Participants on Why They Ride
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Community»Seniors»Cream of the Crop! The Center Celebrates First Graduates of Culinary Arts Program
Culinary Arts Program Graduation

Cream of the Crop! The Center Celebrates First Graduates of Culinary Arts Program

0
By on August 6, 2019 Seniors, Youth

By Greg Hernandez

Celebrity chef Susan Feniger looked at the first six graduates—four youth and two seniors—of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Culinary Arts Program and couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Everybody is so emotional because it’s such an exciting thing that’s happening,” said Feniger to the more than 100 people who packed Pride Hall for the July 26 graduation ceremony.

Susan Feniger at graduation
Celebrated Chef Susan Feniger greets Director of Culinary Training and Operations Nick Panepinto

Launched in May at the Center’s new intergenerational Anita May Rosenstein Campus, the program’s first graduates successfully completed a 12-week, 300-hour program which consisted of four weeks of basic culinary skills development, four weeks of preparing meals for Center clients and events, and a four-week internship at a local restaurant.

The culinary program is for youth ages 18-24 and seniors ages 50 and over. Fifty students are expected to graduate in the first year; 100 graduates expected by year two.

“You have given me an unbelievable gift,” added Feniger, who conceptualized the program. “To see everybody standing here, believing in what they’re doing is very precious. I really am very proud to be standing up here in front of the very first graduating class. You guys rock in a big way!”

From learning the culinary basics—such as holding a knife, breaking down a chicken, and making sauces—the group went on to prepare 10,450 meals for the youth members and senior clients.

“I’m so proud of them. They work really hard every day, showing up and putting all their love and pride into their work,” said Executive Chef Instructor Janet Crandall at the podium. “They’re pioneers—the first ones to go through this whole program.”

She then turned to the grads and said: “I wish you the best of luck. Cook with love and pride. I’m always here for you.”

Culinary Arts graduation
Proud instructors praise their
Culinary Arts Program graduates.

Graduate Andrew Gonzales received a special award for going “above and beyond to demonstrate a service mentality.” He missed a week from the program in order to volunteer as a Roadie for AIDS/LifeCycle, the seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Upon his return,Gonzales made up all of his missed hours.

“I am so proud of my classmates, and I am so thankful to have great instructors,” said graduate Millie Rios. “Every single person in the Center made this possible. We came in with such energy, and we wanted to get things done.”

Gia, a graduate who identifies as non-binary and uses they pronouns, shared with attendees that they had never been in a professional setting before their culinary internship.

“I never thought I would work somewhere where I would be accepted. Now I work in an amazing kitchen where everyone is accepted for who they are. That’s what happens when someone creates an environment and sets an example,” they said. “I am finally able to say I am the person I dreamed of becoming. I want someone like me to be able to go into any kitchen and be comfortable and be themselves.”

Feniger, who serves on the Center’s Board of Directors and has been part of Los Angeles’ culinary community for the past 40 years, says the culinary industry “is all about family.”

“It’s an industry that relies so much on teamwork and looking out for each other. Your co-workers very quickly become part of a family unit. In the queer community, where sometimes we don’t have the luxury of a normal, nuclear family, I’m thrilled that this training program can provide that potential to those in our community who so desperately need one.”

After the ceremony, guests sampled Brandade de Morue (salt cod and potato), House Cured Salmon Gravlax, Duck Rillettes,and peach lemonade—an eclectic buffet completely prepared by the Center’s culinary students.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

‘Introspections’: The Los Angeles LGBT Center Celebrates Senior Artists in a Special Exhibition

Big Freedia Offers Words of Inspiration to LGBTQ+ Youth at The Future Is Black: Renaissance

Slice, Slice Baby!

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contra 🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contracts by May 31—putting lives, jobs, and decades of progress at risk. The Center and our community won’t stand by. Silence = Death. We’re fighting back @LACountyBOS #ActUpLA. Take action at the link in bio!
Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy acro Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy across our AANHPI diaspora—where queerness and ancestry intersect in ways both tender and powerful. 🌈🌺 #AANHPIMonth #QueerJoy
🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal repo 🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal report promoting conversion therapy under a new name—dismissing decades of science-based evidence for lifesaving, gender-affirming care for #TGNBI+ youth. Swipe to learn what’s at stake and visit our Take Action page at the link in bio. #ProtectTransYouth
Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center glo Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center global ambassador, @donatella_versace! Forever [stuck] in our hearts and thankfully not our elevators!
⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #West ⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #Westlake has been the target of multiple violent hate-motivated attacks. #LAPD is seeking help identifying the suspects and any additional victims. Anyone with possible information is encouraged to contact the Rampart Division detectives at (213) 484-3495 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Swipe to learn more.
🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AAN 🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AANHPIMonth night market honors @lararajj of @katseyeworld! Curated by and for queer AANHPI communities—expect karaoke, tea tasting, cultural bites, live performances & more. Presented by @gileadsciences and @mayumi_market 
RSVP: lalgbtcenter.org/GoldenHour
On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus came alive with love, recognizing the resilience of our community at the Center’s #LAForever Celebration. Nearly $800K was raised for our life-saving services, with unforgettable moments from honorees @thesherylleeralph and Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy of CHLA, and our vibrant host @bobthedragqueen. Thank you to everyone who showed up, stood up, and reaffirmed that our lives are worth defending. Read more at the link in bio 💜
Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier than you. Happy Lesbian Visibility Week! #LV25 #QueerJoy
Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a f Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a fierce performer, advocate, and trailblazer whose light touched so many. Her loss leaves a deep ache in our community, and we hold her loved ones close in our hearts during this time.
Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.