'Ask and ye shall receive.' This advice can be pretty annoying when ye asks and does not receive, so we prefer to think of it from the perspective of: you can't get something you don't ask for, so why not ask? Much of how we conduct business is related to questions people bring to us, and the questions we ask back to them (or vice versa), and that's how we connected with Sarah and Nicole in the first place. At the Work First Foundation, their questions - and the pursuit of answers - are making a direct impact.
When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
We have long been committed to empowering communities through education. Before joining The Work First Foundation, Nicole supported the National Urban League as an Education and Youth Development Fellow. Sarah supported the New York City Department of Education as a School Business Manager.
When we met at The Work First Foundation, we confronted a challenge: How do we prepare public assistance recipients, who lack a high school diploma, for high-wage work? We developed an internship program to provide our clients with educational opportunities and workplace training simultaneously. Participants complete a food protection course and a short-term internship over the course of a month. Those who successfully complete the course become eligible to obtain a Food Handler's License at no cost, qualifying them for higher wage work. Food service jobs are an important source of opportunity for those who lack a diploma, especially those who also have a criminal record. We're grateful to have the opportunity to support our clients this way and look forward to celebrating their successes!
How did you get your current good food job?
Sarah discovered The Work First Foundation Fellowship through a posting on ProFellow, a website that catalogs fellowship opportunities. For Nicole, she learned about the opportunity through her graduate school listserv.
How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
We're passionate eaters (especially if it's mac n cheese we're eating), but it's our clients who are the key to the success of the program. We draw on the knowledge and dedication that our clients already have. Most of them cook for their families or churches, and some even have small catering businesses. We focus on turning their informal, but very important, knowledge of culinary practices into more formal knowledge that will enable them to succeed in the food service industry.
What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?
The challenges of government bureaucracy are real! One of the first, and most challenging, aspects of this project was developing a working partnership with the New York City Human Resource Administration, the city agency that oversees public assistance programs. We struggled with the tensions between a desire to pay our clients for their internship work and the knowledge that any income we provided would negatively impact their public assistance case. Our pilot programs will be unpaid, but because so many of our clients lack any formal experience, the internship is an important step towards securing sustainable work. We hope the second phase of our program will be paid, so we are in the process of applying to grants and exploring compensation alternatives, including 529 Plans and Individual Development Accounts, which would allow us to pay clients through savings plans.
Name one positive thing that a former employer taught you that you continue to appreciate?
Sarah: my boss at the NYC Department of Education empowered me to create my own work. He never let me put limits on my ideas, and he took all of them seriously. He also taught me never to accept "no" for an answer, which is advice that's been particularly useful on this journey.
Nicole: My first job out of college was for a large public relations firm; the environment was often stressful and demanded long work hours. There were times I would freak out over the most minor things until one day in a meeting, my manager told me, "You're not saving lives here." Surprisingly, this stuck with me most! It now represents my work style: I am able to remain calm and collected while effectively balancing a heavy workload. I learned there is no use in panicking; it's pretty unproductive.
What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?
Increasing awareness of and commitment to sustainable business practices and workplace justice has made this project possible. The food service industry can be a haven for those who lack formal education, experience language barriers, or have criminal records. But this depends on a continued commitment to restaurant workers' rights. We're optimistic that enthusiasm for fair labor practices will continue, and we're excited to be a part of the movement.
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
Sarah: more time or more energy! There are too few hours in the day, and I rarely make it beyond 10pm.
Nicole: Food and free travel.