Robert Kunkle’s passion for cooking finally came to fruition when he was accepted into the first Salvation Army School of Culinary Arts.
But what he got out of it was much more than simply preparing meals.
“(I learned) teamwork and compassion,” said the 47-year-old, wearing his white chef’s uniform with the Salvation Army’s shield and his black and white plaid pants, before Monday’s graduation.
The graduates completed a 12-week job training and internship program that teaches homeless and low-income people the basic skills of meal preparation for entry into food services. For the graduation ceremony, they prepared salmon tortellini alfredo, the chef’s version of beef Wellington, quiche, cookies and fruit and vegetable displays.
“It’s a program for those in need and a desire to complete it,” said Will Hale, director of Volunteer Services and Special Events for the local Salvation Army.
For chef and program director Terry Epps, the experience of teaching the class three days per week has been “amazing.”
“They’ve taught me as much as I’ve taught them,” he said in his kitchen on McCallie Avenue.
Although they didn’t have any previous experience in the kitchen, the students brought a positive attitude to the table, he said.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM The School of Culinary Arts instructs local homeless and low-income people in environmentally friendly agriculture, meal preparation and food service. The program culminates with a two-week internship in a local restaurant kitchen and students are considered for full-time employment at a partnering organization upon completion of the internship. Only five students are accepted for each class and there’s a waiting list of about 20, but organizers said they want to expand the program in the future. The class is funded through private donations and grants. For more information, contact Will Hale at 423-308-7704 or will_hale@uss.salvationarmy.org.
“They wanted to change their life so they were here all the time … always trying to hone their skills and be better,” he said.
Mr. Kunkle said he became officially homeless in late January when the owner of the house he was staying in told him to leave, but the Salvation Army took him in.
After expressing his interest in the kitchen, he said Mr. Epps — who he said has become his inspiration — made him prove how much he wanted it.
He worked at Walmart during the night and helped out in the Salvation Army kitchen during the day, trying to absorb everything he could, he said.
Now that he has completed the program, his main goal is to one day be a cook in a nice restaurant and give back to the Salvation Army, he said.
“There is help if you want it,” he said. “The other thing is the desire in your heart. Do you really want to be homeless?”
The three graduating students have permanent housing lined up and have secured employment in the food industry, including a fast-food restaurant and a nursing home, Mr. Hale said.
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