{"id":238082,"date":"2015-11-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/second-chances\/"},"modified":"2015-11-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T08:00:00","slug":"second-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/second-chances\/","title":{"rendered":"Segundas oportunidades"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>New nonprofit strives to feed and train the needy with reclaimed food<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Por Dave Schwab<\/p>\n<p>Restaurateur Chuck Samuelson had an \u201cepiphany\u201d when he saw usable produce being needlessly tossed away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw cases and cases of apples being sorted through and much of it thrown in the dumpster because it was bruised or had soft spots or was cut in shipment or had a little funny shape,\u201d Samuelson said. \u201cThat just stuck in my head \u2014 all that waste.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I had those apples, I would make apple pie, jelly sauce, etc., not throw it away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That inspired the former food manager for Stone Brewing Co. to spearhead the creation of a new nonprofit, Kitchens For Good, located in recently acquired space in the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Market Creek east of Downtown San Diego.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9081\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9081\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/kfg_photo1web.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9081 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/kfg_photo1web.jpg\" alt=\"kfg_photo1web\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/400;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9081\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(l to r) Executive Chef Darren Street and Banquet Chef Kevin Ohl prepare food (Courtesy Kitchens For Good)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new nonprofit seeks to give the area\u2019s hungry and its unemployed a hand up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the United States, 40 percent of all edible food is disposed of, half of which is fresh produce with minor cosmetic imperfections,\u201d said Samuelson, founder and president of Kitchens For Good. \u201cIn Southern California, we produce enough food, yet still see one in five San Diegans who are unsure of where their next meal will come from.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuelson\u2019s new innovative approach to tackling hunger is to look at it as a full cycle, not only treating its immediate needs, but addressing it at its sources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy training individuals, previously perceived as unemployable, to work in San Diego, we will serve to shorten food service and shelter lines,\u201d Samuelson said.<\/p>\n<p>Kitchens For Good already has started these unique programs that work hand-in-hand to end hunger and poverty in San Diego:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Project Reclaim \u2014 establishes a\u00a0system for sourcing surplus and cosmetically imperfect produce\u00a0from local farmers and wholesalers. With an average estimated 140,000 tons of food reaching San Diego\u2019s Miramar landfill each year, Kitchens For Good aims to effectively decrease the county\u2019s output of food waste, while rescuing viable produce that would otherwise be disposed of.<\/li>\n<li>Project Nourish \u2014 rescued foods comprised of fresh fruits, vegetables and other farm-fresh produce, will feed the\u00a0Project Nourish\u00a0program. As the second step in the Kitchens For Good model, produce and fresh foods will be gathered at the Jacobs Center kitchen\u00a0for preparation of healthy and nutritious pre-packaged meals.<\/li>\n<li>Project Launch \u2014 the establishment of a 13-week culinary training school in January 2016 will mark the third, and arguably most important, leg of Kitchens For Good\u2019s programs.\u00a0Project Launch, a free educational program, will\u00a0train unemployed and underemployed individuals to work in the hospitality industry, San Diego\u2019s second largest industry for employment. Held at the Kitchens For Good facility, students will assist in the creation of healthy meals for Project Nourish, while adhering to a nationally recognized curriculum developed by LA Kitchen and DC Central Kitchens in Los Angeles. In addition to gaining hard skills and experience, graduates will receive job placement and counseling services to ensure long-term stability and success.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9079\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9079\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_4584web.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9079 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_4584web.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_4584web\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/400;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chuck Samuelson shares the nonprofit\u2019s message(Courtesy Kitchens For Good)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Samuelson\u2019s new career direction came sharply into focus once he realized he could make a difference. After that, he set about consulting with hunger relief groups, food banks and others, including the Leichtag Foundation, to begin exploring ways to implement his notion for re-purposing slightly imperfect food that would otherwise be wasted.<\/p>\n<p>That led them collectively to acquire space at the kitchen and events center of the Jacobs Center For Neighborhood Innovation in September.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really didn\u2019t want to do the traditional nonprofit model where you live or die by grants or donations,\u201d Samuelson said, adding that his new approach builds on the idea that \u201ckitchens can be an economic engine for good in their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Samuelson\u2019s grand plan to transform the kitchen operation at the Jacobs Center by turning it into a self-funding and self-sustaining private catering company that will both provide jobs and strive to end local hunger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe we can do $1.4 million worth of business in events and catering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Profits from that will be reused for Kitchen For Good\u2019s new culinary training program and Samuelson said the venture is a win-win for everybody.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re making and providing nourishing meals, and we\u2019re giving culinary training to people to help get them out of poverty,\u201d he said, adding that all aspects of Kitchens For Good tie in with the concept of creating an integrated circular food system that feeds on itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe give students the products [produce] to work with to make meals for senior centers, school lunches and for the hungry, and revenues from events and catering are driven back into the [other] food programs,\u201d Samuelson said, noting that the ultimate objective is to take the model being created at Jacobs and transport it regionally throughout San Diego County.<\/p>\n<p>In just a matter of weeks, Kitchens For Good has gone from just three employees to 28, and Samuelson intends to pay his employees a \u201cliving wage\u201d of $15 per hour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re looking right now in the Diamond District for staff,\u201d he said, adding that he also intends to employ the formerly incarcerated as well as foster youth aging out of the system, to help give them a helping hand, too.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Kitchens For Good plans to offer that second chance by accepting up to 80 students into to the culinary program its first year, with a goal of having 70 percent of them placed in full-time employment within six months of graduation.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Gilmore, former executive director of Feeding America San Diego, recently joined the organization as executive director. Gilmore brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with San Diego\u2019s most pressing hunger issues, having piloted a number of the city\u2019s essential hunger relief projects in her former role.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9080\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9080\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_4680web.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9080 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_4680web.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_4680web\" width=\"600\" height=\"466\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/466;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9080\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Samuelson, Ohl, and Street at the recent San Diego Press Club awards (Courtesy Kitchens For Good)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gilmore\u2019s experience includes leading successful efforts to expand emergency food distribution to communities affected by limited access to grocery stores, low wages and the high cost of quality food.<\/p>\n<p>Samuelson said he is thankful to have so many people who\u2019ve helped him launch Kitchens For Good, including staff at the Jacobs Center and the Leichtag Foundation, both which have helped with his venture from the start.<\/p>\n<p>He characterized the vision behind Kitchens For Good as \u201cclean,\u201d and its multi-pronged approach as \u201cvery synergistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis makes sense, all the processes which sort of interconnect and support each other,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives me great hope that we can do this thing and make it work well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about Kitchens For Good, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/kitchensforgood.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cocinasparabuenas.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014<em>Dave Schwab puede ser contactado en <\/em><a href=\"mailto:dschwabie@journalist.com\"><em>dschwabie@journalist.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New nonprofit strives to feed and train the needy with reclaimed food By Dave Schwab Restaurateur Chuck Samuelson had an \u201cepiphany\u201d when he saw usable produce being needlessly tossed away. \u201cI saw cases and cases of apples being sorted through and much of it thrown in the dumpster because it was bruised or had soft [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":238083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Second chances","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}