Stories for The Culinary School

Need a new lunch spot? Check out our culinary alumni-run cafe, the Discover Cafe! Our cafe for a cause is located at the Newark facility, and proceeds benefit student scholarships to our culinary training programs. The cafe is run by two program alumni, Kattie Fox (pictured right) and Cynthia Neal (pictured left)! The duo handle…

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Students who attend the Summer Culinary Exploration Training Program at the Food Bank of Delaware are offered a real taste of the food service industry during their six-week class which graduates on Aug. 17 and Aug. 18. The Milford and Newark classes already enjoyed a real kitchen experience – making biscuits and cupcakes. Inside our…

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Cheers filled the room as friends, family members, community dignitaries, Food Bank team members and others joined to celebrate the accomplishments of 12 culinary graduates. This group of students joins more than 800 culinary alumni who have successfully completed the Food Bank of Delaware’s 14-week culinary training program. The gradutes include: Trina Chrisden Bendu Collins…

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The Food Bank of Delaware is currently accepting applications for its Summer Culinary Exploration Program scheduled to begin on Monday, July 25. This special training program offers students ages 16-21 with intellectual disabilities an early start at career exploration and preparation for adult life. The program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Mondays…

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Pictured: Lupo Italian Kitchen Sous Chef Sam “Rusty” Russell and Ny Cunningham We recently caught up with Milford culinary alumna, Ny Cunningham, to see what she’s been up to since graduating! Tell us a little about yourself: I have five children, ages 3 to 26. I spent 20 years in the corporate world before I…

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Tears and cheers filled the room as family, friends, community dignitaries, Food Bank staff, supporters and others joined to celebrate the accomplishments of the combined Newark and Milford culinary classes! Eight students overcame both personal and pandemic challenges to successfully complete the 14-week training program. The graduates include: Jacob Armstrong Allen Burke Vernon Dixon Cynthia…

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Jacob Armstrong currently works in a kitchen, but wanted to expand his knowledge and skillset to become an asset to his employer. The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware was the perfect place to further develop his skills. “I felt I could help out my chef a little bit more if I were…

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Like millions of Americans, Jackie Toner was laid off from her job when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. She was employed at a local casino as a craps and black jack dealer. To help make ends meet, she started using the Food Bank of Delaware’s monthly drive-thru mobile pantries. “I became familiar with…

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Three years ago, Cynthia Neal became ill and was no longer able to work. “If I had never gotten ill, I’d still be working,” she points out. After learning online about The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware, she decided it was time to pursue a new opportunity. She entered the program with…

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Althea Wilkinson always enjoyed cooking, but wanted to learn more about the process to become more “grounded” in the kitchen. Prior to enrolling in The Culinary School, she was an Amazon Flex and DoorDash driver and was doing catering and decorating on the side. Initially, Althea wanted to go to school in New York. When…

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