Community Kitchen Pittsburgh uses food to change lives and strengthen communities by providing culinary training and job placement services to adults who are experiencing barriers to employment. CKP helps currently or formerly incarcerated individuals and other under or unemployed adults overcome obstacles and secure stable jobs and careers in the food service industry.

All students receive comprehensive culinary instruction, wrap-around support, case management and referrals for services – at no cost – to help them gain the stability in their lives needed to succeed. We follow up with our graduates for at least one year after commencement to ensure that they continue to thrive.

We can do all of this because our training is built around several food service social enterprises. So, while the students are training in the kitchen, they are also preparing meals for homeless shelters, school and afterschool programs, retail products, and catering.

During training, our students work and train alongside professional chefs, learning the skills they need to get a job in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Since 2013, over 300 men and women have graduated from CKP and are now powering the back of the house in professional kitchens throughout the city. Our program also offers students advanced standing at Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), with up to 15 transferable credits for those who wish to continue their education.

One of our graduates, Khia, found herself in the position of having to return to the workforce after an extended employment absence to care for a family member. She enrolled in Community Kitchen Pittsburgh with her son, who was incarcerated at the time. Upon graduating, Khia was employed as a part-time food service worker at Macedonia FACE, but in just a few months she was promoted to a full-time Assistant Kitchen Manager. Her son, who has since been released, also graduated from our culinary training program and has returned to CKP to take part in a paid apprenticeship program with one of our employer partners with the goal of becoming a kitchen manager.

“I love working at Macedonia! It’s the perfect fit—the culture, the company, my personality, and the location are all perfect! My supervisor often jokes, “You better never leave us!”

And I always assure her, “You don’t have to worry, I’m never leaving!”