Farm to Table is a vital resource for ending the vicious pipeline to incarceration, homelessness, and suicide among at-risk youth today.
Why this project?
Farm to Table wraps around youth at risk, providing them opportunities to learn and grow, to shine and thrive, so they don’t end up homeless, in jail, or hurting themselves.
What’s included?
A small farm and outdoor learning center, state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with six workstations, and indoor and outdoor dining areas
Space to Learn
During Farm to Table, youth work in the garden, learn the many nuances of the hospitality industry while working directly with skilled chefs. While teaching these important trade skills, youth learn about themselves, they relax, their blood pressure goes down, they become grounded and centered. Farm to Table offers a form of meditation and the chance for youth to get inside their bodies, feel where they’re at, and connect deeply to themselves. The experience also allows them to connect with others, share in the garden, care for the chickens, and pick fresh produce together. They then learn how to cook it, plate it, and turn it into a meal to be shared and enjoyed.
We are teaching youth both trade and critical life coping skills they will carry forward for the rest of their lives.
Farm to Table builds a connection to the community. To teach our youth, we bring in highly-regarded chefs, experts from the hospitality industry, and local farmers. In the process, we help them develop a network, a portfolio, and a future.
This future is one where they are mentally healthy, employable, and ready to lead independent lives. It is a future where they have built a strong relationship with themselves so they can effectively build relationships with others and the community.
Where is it?
The Farm to Table program is located at Journey Academy, a therapeutic non-public high school located on our main campus in Sebastopol.
Project Progress
TLC is thrilled to announce that Farm to Table construction is complete!
We are now beginning partnerships to bring this initiative to the larger community. Please reach out to info@tlc4kids.org if you would like to learn more.
In our first pilot program with The Boys and Girls Club and VOICES, we’ve brought in amazing chefs and professionals to work with our youth:
Private chef Mike Millins made homemade ravioli with our youth. They learned how to create the dough with eggs and flour, how to knead the dough to break down the gluten, how to roll out the dough evenly, and how to fill each ravioli. It was a beautiful learning experience for program youth and staff alike, and all benefited from the experience of a highly trained and experienced chef.
Jackie Roman and Tina Jackson, the owners of El Coqui Puerto Rican Cuisine, also joined us. Jackie, the restaurant’s Head Chef, taught the youth the difference between plátanos maduros y plátanos verdes and how to cook both. It was great having Jackie, a very talented, generous, and successful bilingual mentor for our youth.
Lucy Bates, a local pastry chef, happily volunteered her time to demonstrate cookie and cupcake decorating. The students learned how to make royal icing, dye them different colors, and decorate them with techniques like swirls, tie-dye, and flowers on sugar cookies. The Boys and Girls Club youth were very creative, and the results were colorful and fun!
Overall, as we witness youth engage with this program, we feel so deeply that Farm to Table is not just a “nice to have”…. It’s so much more.
Farm to Table helps youth reconnect—reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the broader community. For some of these youth, working in this space is the first true peace they have ever known. They master the art of hospitality and relish plating their beautiful creations for others to enjoy.
They’re learning from the best in order to be the best themselves.
Although the construction is complete, we continue to need community support to reach even more youth. We can’t do this work without you. Make a donation today.
See It for Yourself
To tour our campus and Farm to Table, or to learn more, contact us at info@tlc4kids.org
Who’s involved?
The program is supported by TLC Child & Family Services, a local non-profit serving over 250 youth and families a day, as well as other local organizations and funders …and you!
