location for catering jobs and monthly ticketed dinners with guest chefs .
Meanwhile , the organization ’ s primary focus has shifted to Red Door Desserts , a gourmet cookie business . In addition to baking and kitchen techniques , women learn the ins and outs of order management , inventory control , packaging and shipping — skills that can be applied to work outside the restaurant industry .
A typical participant has a history of drug use and domestic violence and little to no work experience , explains Nicholle Cox , food services and catering manager . “ They come from living in tents on the river and sleeping in cars with their children . They tend to have some kind of a traumatic background that has been a barrier to them obtaining and maintaining employment ,” she says . Cox entered the program as a client herself in 2015 and continued as a volunteer before being hired as a catering lead in 2017 .
“ There are so many different aspects of baking and operating a business ,” says Cox . “ We ’ re also online and we ship nationwide , so it gives us a chance to expand quite a bit and reach out to people who have never heard of us .” A signature red box inviting the recipient to “ indulge and empower ” contains a dozen cookies along with statistics printed on the inside flap about the women who participate in the program .
The program is voluntary , but sometimes court-mandated for women required to seek a program to help get them back on track and reunify with their children . After going through detox , they spend approximately four months learning the production process from the ground up . “ We teach them what ingredients are , how to use a scale , how to read and upscale recipes , and from there we just create cookies !” says Johnson . Once they put in all their hours , they go into “ job readiness ,” a five-week class that covers writing resumes , gathering references , sending applications and preparing for interviews . Then they are ready to enter the job market armed with their new skills .
Vocational trainer Deanna Spittles loves seeing the transformation that can occur in their clients from the time they walk in until the time they graduate . “ Being able to teach them skills to make meals for their children ,
“ Being able to teach them skills to make meals for their children , to bake with their kids at Christmas time , to just feel like they can put a meal or dessert together on their own , that ’ s so rewarding .”
to bake with their kids at Christmas time , to just feel like they can put a meal or dessert together on their own ,” she says , “ that ’ s so rewarding .”
Seeing that kind of growth is amazing , agrees Nilda Valmores , executive director of My Sister ’ s House , a nonprofit organization incorporated in 2000 that helps victims of domestic violence , sexual assault and trafficking . The shelter is open to all ethnicities but provides culturally appropriate services for the Asian and Pacific Islander communities . This includes a bilingual and bicultural staff providing various services : counseling , legal and emergency support , and job
Red Door Desserts ’ cookies are made by Saint John ’ s clients , who learn order management , inventory control , and packaging and shipping skills in addition to cookie recipes .
Deanna Spittles , vocational trainer , St . John ’ s Program for Real Change
training for women whose first language is not English . The program also supports a “ culturally-based desire to be independent ,” says Valmores . “ That eventually evolved into creating a few social enterprises , including My Sister ’ s Café .”
Nestled close to the Downtown Commons area , My Sister ’ s Café is a volunteer-staffed eatery that opened in 2014 . The cafe serves breakfast and lunch and offers food with an Asian and Pacific Islander focus : think banh mi , ham sesame ginger wraps , roast beef wasabi sandwiches and Thai peanut salads . A full coffee and espresso bar beckons with specialty drinks
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