Kids at Work!
Empowering at-risk youth through the culinary arts
What we offer teens (12-17)
and their families
•Professional cooking instruction
•Academic enrichment and tutoring
•Interpersonal and communication skills training to teens
and their parents
• Counseling and mentoring
•Healthy living skills
•Environmental and social awareness
•Workforce preparation and Job placement
Professional cooking
instruction
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Curriculum modeled after foods I and II course from NC
Department of Education and AB Tech’s culinary program.
Each student receives 46 cooking classes for a total of 115
contact hours of instruction.
Two schools have offered credit for participation in our
program
– Alternative Learning Center (ALC) in Waynesville, NC
– Jackson County School for Alternatives (HUB)
The experience takes only 2.5 hours, but can
last a lifetime……
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Daily Check-in
Brief classroom group lesson
Individual hands-on cooking lesson (current appropriate music on!)
– Chef and Counselor cook along side Teens helping guide them through
technical and academic concepts
Each team of 2 students works on 1 recipe
– Emphasis on technical skills, recipe mastery and creativity and intuition
Heavy emphasis on healthy and well balanced meals
– We consistently offer nutritional information during every step of the
process
 Examples: The nutritional difference between deep frying vs. sautéing
vs. steaming
• Fat content
• Alternative sugar choices
Family style meal
A magical time
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Music is turned down or off
Table set by Teens
Meal served by Teens
Meal conversation gently guided by Chef and Counselor
 Increase food vocabulary
– Examples:
• Student: “Ugh, I hate tomatoes”
• Chef: “rather than saying “ugh, I hate tomatoes”, try it and
describe what it is that you do not like about it”
• Student: “it’s too squishy”
• Chef: “So it’s the texture that you don’t like”
 Each team shares methods and ingredients of their finished dish
Academic Enrichment
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We emphasize the mastery of academic concepts while cooking
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Mathematics
– measurements
– Recipe scaling
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Reading
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Writing and Research
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Menu planning
Recipe creation
Internet research skills
Science
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Recipe comprehension and interpretation
Food Labels
Baking
Cooking methods
Food safety and sanitation
This gets students excited about learning academic concepts because they can
directly apply it to their life experience.
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Increases motivation for higher education and to excel in school
Cleaning
Life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to
write a masterpiece.
Nadia Boulanger
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Entire group cleans together until the kitchen is returned to
Health Department Standards.
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This allows Teens to develop:
• Self Motivation
• Self Direction (identifying a needed job and taking
initiative)
• Group collaboration
• Focus (until the job is done)
• Pride in high standards of cleanliness
Experiential summary
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This experiential structure gives Teens instant gratification
for their hard work. They learn that with hard work they
can be successful and it can be really fun and engaging.
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Most importantly, they created something that they can
now reproduce at home for their family. It helps to
increase their confidence of their ability to replicate other
successes such as schoolwork, sports, and communication.
Interpersonal and
Communication skills training
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Say-it-straight training
 Daily check-in
 Conflict resolution
 Counseling and Mentoring
Say-it-Straight Training
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Say It Straight Training has been designated as an Evidence Based Program
for promotion of Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools, good
communication skills, positive relationships, self-awareness, personal and
social responsibility; and for prevention of violence, substance abuse and other
high-risk behaviors by:
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● U.S. Department of Education, 2001
● Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (National Institutes of Health), 2003
● Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2005
● Re-reviewed by SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and
Practices in July 2010.
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Delivered in 8 one-hour group sessions to Teens
 Four 2-hour group sessions delivered to parents
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Teens cook for parents during parent groups. We all sit down and share a family
style meal served by Teens to their Parents.
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Counselor and Chef gently guide conversation
Daily check-in
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We sit in a circle and simply “check-in” by talking about how we are doing today.
This helps to develop awareness of self in the present moment
Learn skill of listening without having to solve another’s problems
Let’s Teens appropriately describe where they are at right now, so peers know how to
respond to them throughout the day
– Example:
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Teen: “My mother kicked me out of the house today and I’m fuming”.
Counselor: “So what do you need from the group today”
Teen: “Everybody to leave me alone”
Counselor: “Can everybody do that for her?”
Chef: “Would you like to work alone today?”
Allows Teens to “vent” whatever is on their mind so that they can focus more when they
are in the kitchen.
Important for the physical, emotional and psychological safety of the group.
Helps Counselor, Chef and Peers to appropriately support Teens.
Conflict Resolution
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Kitchen gets hot and we work hard. Conflict is bound to arise.
We create an environment where conflict is safe to explore.
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Stress “I” statements and taking personal responsibility for emotions
and behaviors
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“he made me so mad” gets re-framed to “he refused to help me wash the
dishes and I feel angry.”
Sit one-on-one with Counselor for mediation
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Communication breakdowns and conflict is not feared, but rather welcomed
and processed for growth and development.
Teens experience getting needs met in a safe and compassionate manner
When a conflict arises within the group, we have a process circle and
the group comes up with solutions.
Counseling and Mentoring
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Teens are welcomed to use the Counselor as
needed to help with life issues and crisis.
– One-on-one face-to-face during program hours
– Texting or conversation is available during off hours
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Chef and Counselor also act as mentors for Teens
and we may discuss life issues while cooking, at
mealtimes, cleaning or during transportation.
Healthy Living Skills
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Cooking for self and family
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We received a text from a struggling 17 year-old student on a Friday night in the
grocery store (with his mom) asking, “What was that special ingredient that made
the Chinese stir-fry taste so good?”
Nutrition and healthy eating
We’ve observed a significant decrease in the amount of soda our Teens drink and an
increase in water intake at our table.
– “Can you see this? I’m actually eating fish!”
Student age 15
– “I’ve eaten more vegetables in 1 day here than I have in my whole life.”
Student age 14
– Food Counseling
 Weight loss
 Behavioral effect from foods
 Food related allergies
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Healthy Living Skills cont.
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Emotional maturing
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Skill building to learn how to deal with intense emotions
– Through group process, one-on-one counseling and mentoring and say-it-straight
training
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Personal responsibility (asking for what we need)
– Juan: “Come here and dry these dishes with me, please.”
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Joe: “Hells no.”
Counselor: “Hey Joe, if Juan asked you in a different way, would you have helped
him dry the dishes?” “How could he ask you for you to WANT to help him?”
Joe: “Yes, I’d help him if he would ask nicely.”
Counselor: “Juan, can you ask him in a different way?”
Juan: “Sure. Joe, would you please help me dry the dishes”
Joe: “Sure.”
Hygiene awareness
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Wearing uniforms
– Frequent hand washing
– Proper personal grooming (nails and hair)
– Wearing clean clothing
Environmental, Social and
Food Awareness
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We recycle and teach about the importance of environmental
awareness.
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We conserve water and teach lessons on water awareness.
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We discuss global social issues during mealtime.
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Welfare system and poverty
Child abuse
Domestic violence
Racism
Teens use their cooking skills once a month at a local soup kitchen and
we discuss the experience
Workforce preparedness and
Job Placement
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We work closely with Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) to help with
job placement or placement into their Culinary Training program.
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We constantly advise kids to stay in school and pursue higher education while
developing skills for a job to pay for their schooling.
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We help with job coaching, resume writing and interview skills.
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We use a progressive discipline system similar to one in the work environment
– Verbal warning, written warning, then “fired” or “your spot in the program
has been released to another person”.
(We have only “fired” 2 out of 99 participants.)
– This helps to teach Teens logical consequences.
Catering
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Teens get valuable job experience through
Kids at Work! catering local events for
different organizations and agencies.
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Helps teach:
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menu planning
Purchasing
Large scale food production
Realities of a job
Problem solving skills
Family Banquet
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We organize a family banquet and
graduation ceremony for each group.
 Invite press and local leaders in the
community to witness Teens.
 Give certificate of completion, Chef Coat
and Kids at Work! cookbook as a gift.
 This event is transformational for the Teens
self-respect
What makes a Teen “AtRisk”?
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As defined by NC Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)
One or more of the following:
– Court complaint or charge filed
– Runaway from home for 24+ hours
– Use drugs or alcohol in the past 12 months
– School behavior problems
– General academic functioning (below grade level)
– Negative Peer relationship (gang identified or associates with gang identified peers
or is rejected by pro-social peers)
– Conflict in the home in the last 12 months
– Substance abuse by household members (in the past 3 years)
– Family criminality
Safety
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Individual and group safety is our main concern.
– Teens are supervised at all times
– Intensive 13 page handbook signed by Parent and Teen with clear policies
regarding:
• Specific rules and expectations for Teens and Parents
• Behavior improvement plan/interventions
• Clear policies on smoking, drugs, weapons, violence, threats, cell
phones, uniforms, confidentiality, and more
• Clear criteria for suspension and expulsion from the program
– Both the Chef and Counselor have been trained in PMAB (prevention and
Management of Aggressive behavior)
• We are skilled in diffusing anger before it becomes aggressive
– Both the Chef and Counselor are skilled at minimizing accidents through
professional cooking experience and delivering safety lessons in the curriculum.
– We carry our own liability insurance policy through our parent organization Aspire,
Youth and Family, Inc (a non-profit org)
– Proven track record of safety
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In 2 years of operation and serving 99 Teens, we have not had any acts of violence,
accidents or injury
Funding Sources
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Year 1 and 2 was
funded through the
Governor’s Crime
Commission
 We served Haywood
and Jackson County
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We recently secured the 3rd year
funding through the NC
Department of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention’s
Community-Based Youth Gang
Violence Prevention grant
July1, 2011 through June 30th
2012
Also, funding in part through
Community Foundation of
WNC to purchase a vehicle for
transportation.
We currently serve Haywood
and Buncombe counties
Measured Results
total
Goal
% of goal
Participants
99
100
99%
Participants with 46+
contact lessons
31
50%
32%
Participants with 17
weeks or more in the
program
55
60%
56%
Increased Protective
factors**
84
60%
85%
Increased in vocational
skills
99
67%
85%
Enrolled in school or
GED while in program
99
67%
100%
Actual group lessons
delivered
404
Group contact hours
1010
Cumulative lessons
received
2413
Cumulative contact
hours
6032
**Protective factors
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Protective factors reduce the risk that a Teen has
for future offending. We measure:
– Positive adult supports
– Positive peer supports
– Rewards for prosocial behavior towards
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Self
Family
Community
Friends
School peers
School staff
The environment
Kids at Work! in the press
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2 cover page articles in the Mountaineer
newspaper
– http://www.allbusiness.com/society-social/philanthropy-grants-
gifts/14543303-1.html
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1 article in the Smokey Mountain
Newspaper
– http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/3865-a-recipe-for-
helping-kids
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2 spots on the WLOS nightly news
Kids at Work! collaborations
with local agencies
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Cook once a month for Open Door Soup kitchen in Waynesville.
Partnered with Open Door for local events.
Cooked 300 muffins with Daydreamz project for Thanksgiving dinner
for the hungry.
Cooked 600 cookies for Valentines day for local social agencies with
Daydeamz project.
Catered volunteer dinner award ceremony.
Catered local JCPC meetings.
Catered Healthy Haywood event through DSS.
Catered HUB (School for Alternatives) end of term school celebration.
Who we are…
Kids at Work! is a program of Aspire, Youth and
Family, Inc., a schedule (c)3 non-profit entity based
out of Clyde, NC.
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Kimberly Castano, MA, Executive Director
 Ambra Lowenstein, Chef/Instructor
 Corey Costanzo, MA, Program Coordinator/Counselor
Kimberly Castano, MA
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Executive Director
Ambra Lowenstein, Chef
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Chef/ Instructor
Ambra began her career earning a bachelor of Science in Early Childhood
Education in the School of Education at Florida State University. From there
she taught for several years throughout the Asheville community in the
subjects of art, cooking, dance and acrobatics. After teaching English in
Taiwan, Ambra returned to America and opened her own catering company.
Simultaneously, Ambra earned a degree in the Culinary Arts at AB-Tech.
When she discovered the fledgling Kids At Work! program, it was a natural fit
for Ambra to come aboard to share her curriculum, content, cooking
instruction and years of experience working with youth. In addition, Ambra is
a seasoned circus performer and is currently part of the National “Vegetable
Circus” performing arts troupe which offers nutritional (and wellness living)
education in an entertaining and kid-friendly format.
Corey Costanzo, MA, LMBT
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Program Coordinator/Counselor
Corey earned a Master’s degree from the Santa Barbara Graduate
Institute in clinical psychology and is working towards licensure as a
Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS). He is a licensed massage
therapist and teaches somatic psychology at a local massage school.
Growing up in a mafia and gang ridden neighborhood in Brooklyn,
NY, gives him a unique perspective to understanding and
communicating with at-risk teens. His passion and skill for helping
people developed while living and cooking professionally at the Esalen
Institute in Big Sur, CA. He currently lives in Asheville, NC with his
wife and 2 daughters.
Current Needs
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We have secured funding for Buncombe county
and are looking for the perfect kitchen space to
house the program.
 Asheville City Schools could be a perfect fit if we
were to dedicate the during school-hours group to
students at Randolph school.
 Program hours are flexible. We run Monday and
Wed. There will be 1 group during school hours
and one after school hours group. Each group is
2.5 hours long.
If food is the way to one’s heart, then Kids at Work! will get them
there
In Summary, Teens who experience Kids at Work!
have:
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Developed internal motivation for learning
 Increased self-respect
 Increased self-sufficiency and life skills
 Solid job skills
 Ability to deal with intense emotions
 Increase refusal skills
 Increased connection with family, school and community
 Decrease risk taking behavior