RECETAS PROGRAM REPORT 2014
Spring 2014
1
Bienestar's Recetas Para Exito Program second and
third group started last spring 2014 thanks to funding
from Presbyterian Hunger Program and Paul G. Allen
Foundation.
Recetas is a job training program designed to
prepare residents in pursuit of a career in the food
service industry. Whether they want to get a stable
job in the food service industry, create their own
business someday, or join our catering team,
including selling products at a local farmers
market, Recetas program will offer them the basic
knowledge and help them to develop the
necessary skills whatever option they choose from
the three mentioned above.
Spring 2014
2
Classes were offered at our certified
commercial kitchen located in Aloha on
Fridays for the 2nd group from 11:00am
to 2:00pm for 13 weeks, and on
Mondays from 10:00am to 1:00pm for
the 3rd group during 13 weeks.
With a total of 11 ladies, each week was
dedicated to a different subject, the core
curriculum covered safety, sanitation,
knife skills, mise en place, the
understanding of ingredients, cooking
methods, and the development of
fundamental skills, and techniques
Spring 2014
3
Week after week the students were learning, practicing and
becoming familiar with concepts, techniques, and processes in
the wide world of cooking. Small assessments were applied as a
method to determine whether they were progressing or not.
Students were able to cater three big events during and after
these 13 weeks:
Washington county VIP tour; a buffet type lunch for 60, The
Homegrown fundraising event for Bienestar; an hours d’oeuvres
for 150 people at a winery in Forest Grove, and the big opening
of Juniper Gardens II; an hours d’oeuvres for 120 people.
Spring 2014
4
During August a closing ceremony took place, the ladies received a
certificate as a part of the completion of their training program. Staff from
Bienestar, board members of Bienestar, and family members of the ladies
were there to celebrate.
Our two Recetas groups certainly met all expectations; at the end of the 13
weeks the students showed to have learnt a lot about the culinary industry
through their final test obtaining 95% of their answers right. In the same
test given as a pretest at the second class, the students obtained only
13% of the answers correct. 15 ladies have been trained through Recetas
and we keep looking forward to help more.
.Spring 2014
5
Some of the questions that the students had
to answer were:
1.- What are the steps for proper hand
washing?
2.- Why is first in, first out storage used?
3.- What is cross contamination?
4.- Knife skills – different types of cuts?
5.- What is mise en place?
6.- What is a mirepoix?
7.- Types of sauces and stocks?
8.- What is a roux? …
.A couple of our ladies have been working in restaurants,
and Recetas program has helped them to improve their
skills, 5 other have chosen to be part of Recetas
Catering, and are looking forward to the next event.
Majority of them have decided to keep improving
themselves and participate in other Bienestar programs
like GED, IDA, computer classes, financial literacy, job
coaching, and promotoras.
Respectfully submitted by Seidy Selivanow
Spring 2014
6