Culinary job training at Farm Fresh Rhode Island gets $10K from Jacques Pépin Foundation

The Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) announces that Farm Fresh Rhode Island as one of their Winter 2025 Grant Awardees, awarded this month. One of 16 recipients this round, Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s mission is to grow a sustainable food ecosystem for both the farmers and eaters in the region.

Their Harvest Kitchen culinary job training program offers support for youth ages 16-19 involved with the RI Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). During the program, in addition to hands-on culinary skill building, trainees also process local produce from farms into a value-added product line of frozen and jarred goods, strengthening the local food system while empowering at-risk and under-resourced youth. In addition to the $10,000 grant, Farm Fresh Rhode Island will receive JPF-branded aprons for their students and a group membership to the Foundation. 

Founded in 2016 by the Pépin family, the JPF strives to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of culinary education. The JPF empowers and inspires professional chefs, home cooks, and community kitchens nationwide by sharing Jacques’ legacy of culinary education. In 2019, the JPF became a grant-making organization, and in the last five years the Foundation has given over $1.6M to over 70 different non-profit, community-based, culinary arts training programs that offer life skills and culinary training to individuals with barriers to employment. The JPF mission and vision are rooted firmly in the belief that culinary skills training leads to increased self-confidence, better health, and employment and career opportunities.

“The JPF’s mission is realized in part by supporting programs that create opportunities through culinary training, and giving grants to these important local organizations,” says Rollie Wesen, Executive Director of the JPF. “Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Harvest Kitchen program, which happens to be in the JPF’s neighborhood, provides mentorship for youth and hands-on experience in food preparation, food safety and service. Over 260 youths have participated in the 20-week program, which includes a 15-week curriculum of farm visits, kitchen safety, nutrition and cooking essentials, followed by a five-week paid internship. Trainees work to create items like pickles and applesauce from local Rhode Island farms, and get hands-on retail experience in the Local Foods Cafe in downtown Pawtucket. We’re proud to support this impactful program in our local community and its commitment to improving lives and strengthening the food system.”

“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation and grateful for the opportunity to partner with a Foundation that works so tirelessly to elevate culinary training programs,” says Chef Sean Kontos, Harvest Kitchen Program Director at Farm Fresh Rhode Island. “This grant will allow us to expand our youth training program and add to the education and mentorship we provide to all of our participants, with the goal of helping each of them build confidence and skills for the workforce.”

Other grants throughout US

In addition to Farm Fresh Rhode Island, Winter 2025 JPF Grants were awarded to Together We Bake (Alexandria, VA), Community Kitchen (Pittsburgh, PA), Community Action Southold Town (CAST) (Southold, NY), Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (Bronx, NY), PATHLIGHT Home (Orlando, FL), Services to Enhance Potential (STEP) (Dearborn, MI), Café Reconcile (New Orleans, LA), FareStart (Seattle, WA), Community Servings (Jamaica Plain, MA), Kitchens for Good (San Diego, CA), The Prospect KC Community Capital Fund (Kansas City, MO), Forge City Works (Hartford, CT), Hot Bread Kitchen (New York City), YWCA Evanston (Evanston, IL) and Central Texas Food Bank (Austin, TX).

Community-based culinary arts training programs are invited to apply to the Jacques Pépin Foundation Grant Program for Community-Based Culinary Arts Training Programs throughout the year and are awarded twice: one in summer and one in winter. Applications for the Summer Grant Programs open in February.

About the Jacques Pépin Foundation:

Founded in 2016, the Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) was created to honor Jacques’ generosity and passion for sharing his culinary knowledge. The JPF’s work is focused on teaching and inspiring all people to cook. Among our programs, we provide hundreds of hours of free instructional videos, available to all, through social media channels, YouTube and our website to teach and enhance cooking skills, and still more to JPF members with access to recipes and videos from renowned and inspiring chefs through our JPF members’ Video Recipe Book Cook with Jacques Pepin & Friends.

Our existing Community Kitchens Support program provides grants, cookbook libraries, and other resources nationwide for workforce development, designed for individuals who are under-resourced, enabling them to achieve success through employment in the hospitality industry. The Foundation works with existing Community Kitchens to build their curricula, train aspiring hospitality professionals, and foster a supportive community, hope, and opportunity for a brighter future.  The JPF is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. To support the JPF or learn more visit our website: https://jp.foundation and follow us on Instagram. 

About Farm Fresh Rhode Island

We envision a New England abundant with diverse family farms and fertile soils, with locally and honestly produced foods and flavors at the heart of every table. Originally inspired by a Brown University student project, we were founded in 2004, incorporated in 2006, and received 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 2007. Today our mission is as it was from the start — to grow a local food system that values the environment, health, and quality of life of the farmers and eaters in our region.

Increasing Community Access to Local Foods – All of our programs — Farmers Markets, Farm to School and Community Education, Bonus Bucks, Hope’s Harvest, Market Mobile, and Harvest Kitchen‘s culinary job training program — increase the availability and affordability of locally sourced foods, reduce food waste on local farms, and share knowledge of how fresh, local ingredients fit into a healthy lifestyle.

Building Strong Local Food System Enterprises – Our food system enterprise services — include Market Mobile, Hope’s Harvest, and Harvest Kitchen’s food production and processing — create transparent systems and market-based opportunities for farmers and producers, as well as increase farm viability and financial sustainability for our organization.