The Way Forward: United Way of Greater Waterbury's Podcast
The Way Forward Podcast looks to introduce you to the people working behind the scenes of United Way of Greater Waterbury creating the impact in our community as well as the peoples lives that have been changed. Each program we will have a specific focus on one of the many aspects of United Ways work in the community to pull back the curtain on how your dollars and volunteerism is creating the change in the community we all want to see.
The Way Forward: United Way of Greater Waterbury's Podcast
St. Vincent DePaul Merriman Cullinary Job Training Program
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Learn more about the St. Vincent DePaul Merriman Cullinary Job Training Program as we go behind the scenes at Fascia's Chocolates in Waterbury where we interview graduates of this program that United Way of Greater Waterbury funds student scholarships for. Hear Abi and Fatiha's stories and how this program is making a difference.
You'll also meet Chef Frank, current students, and Carmen Romeo of Fascia's Chocolates.
This episode brought to you by United Way Platinum Sponsor Post University. This also marks the first episode from our new Post University Podcast Studio, underwritten by Post University in our new Bank Street Offices. Learn more at post.edu.
Did you know most episodes are available on video on your YouTube channel?
Hello once again and welcome to the United Way of Greater Waterbury Podcast, the way forward. I'm your guest host, Glenn McCabe with United Way. This is our first podcast coming to you from our new Post University Podcast Studio right here in our offices in downtown Waterbury. So a big shout out to Post University. They underwrote this new podcast studio when we moved to our new location. So we can't thank them enough. So hence this episode brought to you by United Way of Greater Waterbury Platinum sponsor Post University. Learn more at Post.edu. So today I'm here in the studio with United Way Chief Impact Officer Jared Bruises. And then we have a special episode for you that continues as we go out into the field to talk to some people from the program we're about to introduce you to. So to give you some background on one of our newer investments, we've been investing in the St. Vincent de Paul Culinary Job Training Program here in Waterbury. And as I mentioned, you're going to hear from some of the graduates and a little more background when we go out into the field after this introduction. But first, uh welcome Jared to the Way Forward Podcast.
SPEAKER_08Thanks, Glenn. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_07So this is an interesting program that we are investing in that really gives people a hand up. And you didn't just start at United Way, you used to be a principal over at St. Vincent de Paul and were key in starting this program. So how did this all come about? What was the need? What were you trying to meet?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, great question. Thanks, Glenn, and thanks for having me again. Really excited to be on the inaugural podcast here at the United Grave Waterbury and grateful for Post University's uh continued commitment to our work here. So the Merriman uh culinary job training program at St. Fitz-de-Paul started several years ago. Um it was a uh kind of a dream that the mission had historically, and if you look at the front sign of the culinary job training program, it was named just that. In the inception of the program, which most people think of just as a soup kitchen and food pantry, the goal was always to be a culinary job training program to help as the program expanded, uh as St. Fitz-de-Paul Mission of Waterbury expanded to help meet the needs of folks that were experiencing homelessness and folks that they were serving, the intention was for it to be a culinary job training program, with the idea that folks that were in the community that need jobs uh and employers that are working alongside St. Fitz-depal Mission and many other organizations that needed employees that had different culinary kitchens, uh, whether it was restaurants or you know hospitals or schools or whatever uh uh organization, the community needed skilled labor, that folks that could be at the shelter or other uh participants within the organization would get trained and get certified and be able to go out into the workforce and provide for themselves. Um, especially folks that might have experienced different types of challenges, whether behavioral challenge or a past substance use disorder or uh could be past homelessness. Getting those folks the skills they needed for lifelong stability, financial opportunities through working and taking care of themselves and having uh the the resources to provide a roof over their head was really an important part of the work that Father Casha had started back in the late 70s and into the early 80s and beyond.
SPEAKER_07So they what I found really interesting when we were over there visiting at the site is they also serve the clientele. So they're actually operating the soup kitchen, and so people who are in the shelter need food are going there and they're actually serving people that they uh you know they know and they that they know their experiences.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, great point. Yeah, it's a really win-win for everybody in the community, right? So folks that are training uh may have lived experience with homelessness or past experience with homelessness, uh, but not always. Um those folks were able to provide the culinary training students are able to provide the meals for folks that are going to the soup kitchen and food pantry on a daily basis, as well as folks that might be living at the shelter who are guests of the shelter, are receiving some really great high-quality healthy food that the culinary job training program is providing folks at the shelter. So, really a win-win all around. Helping folks learn a skill, providing those healthy meal options for them while at shelter or in the community at the community kitchen, the soup kitchen, food pantry. So win-win all around.
SPEAKER_07So we're one of you know a few funders that they have, and uh we chose to invest in why are we we're funding specifically what? The scholarships for the students, right?
SPEAKER_08Absolutely right, to help ensure that folks do have access to that training. We got involved because we recognize as one of our three pillars of our work, uh, the basic needs, education, financial stability. We wanted to make sure that we're helping people have that stable uh foothold in employment, which is an important part of our financial stability work here at United Way of Greater Waterbury. So getting folks access to employment training programs like the Merriman Culinary Job Training Program at St. Fitz de Paul was a really important way for us to invest in that program to make sure that people have lifelong stability.
SPEAKER_07I think what uh our audience is gonna find when we go out into the field here in a minute is uh is the dignity it provides to the graduates and the path forward uh to self-sufficiency. And so it's more than just a job. And what was really interesting is that we didn't realize one of our uh people on our campaign leadership council, who's uh one of the principals over at Foscia's Chocolates, has already hired two people from this program and having a fantastic uh experience with them, meeting the need of what he needs for quality employees in the area, in addition to you know just the connections he's made with them and with the with the program. So we're gonna meet uh Carmen Romeo from Fascia's Chocolates in the next segment here as well, as well as you'll hear from some of the people who are currently. Well, as we uh as we went out into the field, they were currently in the program, they were in the cohort, and now they're actually graduates, and now there's another cohort coming along. Uh, and you're also gonna be Frank, the uh the chef. Can you tell me a little bit about Frank?
SPEAKER_08Because yeah, chef Frank is a pretty dynamic guy, Chef Frank Perafati, who really is uh the heart and soul of the culinary job training program. He's with them uh throughout the entire process, uh getting them certified as uh food handlers and the manager surf says certification process, and then into the kitchen, learning the basic skills all the way up until the point of graduation where they're able to really produce some really uh great healthy food options for folks in the community, and uh once they're there they help them through the process of uh employment training and getting into jobs, which is really successful. So the majority of the folks, almost all of them, that go through the program, uh do have gainful employment when they leave, say Fitz-DePaul Mission of Waterbury Colorry Job Training Program.
SPEAKER_07Excellent. So let's go out into the field. You're gonna meet Abby, uh I'm sorry, Abby is the pronunciation, and uh and Fatihia, who are gonna share a little more on their experience. And again, you're gonna meet uh Frank and Carmen and a few others in this next segment. Uh it was it's quite an operation to go over and just be behind the scenes at Fascia's chocolates, which uh you'll see if you're watching this on video. If you're listening to it, you're gonna hear the sounds of a uh chocolate manufacturing uh facility where uh where they're working as chocolatiers. So uh we'll be back a little bit after to share a little more, and now we're gonna go out into the field.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so my name is Abby Henderson. I got into the program, this the culinary program, because I was connected through my vocational coach, Don Santilli. I had a really rough childhood and adolescence years. I didn't have it easy. At 18, I was kicked out a month after my birthday in the freezing cold, and I was actually in a hospital waiting because my mental health was really suffering because I I felt like I had no other option but to not be in this world because I was going to be freezing outside in the winter, so I got help. I had definitely had a lot of struggles. Um, life wasn't easy, but I kept persevering, and I'm forever grateful for all the opportunities, and I'm a very passionate person. When I when I want something, I'm gonna get it. And I'm so glad I stuck through with the program because it definitely has improved my life, and I love working here, it's it's a great job.
SPEAKER_07What kind of certification does the program get you?
SPEAKER_02Uh serves a food protection manager certificate. So it's more than food handler. So you learn about food safety and how to correctly cook things and just basically how to be in charge if you're in the kitchen and nobody knows. Like I had the help here, you know, with um just more of the procedure I learned through serve safe. And since then it's been great. And I will tell you, Chef Frank is the kindest chef you'll ever meet. Like, he is so patient, he's very kind, he's a great teacher, and I will never forget the impact he has had on my life because now I work here making chocolate, and I would have never known. I was just I was willing to take any job that the the program could offer. Either it would be kitchen or you know, confectioner like this. And I found that I really like this field.
SPEAKER_07Alright, so we're here with uh Frank, if you don't mind uh introducing yourself and uh where you're from.
SPEAKER_06I'm Frank Parafati, chef of director at St. Vince DePaul, uh Kitchen in Waterbury, Connecticut. Like I say, uh we open the door and hoping to come and want to learn and uh enthusiastic about what we're giving. And um, if they take what we're giving them and um seriously about the program, they'll do very well for themselves outside the program. Most of them do come in very motivated, and um I think we're at probably uh 99% uh they do finish the program, and um we were at about 75-80% of placement.
SPEAKER_07Now, when we you know in invest in this program, we we want people to get lives of self-sufficiency, you know, get on a road to a career. Uh, but this program also gives back is a St. Vincent de Paul. So the the students in the class are actually cooking for the the soup kitchen and for the Yes.
SPEAKER_06So the food they produce, um we serve about 240, 260 um a day, and that's Monday through Saturday, and but we also do we um provide um food tube at the soup kitchen, which is um seven days a week, it's about 125 a day.
SPEAKER_01I'm Fatia.
SPEAKER_07Okay, and you both graduated from the culinary school. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yes, uh three months ago. I started working here. It's good. Uh all the information in the program helped me a lot for this work. I got this work, I'm happy in it. Everything is good. Okay, I'm learning. I start to learn some new stuff from the chocolates. This is a new world for me. It's um never worked uh before. This is good for me, that's helped me, and Abby's helped me a lot for understand everything. Uh I have three kids. It's not work before. When I came in the United States, just I watched my kids. And after, well, my kids, they all of them they went to school. I start to study a little bit the language, uh education for some language, and after my husband helped me to find this program.
SPEAKER_02It's like you should really look into the people, the graduates who come from this program because we're very hard workers, and I feel like we would be good assets to your company if you hire us. You know, just give us a chance. It's been a very a very successful program, and it's gotten us very happy with this job. So definitely keep us in mind. St. Vincent de Paul Culinary School.
SPEAKER_01I want to change my life. I want to do something for me. This is all my life. My husband worked. I want to work, I want to uh be in this country, do something for me and for my country. Second country. This is it. I want to say thank you for everybody. Thank you for all. They helped me start with Abby, uh the chef Frank, the this this company, uh, uh this factory, everybody, they nice. Um in my country I'm not learned the language. This is no English. Zero. I'm coming here, uh came here with zero English. I study just the French, the Arabic, that's it. But when I come here, a lot of people they help me. I want to say thank you for everybody, for Chef Frank, for everybody engages here. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_07Introduce yourselves.
SPEAKER_04Hi, my name is Melissa Carrasco, and this is And I'm Daniel Canada. And we're here to say thank you for this opportunity that you guys have funded for us. The opportunity for us to venture in different career opportunities, whether it's a personal or to be part of something creative with other companies. I myself personally run my own catering company, so this is part of the skills I'll be adding to my portfolio. And also, we would like to say thanks for the best chef ever, which is Chef Frank.
SPEAKER_05He has been amazing. This has been an amazing experience, and we love all the support from the community to help keep funding this so that others can enjoy this experience and opportunity with us.
SPEAKER_00Uh, how y'all doing today? My name's Brian Gray. Um, I'm a student here at the uh culinary uh at the kitchen at the soup kitchen. And um I started this program, I want to say, probably about five, six weeks ago. Um I was introduced to the program by uh coming to the uh kitchen and uh talking to Chef Frank and uh seeing the uh brochure and uh seeing that he offers this type of program. I figured I'd ask him about it and uh you know and listen to it. And um I joined it and then it was a great opportunity. Um I learned a lot um as far as like you know, inside the kitchen, outside the kitchen. Um met a lot of people, um, experienced a lot of things, so it was a good opportunity.
SPEAKER_07So are you using services at the kitchen? Is that what I heard correctly, or no?
SPEAKER_00Are you just kind of sort of I was stepping in grabbing food and stuff, and you know, other than that, that was about it. It's how does it feel to be making food for people who are coming in to uh to utilize the um it's kind of a good feeling um seeing people like you know come in, you know, uh you know, grab food and see that they're there. Uh how can I say this? Um I mean it's just a good feeling, like you know, seeing that that we're helping people that's homeless or need some type of need or anything like that. It's a good feeling.
SPEAKER_03Back here again at Fascia's Chocolates with uh you want to introduce yourself, Carmen? Carmen Romeo, president and son-in-law at Fasha's Chocolates. So uh how about a little bit about Fascias? You guys have been in Waterbury for how long? Been in Waterbury since 1964, and founded by my mother and father-in-law, John and Helen Fascia, in their Waterbury home up in town plot, and uh 21 years in their home before they became full-time. And we've been in six locations since, but uh all 61 years here in Waterbury.
SPEAKER_07So the health of a community is uh obviously important to you. United Way is part of that, and now you're involved with United Way as part of the campaign leadership council. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. So, yes, I mean I remember giving to United Way through paycheck deductions way back early in my career, and I really didn't have much of an appreciation for the extent of what United Way did until we actually had an employee here take advantage of some of the services, and uh that'd be kind of you know raised my awareness even more. And then I was asked to participate in the CLC. Uh, and uh it's been several years now that I've been part of it, and now I have an even deeper understanding that United Way really is you know the blanket that helps the services get to the people in the most need. So to go full circle, and yes, when I had a need, and we had one of the cohorts in and uh a year ago, and Abby was part of that, and I had a need, and I asked Chef, which of these people would you recommend? Uh it's proven itself over and over, which is why we went back for more when I had another need, and Fatia came along. We all say good help is the hardest thing to find. And this is a gold mine because these people have that chef has had through his program, they're dedicated, they are putting themselves through this program, they want to be there, they're not dragged there. So I would say that there is no better. He should have a waiting list of people wanting to hire his people. Uh you know, what Abby's come from, what she's you know, she's a young person on her own. She was the first to sign up when we did the campaign, she's giving back. She's should afford it at the least, but she's got pay deck paycheck deductions for United Way.
SPEAKER_02Life is like a pendulum, like sometimes it'll be up, sometimes it'll be down, and it'll be even eventually. And whatever you're going through right now, use that as fuel to overcome anything. Because if you think, hey, I got this, you just keep saying that, I got this. That's what I told myself. And I I came so far. I really yes, you got this too.
SPEAKER_07When we know more, we can all do more. Sometimes all it takes is just one moment to change someone's life, one opportunity. Really want to thank uh Carmen for opening the doors of Fascia's chocolates and uh giving us access to the the employees and uh and his hospitality. And I gotta tell you, it's uh it's darn good chocolate. So if you're looking for quality crafted chocolates in uh in Waterbury, you really shouldn't look any further than Fascia's. And uh I'd also want to thank Carmen for all he does on the campaign leadership council in uh bringing small businesses to the campaign. So anything you'd like to add, Jared, to what we just saw?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, it's impressive, right? It's uh Carmen doing great work in the community, another way which uh great organizations like Safe It's DePaul can bring some of uh its trainees to different folks in the community that are looking to hire some really great, high-skilled folks, uh which Carmen has taken advantage of and clearly seeing a couple of these uh new hires he has thriving in his place, right? Which is wonderful. And at the same time, as you said, turning out a really great product that we all love. Everybody loves Fossus Chocolates here in the Greater Waterbury area and really throughout the entire state of Connecticut, which is fantastic. So we as United Way really are proud to invest in the Merriman Culinary Job Training Program. It really is for us kind of hitting all three impact areas the basic needs, as it helps provide food for those in most need, you know, education, giving a real solid education in culinary to folks, getting them the credentials they need, and then again that financial stability, making sure that folks are able to earn a living for themselves and for their families and providing that dignity that everybody's looking for. And also the dignity of healthy food, right? Providing a great healthy food option for folks that may not have food in the community, and but for the great work of that culinary job training program, providing really good, healthy, quality food for folks, including young men, women, and children who rely on St. Fis DePaul's culinary job training program to provide their meals. So for us as United Way, we're excited to invest in that program because for us it's a win-win.
SPEAKER_07I think this is really where United Way shines, because that's it's really one of more than 50 programs and initiatives we invest in that uh so we have several others in the financial stability area to get people back on their feet, and so many more success stories like this producing uh throughout all of them. So to our listeners, really, really appreciate it when you when you volunteer, when you give, because it makes uh success stories like this possible. So thank you once again to our Platinum Corporate sponsor, Post University, and uh for underwriting our new podcast studio here and for making today's episode possible. And thank you all for taking the time to listen and for your support. And we'll see you next time on The Way Forward.