Ida B Wells High School - Heat of the Kitchen Program

It has taken a year for the gears of bureaucracy to grind, but finally the grant for San Francisco's only hands on High School cooking program at Ida B. Wells has been approved. Now class instructor Alice Cravens is able to organize job shadows and internships for her students all courtesy of a Grant from the Buchanan YMCA.

Who are these students? These are 17-20 year old students who have fallen through the cracks at San Francisco Unified School District's other high schools and are behind enough in credits to not be able to graduate with their original class. The students in this program chose to be part of the cooking classes because that is what they are interested in doing. Heat of the Kitchen believes the act of cooking and serving professionally are the most effective ways to reinforce a positive, transferable work ethic' and that the hospitality industry needs more youth involvement.

The relationship with the Buchanan YMCA not only provides for the students' compensation but also offers an agreement that protects the student and your business from taking on additional liabilities.

Students will receive up to $600 in combined stipends and gift cards for their time spent with you. Students' time commitment is 20 hours total for a job shadow, usually 2 or 3 hours per visit, 2-3 times a week; if the employer wants to continue with that student, then it can become an internship, up to 40 additional hours, and some of the shifts can go up to 6 hours.

For more information or to get a better feel for the program, please go to www.heatofthekitchen.org or contact Alice Cravens: (415) 250-0560, idabkitchen@gmail.com