Culinary Arts Project aiding young people from low-income families

Yuma youths are gaining job skills the tasty way, as they prepare and serve meals for the Golden Baseball League players.

The Culinary Arts Project is one of Yuma Private Industry Council's summer youth projects. YPIC has trained 15 young people from the community in food preparation and safety. Duly Gamez instructs the youths and oversees the project.

"The program has gone so fast, but they have already picked up the skills," Gamez said.

YPIC's summer youth projects are part of a special summer program made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program is open to young people ages 14 to 24, who gain job skills and practical experience while earning minimum wage. All participants come from low-income families, as stipulated by the government.

More than 800 young people have been involved with the program, working either in local businesses or on one of YPIC's special projects. Each participant is required to attend a two-week work readiness class, specified to his or her individual program.

Aside from the Culinary Arts Project, there are six other projects in the city of Yuma: the Dance Project, the Recreational Leadership Project, the Green Development Project, the Green Education Project, the Mural Project and the Career Development Project.

Participants in the Culinary Arts project work in the kitchen at the Yuma Civic Center. They prepare breakfast for themselves and lunch for the baseball players. Responsibilities include food preparation, arrangement, service and cleanup.

"We're a bunch of chickens in the kitchen, scratching up a storm," said Art Everett, operations leader for the civic center.

Everett said he stresses the need to explore different cooking styles and techniques. He said many students identify with the type of food they grew up cooking, but in the restaurant business they will have to use other people's recipes and move away from their comfort zones. That's why he trains the youths to be diverse.

"We go through a larger variety of foods than even the culinary classes," he said.

The young people are learning important tricks of the trade, such as fine dining etiquette and how to keep food hot, moist and flavorful until everyone has been served.

The baseball players have appreciated the delicious treatment, too.

"I've never had as many thank-yous in my life as I have from these players," Everett said.

The staff usually rotates meals, but Everett said the meatloaf and Salisbury steak meals will be served again at the request of the players.

Daniel Amaro, 17, said he became involved with the project in order to gain the necessary experience for employment.

"I'm here to learn and get new experiences," Amaro said. "I've looked for a job, but nothing's worked out so far."

The Yuma High School student said he would like to open a restaurant someday but hopes to earn a degree in business management first. He said the program has helped him get closer to achieving his goals.

"I'm learning to be a leader and to have more responsibility," he said.

Gamez said she hopes to teach the youths more creative skills, like building garnishes and decorating cakes. She said the program is very important to young people.

"These kids are the future. If we don't take care of them, who will?"