DENVER — Jeff Koch had the decades of restaurant experience needed to found a culinary training program, but it was a different kind of experience that inspired him to co-found the nonprofit, Culinarians Helping Entrepreneurial Folks (CHEF).
"I have over 23 years of recovery," he said. "I'm here to shows these guys that you don't have to be involved in the lifestyle of addiction to be in the restaurant industry."
At CHEF, students learn basic cooking techniques. The ultimate goal of the nonprofit, though, is rooted in recovery. Students check in daily with peer recovery coach Cheyanne Dines.
"I've had quite a bit of experience with addiction myself, and being in recovery, and I'm just glad to be able to share that with them and watch them on their journey through growth," she said.
After a one-week program for people who already have some restaurant work on their resume, or a more in-depth four-week class, some students, like Tommy Hearn, become apprentices.
Hearn ended up in a halfway house after a rough couple of years. Now, he's a leader.
"I like mentoring these new people, because they've started where I started and I kind of relate to them, and watching them grow is pretty rewarding," Hearn said.
CHEF has trained 33 students, and 79% of them have found jobs.
They've only got a few weeks left at their current location. Now, Koch is raising money to open a full-scale, student-led restaurant. With a larger spot, they could double or triple the number of people they help.
"One of our sayings that we say is, 'There's more on the menu than just food. It's about the person.' And we truly believe that in our program," Koch said.
The program focuses on getting more students a steady job and helping more people on the road to recovery.
If you'd like to help Koch and CHEF get into a new location, email Jeff Koch at Jeff@CheffCO.org
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