Culinary Training Program

In collaboration with Oakland Adult and Career Eduation, the mission of BACS Culinary Training Program is to promote self-sufficiency and independence by providing culinary training and job referral assistance. While we celebrate bringing this service to disadvantaged low-income people, we encourage anyone interested to apply.

Program Components: The program runs for 12 weeks, five days a week. The first two weeks of the program will be spent in lecture covering: Food Service Industry, Professionalism, Food Safety & Sanitation, Basic Knife Skills, Kitchen Equipment, Being a Kitchen Manager, and Nutrition. They will later spend 5 weeks in evening food preparation and then do 5 weeks of day production. 90% of attendance in terms of hours and days is required to graduate. Specific objectives include, but are not limited to each student being able to demonstrate:

• Working knowledge of proper kitchen safety, sanitation and food handling as measured by completion of assigned projects and production and kitchen staff observation.
• Working knowledge of the proper use and maintenance of common forms of kitchen equipment as measured by observation by kitchen staff and through the student's repeated us of the equipment.
• Proficiency in receiving product for meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, produce, dry goods suppliers, and general equipment vendors.

Student recruitment: Presentations are made to public and private agencies to reach out to disadvantaged low-income people who have employment barriers.

Intensive twelve-week training: Students learn the fundamentals cooking as well as basic computer skills, resume writing, interview techniques, job search and job retention skills. The program is supported by tours to farmers markets, bakeries and restaurants, cooking demos from food professionals, and guest lectures from employers, union representatives and employment agencies.

Meals on Wheels & Congregate Sites: All of our food products are produced and served to our Meals on Wheels and Congregate Site clients.

Job development: BACS Employment internship and job referrals to students and follows up with them to offer support and track their work performances for a minimum period of one year after graduation.

To learn more about our training program, please review our Course Flyer, Course Requirements and Culinary Outline.

Required Forms:

Training Application

Training Agreement 1

Training Agreement 2

Emergency Contact Sheet

Training Release and Waiver

For more information about our Training Program, please contact our Culinary Social Enterprise. To sign up for our Training Program please contact Craig Barnard at 510-986-8901.

"Every one of us can do something to protect and care for our planet. We should live in such a way that makes a future possible."

— Thich H.