By Lauri Lee
Northside News
Are you underemployed, or know someone looking for job training? Our FEED Bakery Job Training Program, a project of the Northside Planning Council, provides the necessary skills to find a job or career with a living wage. The FEED Bakery Training Program is putting people back to work. There is a high demand for skilled bakers and restaurant workers. Graduates of the FEED Bakery Training Program are qualified for employment as bakers in restaurants, cafes and commercial bakeries, or as a prep cook or line cook.
The training is provided at FEED Kitchens, a certified, state-of-the-art commercial kitchen with commercial-grade equipment. Punky Eagan, a retired Madison College Baking and Pastry Art instructor and one of just 200 Master Bakers in the U.S., developed the training curriculum certified by the Wisconsin Bakers Association. The consultant and managers in the program have an accumulated 80-plus years of experience in the food service industry.
Students receive hands-on training and experience by producing FEED Bakery products, which are sold retail and wholesale around Madison. We provide students with life skills training as well as sales, marketing and customer service skills. Training also includes culinary techniques, knife skills, commercial kitchen equipment use, food safety, baking practices, product packaging and baking math. At program completion, students will take their ServSafe and Wisconsin Bakers tests. These certifications make them a more valuable employee to prospective employers. Students will receive job placement support and be assigned a mentor to help with the job transition as they enter the workforce.
The program provides students with a path to a living wage job. Here is what current students have to say about the FEED Bakery Training Program:
Roxanne: “The FEED Bakery Program has provided me with new opportunities for a baking career.”
Erica: “The training has made me more motivated in my work and home life.”
Ross: This training has fulfilled my passion for being in the food business.”
Joel: “The FEED Bakery has taught me baking methods that I was not aware of.”
Duncan: “This program has given me baking experience and helped me develop some lasting friendships.”
Kasiya: “I am grateful for the knife skills that I have been introduced to.”
No prior training or experience is required to apply. Qualifying students may receive a full scholarship. This 90-day program is held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The next class is scheduled for Oct. 17 to the end of January 2017, which accommodates breaks for the holidays. The application deadline is Oct. 14, and applicants must complete an application and interview to participate in the program. Visit www.feedbakery.org for the application and email completed applications to coordinator@feedbakery.org or bring them to the FEED Kitchens, 1219 N. Sherman Ave. For questions, contact Martee at 230-1224.