Is there anything more delicious than a fresh start?

Teacher. Coach. Advocate. Organizer. Connector. Inspirational leader. And (did I almost forget?) Professionally Trained Chef. Saundra Irvine, creator and director of the Inspiration Kitchen workforce development program, is all this and more.She’s also my guest on this edition of Your Community Matters and she’ll probably be quite vexed with me for “talking her up” here, because she shuns the spotlight and habitually puts service to others first. Her proportion in this photo (the tiny figure at the end of the table) typifies her student-focused attitude:Nevertheless, Saundra has crafted a remarkable program that is making a real difference in the lives of people who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles to career success. She’d be the first to tell you Inspiration Kitchen isn’t about her — it’s about her students, and the people who support the project with their time, talents and funds. But “Inspiration” is baked into the program (if you will) through her own iron-clad conviction that anyone with the passion to succeed can be trained to achieve their goals.Inspiration Kitchen’s web page describes the 13-week course as a “culinary education and life transformation program” that “provides individuals with an inspired renewal… regardless of challenge or background.” Some of those challenges have been quite significant for many Inspiration Kitchen students, including abuse, addiction, incarceration, and mental or physical limitations.However, it takes quite a bit more than lofty goals and positive vibes to make a successful career. It takes structure, discipline, skills and the ability to connect in a positive way with others. And so, the Inspiration Kitchen course is designed to be more than cooking technique alone. It also trains students in time management, etiquette, the norms of professional behavior and the value of well-thought-out processes that support successful outcomes.The course is challenging, fast-paced, intense, and often fun — just like a career in the culinary field. You can see the joy that comes from real accomplishment on the faces of students in these photos:Because of the diverse skills required for a successful career in the opportunity-rich culinary and hospitality fields, many students in the program discover talents and interests they never knew they had, and potentials they never knew were possible. Occasionally, this process takes their path to success in a direction quite different from their culinary training. One recent student decided what they truly wanted most was to become a paralegal! Thanks to the diversity of skills this individual acquired in the Inspiration Kitchen program, their goal was within their reach.I’m continually inspired by people and organizations at the community level who, after buying tickets on a few well-established career trains, have the vision and the courage to lay down tracks of their own, fire up their engines and invite others on board for the journey. Saundra and the Inspiration Kitchen team are doing just that. We welcome you aboard this podcast journey to discover what’s possible when committed people elevate others and inspire them to believe in their own potential.Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.e Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe