Nineteen students from D.C. Central Kitchen’s culinary job training Class 171 won’t forget ever forget what they were doing on Friday, April 11, 2025.
It was the day they became the newest graduates of the 14-week program that has a 91% job placement rate. The graduation was held at Capital Turnaround in Southeast D.C.
Ja’Sent Brown, D.C. Central Kitchen’s impact officer, told WTOP the program teaches more than just cooking.
“They spent 14 weeks gaining not just knife skills, but really life skills,” Brown said. “Our students join us from many different paths.”
Some of the students have previously been incarcerated, others have been in recovery. This program gives them a chance to turn their lives around while earning a livable wage.
WTOP spoke to D.C. Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin and two graduates who credit the program for their new lease on life.