BALTIMORE — Fire up the burners, grab your ingredients and let's cook!
The Franciscan Center is hosting Plated, a fundraiser to benefit its culinary training program called Dignity Plates.
Three chefs, all graduates of the program, are competing for bragging rights in a cooking competition.
Sheila Studivant is from cohort 11. She is excited to present her food to people at the event.
"I don’t know how to explain it but when you cook something and you see someone eating it and they’re enjoying it, it does my heart wonders," she said.
Amber Hall also graduated from cohort 11. She works in the kitchen at the Franciscan Center and doesn't plan to watch any cooking competition shows before she competes.
"I don't want their cooking styles to play out in mine, I wanted mine to be absolutely unique," Hall said.
Shirley Murray graduated from cohort 9. She works at the Franciscan Center and with their social enterprise, the B&O Railroad Cafe.
"This is what I wanted to start and what I wanted to do so I was kind of lucky to get into [the program] so it was a blessing to me. I love to cook."
The contestants are making a dish of their choosing, with 45 minutes to cook. They may be competitors but they all share a deep appreciation for what they learned during their time with Dignity Plates.
The students go through an intense, 13-week training to gain the skills and certifications to work in the culinary and hospitality industry. It costs them nothing to be enrolled.
And while they're training to become chefs, the Franciscan Center is getting support in other areas of their life, like housing or transportation.
"We’re able to help them in life, help make decisions and just be there when they’re trying to figure out what do," said Chef Derrick Purcell, the culinary director of Dignity Plates.
Each class can only hold 12 spots and Purcell said they often get dozens, if not hundreds of applications for every cohort.
"As we continually evolve the program, we’ll look to hold additional classes because we recognize there is a need and people want to better their lives," said Purcell.
Plated is April 29 at the B&O Railroad Museum. To purchase tickets, click here.
