At the back of Chef Jerald Thomas’ classroom inside Frederick Douglas Early Learning Center on Stanton Road SE is a flashy bulletin board full of wisdom for anyone who’s being hard on themselves or confronting difficult personalities. “Toxic people will not be changed by the alchemy of your kindness,” one of Thomas’ signs reads. “Yes, be kind, but move on swiftly and let life be their educator.”
Others empower students to “change their words to change their mindsets.” “This may take some time and effort” is better than “this is too hard.” Same goes for “I am going to train my brain to do this” instead of “I can’t do this.”
Thomas is United Planning Organization’s culinary arts instructor. The nonprofit’s work is centered around helping vulnerable D.C. residents find meaningful work that makes them more self-sufficient. Despite the challenges of operating in a pandemic, the most recent class of seven students graduated from the 12-week culinary arts program on April 15. There couldn’t be a better time for a fresh cohort of cooks to enter the job market. There’s currently a staffing crisis in D.C. Restaurants are desperate for employees as they race to welcome vaccinated diners.
