"developing great lives through good food"
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Happy New Year
from Worth Our Weight
Our Renovation Has Begun
In just about 2 weeks we will complete the renovation and installation of our long awaited commercial hood. It will allow many more apprentices to cook on the line at a time. During the renovation the restaurant will remain closed. I know you're missing the Huevos Rancheros, our house made english muffins and the terrific scones, but just hold on. We'll reopen with those delicious selections and a few new ones as well. The 10' hood and blower were donated by Streivor Inc. in Hayward. The funds for the renovation were donated by the Dennis and Carol Ann Rockey Fund. Worth Our Weight long time supporters, Jim Ferry, Mark Walsh and Rick Hill were the collective forces in designing, planning and just plain figuring out how we were going to do this. A big thank you to all of these knowledgeable and very generous good friends.
We are CLOSED until February 4th.
New!
Thank you all
for financially supporting the dream of having a home for the Worth Our Weight apprentices. That dream has been realized. We now own the house next door and it was a true holiday miracle.
Evelyn Cheatham,
a San Francisco native, is the founder and executive director of Worth Our Weight. She is an instructor in the SRJC Culinary program and has worked in the high-end food industry for 25 years, including owning
and managing several restaurants. An opportunity to develop a culinary training program for incarcerated youth in Sonoma County became a life-changing experience when she discovered the transformative power that growing, cooking and eating good food could have for troubled youth. Since then Evelyn has dedicated herself to the development of programs to link young people with sustainable agriculture and culinary training.
WOW apprentices are young people from 16-24 who have faced major challenges in their lives, including foster care, difficulties with the law, homelessness, and significant family disruption. We provide tuition-free culinary and food service training. Our program invites these young people into the greater world of food—sustainable farming, professional cooking, and access to high-quality food prepared by chefs and food service professionals—as well as provide them with the skills to prepare quality food for themselves. Under the leadership of Executive Director Evelyn Cheatham, WOW employs team based learning and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and interdependence – skills that support success in any endeavor.
WOWs comprehensive culinary program teaches food-service fundamentals in a supportive, hands-on and team-based environment. The program consists of the following components:
• Kitchen training
• Front house operations
• Catering & food-related micro-businesses
• Life skills development
• Sustainable farming & food sourcing
Through this program, apprentices acquire valuable, marketable skills in food preparation, professional-level cooking, catering, and small business management. We hold our apprentices to the highest standard of excellence and, for many, this is the first time such standards have been set. At Worth Our Weight, we truly believe that young people rise to meet our expectations.
Apprentices also take culinary field trips to conferences, culinary competitions, and other culinary educational programs. These trips expose our apprentices to the world, outside of their often limited range of experiences. By taking them out of a familiar environment, we seek to change the way they think about the world, and our hope is to expand their sense of what is possible for them.
Worth Our Weight continually accepts applications for apprenticeships. The requirements are as follows:
• Youth aged (16 - 24 years old)
• Minimum one-year commitment
• Available for eight-hour shifts on weekends
• Prep days: Weds, Thurs & Fri
For more information, please email worthourweight_sonic.net or call 544 1200
Catering provides another real world experience for the apprentices as well as revenue to sustain the program.
Our clients are delighted with the results -- it's a winning combination!
Worth Our Weight is available for off-site catering and in-house private parties. We will work with you to create a menu that meets your needs, your budget, and exceeds your expectations.
Call us at 707 544 1200 or email to worthourweight_sonic.net
We cater
• Corporate events
• Weddings
• Holiday parties
For featuring us on Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives
It's been a wonderful year for Worth Our Weight. Our year began with being featured on Diner's Drive-Ins & Dives with Guy Fieri. That exposure has given WOW national attention and wide-reaching support. A huge thank you to Guy Fieri and his family for their continued love and support.
we get by with a little help from our friends
WOW is an organization that values young people, each of whom we believe is worth their weight in gold. Some of WOWs apprentices are in the process of leaving foster care, while others are adrift without strong role models. All are looking for a safe haven, a place to grow and learn. Many of these youth find a sense of purpose under the strong, loving guidance of Chef Evelyn Cheatham. WOW succeeds because she has the courage to lift up the lost, angry, and broken-hearted. She helps them by sharing the camaraderie of the kitchen stove and dinner table. In the WOW kitchen and café, our apprentices learn to cook, work as a team, and practice self-discipline, respect, and care for others. As the they work through the program, they in turn instruct the new apprentices, earning much deserved credibility from their peers.
Evelyn has shared countless inspiring stories about rival gang members stirring spaghetti sauce together, or overhearing conversations among the interns discussing the merits of doing the right thing, or finding good jobs for youth who were previously unemployable. In 2009, Evelyn Cheatham received the City of Santa Rosas Merit Award and was named outstanding Community Services Individual.
WOW is more than a great neighborhood place to stop by for a scone and cup of coffee; it is a valuable asset to our community. Your donations of money, time, energy and sharing the WOW story are deeply appreciated. Thank you!
Carrie Brown, Susan Brown, Evelyn Cheatham, Jodi Cohen, Dana Davies, Pat Dunlap, Karen Gifford, Steve Miksis
Click to make a donation using PayPal
Or, send checks payable to Worth Our Weight
1021 Hahman Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
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Become a Volunteer!
We cherish our volunteers who help with special events, fund raising, marketing communications, office support, community outreach, grant writing & facility maintenance. Interested in helping? Check out our application & drop it off or mail it to the cafe.
WoW volunteer application Dec 2010.pdf
Worth Our Weight
1021 Hahman Drive | Santa Rosa CA 95405
adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club
near Montgomery Village
707 544 1200 phone
707 544 1140 fax
worthourweight_sonic.net
cafe hours: saturday 9 -2, sunday 9-1
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