It is our goal to provide programs that address inmate education needs and the utilization of leisure-time.
Ready Set Cook
Ready Set Cook Program Description
Ready Set Cook (RSC) is a 12-week community outreach program that was inspired and implemented by three members (Phyllis Back, Evelyn Jones, and Laura Anderson) of the Charlottesville community and supported by their respective organizations (Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, First United Methodist Church, and Piedmont House). RSC is a culinary arts program whose focus is to both create and strengthen job skills for people in the Charlottesville/Albemarle Community that seek to improve their position in life by increasing and sustaining employment and financial stability for both the participant and his or her family. Administrators of RSC seek to identify and engage people in the program that are living in the lower income sector of our community and provide them with employability skills and culinary certifications that can assist them in gaining financial independence thereby removing them from public assistance.
The Ready Set Cook Class currently schedules three classes per year, serving approximately 50 students annually. Successful graduates of RSC have the opportunity of achieving both a Prep-Cook Certification from Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Center and a ServSafe managerial certification from the National Restaurant Association.
In addition to enabling students to gain financial independence through access to employment that provides income above the living wage, RSC also works to strengthen bridges and relationships between citizens within our community as well as enhancing the family unit. Those who achieve the desired level of financial sustainability from newly evolved employment opportunities, come to realize the reality of a new self-worth, responsibilities as a productive member of the community, and become positive role models among their peers and family.