Entering a kitchen job can be intimidating and nerve-wracking. The noise, heat, and sense of urgency are overwhelming during even the slowest services. These experiences can seem extra daunting if you are a BIPOC person, a woman, and or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The culture of most kitchens, while there has been a fraction of improvement in the last few years, can still be very bro-ey, white, and very, very male.

Enter the Silver Fork Program at the Center on Halsted, a community center in Lakeview.

The program, led by seasoned LGBTQIA+ Chefs Urban and Tera Murray, bills itself as a “culinary arts and job readiness program hosted by the Center on Halsted. It is ideal for adults who want to enter or re-enter the hospitality industry. Participants experience intensive culinary training coupled with personal and professional development, job readiness, and career counseling.”

Chef Urban described the challenges of being LGBTQIA+ in a kitchen, “It always is [a challenge]. And it’s a shame because there’s room for all of us. And honestly, that [diversity] will make the food taste better. Let’s be real. You know, we all have our little bit of flavor and personality to throw in the dish. A diverse kitchen tastes better for sure.”

The seven-week program includes everything a person needs to enter the culinary field, and the Chefs tailor the experience to participants’ goals. “We offer three certified classes: allergen training, sanitation training, and the Bassett license. The Bassett license is to serve alcohol. We don’t have that as part of our program. But we want to make sure you have all the tools in your toolkit.” Urban continued.

In the program, novice chefs learn proper knife skills and cuts, the French “mother sauces,” and work through a curriculum that covers sauce, soups, egg cookery, pasta, sides, veggies, grains, quick breads and pastry, meats, and main dishes. Late summer program participants also enjoy the fruits and veggies grown on the rooftop garden at the Center on Halsted (which is closed to the public). The program takes field trips to places such as Barilla America, Cargill, the kitchens at Wrigley Field, and Dom’s Fresh Market. Silver Fork assists with resume writing, kitchen math, job readiness, and job placement. And participants leave the program with a solid foundation to build their dream culinary career.

Chef Urban offered this advice to would-be chefs and food professionals: “There are so many ways to find success and joy in this industry. If you feel yourself getting burnt out in one area, it’s time to move on to the next step in your journey. Chicago is amazing. There are so many opportunities. I want to throw this out, though: Never burn a bridge. I’ve been here 20 years and I am living the most full-circle world right now. I keep going back to the people and places that I learned about when I first moved here and I’m creating new relationships constantly. I encourage new chefs to go out there and network, have fun and cook your heart out.”

The Silver Fork Program runs 4-5 times a year at the Center on Halsted at 3656 N. Halsted Street in Chicago and is entirely free to participants. (There is a maximum income level to prioritize low-income students.) The cohorts meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and students become fully certified in food prep and serving alcoholic beverages. See www.centeronhalsted.org/silverfork for more information or to apply.