When identifying key ingredients in Thunder
Road’s recipe for success, include culinary arts training.
It introduces teen clients in Alta Bates Summit’s renowned
substance abuse program to the world of cooking and good
nutrition, served up with healthy measures of personal development,
transferable job skills, and all-around fun.
“Every young person at Thunder Road has some level
of involvement in the Culinary Arts Program,” says
Armando Corpus, Thunder Road’s culinary project coordinator
(who’s also a social worker and addiction specialist).
When he’s not wearing his chef’s hat, he serves
as the program’s manager. “The program has helped
us clinically because some kids wouldn’t have had an
anchor without it. It builds problem-solving skills and teaches
kids how to handle pressure, and how to manage time — basically
how to be professional.”
During ongoing training cycles, culinary students attend
hands-on cooking labs; visit local restaurant kitchens, farms,
and bakeries; and get advice from guest chefs and restaurateurs. “We
cover the whole spectrum,” says Armando, “including
preparation of basic sauces, salads, and a variety of meats,
pasta, and some advanced pastry work.”
Participants also help make meals for Thunder Road clients
and staff, and they prepare the facility’s snacks and
desserts. They cater private events as well, including the
Crab Feed and the Celebrity Classic (golf and tennis tournaments),
all of which are hosted by the Alta
Bates Summit Foundation,
a longtime Thunder Road benefactor.
“After this year’s Celebrity Classic, the Foundation — and
by extension, the donor community — will have contributed
nearly $1 million to the Thunder Road Culinary Arts Program,” says
Jack Ripsteen, Foundation board member and Thunder Road board
president. “This is a clear indication of community
support for the Thunder Road mission to provide youth a path
to sobriety as well as vocational skills to continue to enhance
their lives.”
Such generous support has made a major difference: Thunder
Road recently remodeled its kitchen and added a second one
complete with convection ovens, fryers, eight-burner stoves,
a walk-in freezer, and more. Says Armando, “We wouldn’t
have been able to afford the remodel without the Foundation.” Makes
you wonder what they’ll cook up next!
