Recipe for Success – Culinary Training Programs

The New Hampshire Food Bank offers two distinct pathways to help you build or advance your career in the food service and hospitality industries.

Under the expert guidance of our Chef Instructor, students engage in an intensive 7-week, 144-hour curriculum covering cold preparation, butchery, bread baking, and pastry techniques. Outside the kitchen, the curriculum explores the ecosystem of food distribution through visits to local farms and fisheries, emphasizing sustainable agriculture.

Classes take place at the New Hampshire Food Bank’s state-of-the-art Production Kitchen in Manchester, NH.

Choose the path that best fits your current situation:

  • Culinary Job Training Program: Offered in partnership with Manchester Community College, this program is perfect for individuals looking to gain new skills and jumpstart their culinary career. There is no cost to the student for this program and stipends are provided after the completion of week three.
  • Apprenticeship Program: Conducted in collaboration with Apprenticeship NH, the learning extends well beyond the classroom. Apprentices will gain real-world experience through a structured On-the-Job Training (OJT) component hosted by local restaurant partners, allowing them to apply their skills in active professional kitchens. This program is designed exclusively for individuals who are currently employed by a restaurant and want to level up their training. There is no cost to the apprentice or employer for this program.

Learn more and apply below!

Apply to our Culinary Training Programs

    Our Training

    We instruct our trainees in a broad range of efficient kitchen practices and fundamentals including:

    • identification of food and ingredients
    • use of kitchen implements and equipment
    • measurements
    • nutrition
    • knife skills
    • preparation techniques
    • safe food handling (as part of the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe Program)
    • cleaning and sanitation

    Depending on availability, student may have the opportunity to participate in catering events, food trailer events, development events, etc. to further expose them to different facets of the culinary industry and develop a well-rounded education. Teamwork is an important component of the training; participants learn how to work together, divide tasks among themselves, manage conflicts, and conduct themselves professionally. Additional supports are available, such as: basic financial skills, resume writing, and interview techniques.

    While few days are exactly the same in this active, constantly changing environment, the majority of the training time consists of hands-on experience in the kitchen. Much of this training will intersect with the kitchen’s regular production of preparing meals for the registered agencies of the Food Bank, which totals roughly 4,500 meals per week. This course contributes to providing at least 500-600 meals per day for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the surrounding areas, and produces meals in bulk to be frozen for use by our other registered agencies.

    NH Food Bank’s Recipe for Success Culinary Job Training Program is accredited with the Department of Labor.

     

    News, graduate profiles and more:

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    Recipe for Success Culinary Job Training: A Profile on 2022 Graduate – Alyssa

    Alyssa’s relationship with the NH Food Bank started nearly two years before she first set foot in our kitchen as [...]

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    NH Food Bank News

    NH Food Bank Receives Accreditation from the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation 

    Largest professional culinary organization in North America awards NH Food Bank for its culinary job training program Manchester, N.H. – [...]

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