Who We Are
Our Mission:
1. Empower East Bay youth for hospitality careers through training and mentorship.
Our team is dedicated to providing workforce training in the hospitality industry to employment-eligible youth in the East Bay.
Our year-long training program, Kitchen Ninja, offers in-depth culinary training, menu costing, menu writing, soft skills like customer service, and a section on professional conduct. Recognizing that off-the-job issues can impact job performance, we offer mentorship in educational assistance, financial literacy, resource acquisition, and exploring the therapeutic aspects of cooking.
2. Fight hunger with our "Buy One, Donate One" meals.
In addition to our work readiness program, we are dedicated to serving the local East Bay community through our “buy one, donate one” pre-packaged meal program. We offer a line of delicious, pre-packaged meals featuring healthy comfort foods with a focus on people with special dietary needs. For every meal purchased, we donate a meal to a local food bank or community refrigerator. Our Kitchen Ninja program graduates participate in an externship where they prepare and package the meals for our pre-packaged meal program.
Our Team
We are a POC and woman-owned-and-operated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing workforce training in the hospitality industry.
PROJECT MANAGER
Marcus McCree
Marcus was inspired by childhood cooking memories graduated culinary school in 2008. After working his way up from line cook to chef, he launched a catering business. Now, he's ready to share his passion with his community.
BOARD MEMBER
Lamar Hancock
Oakland native Lamar Hancock dedicates his career to closing educational gaps. With a social science background and Master's in Education, he supports youth across the Bay Area through various roles, from curriculum development to student support.
BOARD MEMBER
Jennifer Larsh
Jennifer, a May 2023 graduate with a Masters in Expressive Arts Therapy, uses art therapy with youth at Berkeley Art Magnet and CTI as an MFT Trainee. Jennifer integrates Afrocentric & empowerment approaches & brings 20+ years of youth development experience.
BOARD MEMBER
Andrea Mares
Chef Andrea Mares' passion for food, ignited by family, led her to the Culinary Institute after service in military and law enforcement. Now, she seeks to empower others through a community kitchen, training those facing challenges to find success in the culinary world.
BOARD MEMBER
Ralph Williams
Ralph Williams has worked across multiple industries before From Seed 2 Feed. Inspired by helping youth at San Francisco Juvenile Institute, he got an Associate's degree and became a teacher's aide. He now mentors at San Francisco State's Criminal Justice program.
