Summer Youth Enrichment Program and Prince George’s Community College Team Up To Give County Teens Tasty Career Opportunities

Story and Photos by Raoul Dennis

The walk-thru at the entrance hall of the Prince George’s Community College Culinary Arts Center was brimming over with the hospitality of young people Aug. 1. “Good morning, sir,” “Welcome, sir,” and “Thank you for coming today, sir” as doors were pulled open and full escorts were provided.

One could almost be certain that if one’s shoelaces came undone, someone would be there before the string came completely loose to tie them up again.

The young professionals – all 180 of them under 17 years old – were running a very tight ship.

The Culinary Arts Center (CAC) and Prince George’s County’s Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) partnered for a first ever six week summer employment and training for student employees in learning culinary and hospitality skills.

Fourteen year old Chase Hines became interested in the culinary arts when he visited the new state of the art CAC last year. He’d joined his mother at the facility for an event that her sorority was hosting. But when the opportunity came up to get his first summer job – to get paid while learning to create some of the best food dishes he’d ever seen -- it was like Christmas Eve in July—literally.

“He stayed up the whole night waiting for his first check to come into his account,” says Chase’s mother Stephanie Hines. “‘Mom, I’m getting paid this Friday,’ he was telling me about his first check.”

Getting paid to do what he loved was a beautiful unexpected extra.

“I didn’t think that we were getting paid at first. But at the kick-off event, they told us that we were getting paid then that made this experience even better,” Chase says. “Yes, I was very excited about getting paid.”

The program is a strong testament of what can happen when multilateral partnerships are formed between leading institutions.

“My goal and mission is to change how we serve in this county,” says Denise Ware, Program Director, Hospitality, Tourism, Culinary Arts, Casino, Event Planning and Travel at Prince George’s Community College. “We always hear about poor customer service. This is the next generation that will be working at the restaurants and the hotels and other venues. Now, we can say change is here because they are ready to serve. If government, businesses and education can come together, this is what we can do.”

What A Day

Parents who were led through the brightly lit corridors of the Prince George’s Community College Culinary Arts Center could be seen with measured smiles and contained joy as they sampled crab cake balls, salmon dishes and chocolate covered strawberries. Seemingly beaming with pride, there was no denying the glint in their eyes as their escorts and presenters (their children and students) gave them the full tour with tasty morsels all along the way.

“The entire thing went beyond my expectation. Just seeing this building is awesome, it’s phenomenal,” said Sandra Gasaway, the Assistant Principal at Surrattsville High School. She’d never been to the new $20 million center before this day but was there to support one of her students, Kylan Mabry, a tenth grader with a 4.0 GPA and a massive personality.

“He’s why I’m here. I was impressed with the marketing presentation when I got here. This is a good foundation for students who are 14 and 15 years old to enter into the culinary program. It’s a good age to shape and mold them while they are young enough to [be open to the information] you share with them.”

Ware explained that the student-workers were responsible for all aspects of the luncheon experience. Although all the students were culinary and hospitality trainees for the summer weeks, for this day they worked in departments that included marketing, VIP, culinary and catering and event planning---just as any five-star hotel management would work through in planning an execution of a presidential dinner.

“Today, we wanted the adults to see what their children were doing for the past six weeks,” she said. “They had to create the food, the menus, the branding and the servicing. They had every input at every level. They are walking around and engaging with the guests to let them see the highlights of what they did from every day, Monday through Friday. They came to work. We didn’t treat them as if they were coming to school. Today, they are not students or children. They are tour guides and workers.”

That’s exactly what Chef Kendall Selby saw.

Selby is the chef and manager at Middleton Hall in Waldorf, MD. He has plans to open his own restaurant and culinary training facility in southern Maryland.

“I heard good things about the Culinary Arts Center and I’m here to see for myself,” he says. “What you guys are doing here is phenomenal. I love that you impact these young people where they live. You are employing them – giving them jobs. You are giving them hope and vision that they can do this.”

Selby plans to open his own space and said he wants to mirror much of what the PGCC has done: glass walls for full viewing and a VIP area.

That’s precisely what Caroline Stokes likes to hear in professionals who come to the campus. It makes her job as a foundation manager much easier with regard to raising money for the college.

“It’s real life experience,” Stokes says. “Showing them [it] isn’t just a building but it’s the programs, the students, the community in real time. So, when we are talking to sponsors, we can show events like this where the children are leading, participating and engaging. They can see the impact. You can also get testimonials from the students, parents, educators and the chefs – it brings everything full circle. It’s a-mazing.”

Shining Star For You To See What Your Life Can Truly Be

**Kylan Mabry and Assistant Principal Sandra Gasaway. PHOTO RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE**

Some people are keenly aware of their own star power and at 15, Kylan Mabry seems to be one of them.

“I wanted [Assistant Principal Gasaway] to see my creativity and to let her see the great people that I have surrounded myself with this whole summer,” Mabry says. “I wanted to showcase my talent.”

Mabry is an actor, model and says he also enjoys drawing. Now, he’s adding culinary artistry to his skill set.

“My Godmother has a catering business and my grandmother has been cooking since before I was born. Cooking has made me multitalented. I can do a lot of things, “he says. “It has made me stronger: learning multiple foods and multiple ethnicities.”

With studded earrings in each ear and toffee complexion, Mabry maintains a 4.0 average and is vice president of the Class of 2022.

“Being an actor is what I really want to do,” he says. “But culinary will always be in my life. I actually want to open a catering business. There are multiple millionaires – my age, younger than me, older than me…but having them as an example for me pushes me even more to open my own businesses.”

For Chase, the love of good food helps him keep it close to the heart. Each day that his mom picked him up from the center, he told her what he’d learned that day.

“The shrimp and grits is probably the best dish we cooked,” he says. “It took an hour to fix it. You cook the grits and the shrimp at the same time so it doesn’t get cold,” he began to explain before catching himself and saying with a nod: “I have it down pat.”