Cheyenne restaurant to train single mothers
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A restaurant here is being transformed into a training ground to give single mothers an edge in the work force.
The nonprofit organization Healing Kids Inc. bought Lexie's Mesa Grille and will soon begin using the restaurant to teach single mothers the ins and outs of the restaurant industry.
''It's exciting to be able to offer this for our young parents,'' Healing kids executive Director Lorye McLeod said. ''They'll be able to get to a level of income that wouldn't have been possible before.''
McLeod added that the program's goal is to train eight single mothers this year.
Lexie's is just one of a handful of restaurants nationwide that teaches onsite, and it's the only restaurant in the state offering this kind of training program, McLeod said.
Healing Kids Inc. got the money to buy the restaurant from an Employment and Training for Self-sufficiency grant through the Wyoming Department of Work force Services.
Healing Kids Inc. specializes in working with youth and young adults by offering job and life skills training, McLeod said.
During the 16-week program, participants will rotate through different positions, working from hostess to server to cook and eventually to general manager, she said. The program has been designed to help participants get the training to enter into an entry-level management position, she said.
Participants will also go through the ProStart program, offered in partnership with the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association Education Foundation, McLeod said. She said the course combines hands-on training with classroom curriculum.
Coordinator Marilyn Stanfill said in the classroom, the students will about kitchen tools, food safety and preparation.
Throughout the program, the participants also will submit different projects from marketing plans to food budgets, said coordinator Scott Anderson.
He said the program will be fast-paced and intense. Students must master one area before they will be able to move on to the next, he said.
Lexie's General Manager Sam Huggard said this kind of culinary training would normally take two years.
''But this (program) is more applicable than just classroom training,'' he said.
While the program hasn't started yet, the first participant has already signed on, McLeod said.
''This is all I've done,'' said Erin Wayt. ''For the past eight years, I've worked in the restaurant business.'' She said it can be difficult to move up in the industry, and this training will allow her to get a management position.
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Chef2Chef News Desk