From Lifting Furniture to Uplifting Communities: FoodWorks Graduate Eric Latta

Leading by Example

While passion and love for food are important qualities in a FoodWorks student, according to Monique “Chef Mo” Jordan, FoodWorks’ Director of Culinary Arts and Food Safety Officer, Eric’s most desirable ability is his reliability.

During the 12-week session, students get the opportunity to act as sous chef—a critical role in a professional kitchen, reporting directly to the executive or head chef—and when Eric’s turn came up, he took the opportunity to show others that he could step into the role.

Following a class exercise on thermometer calibration for food safety, Chef Moe asked acting sous chef Eric to demonstrate the technique for the other students, “in case he missed a day.”

“He said, ‘Chef Moe, I’m gonna always be here,’ and you know, Eric has never missed a day at FoodWorks!” she said. “That was him standing on his word, and it told me that he knew not only the kitchen side of things, but the life side of things,” Chef Moe continued.

Generational Gastronomy

Eric’s highly desirable combination of knife and life skills has been developing throughout his life.

“My mother pretty much burned up a lot of things, so I had to actually learn how to cook the things I love to eat,” said Eric with a smile on his face.

He also credits his culinary curiosity (and many of his recipes) to his grandmother, who he recalls being active in the kitchen all the time.

“I always loved standing around, watching how my grandmother did things, how she cooked, and around age 13 or so, I decided that if I didn’t want to keep eating oodles of noodles, I’d better learn!”

When asked how the lessons differed between his grandmother’s kitchen and FoodWorks’ Charles T. Bauer Community Kitchen here in Halethorpe, Eric was proud to point out the similarities.

“Food safety, and cleanliness is such a big part of FoodWorks—the ServSafe certifications—so remembering my grandmother cleaning her food told me she had pretty much been doing it the right way!”

When students are fully engaged—doing it the right way—the FoodWorks program really can be life-changing.

An Unexpected Opportunity

More than a simple slogan, when FoodWorks tell students, “we have your back,” they really mean it. Upon graduation, FoodWorks students are supported with everything from resume development, and job placement assistance, to on-going communication to ensure continued success throughout a graduate’s career journey.

In Eric’s case, that support made all the difference in the world.

“A few weeks after graduation, I was worried that I might have to go back to the moving company. I was sending in lots of applications, and thought I wasn’t doing something right,” Eric shared.

But just a few days later, Eric’s efforts to do it the right way during that thermometer calibration class paid off, literally.

“When I got that call from Chef Moe, asking if I would be willing to be a cook, it was like a good, fresh air was coming into my life, a true blessing,” he said.

And Chef Moe agrees.

“Eric showed me that he could be a valuable player in the kitchen, so when the Lead Cook position opened up, it was fortunate for us that Eric was still available and that he said yes!”

Meaningful Meals, Made with Love

Today, Eric is part of a dedicated group of team members within the Maryland Food Bank that help feed some of our youngest neighbors through the meals program.

This critical effort supplies more than 1,500 fresh, nutritious meals each day, as well as healthy snacks, to organizations that host out-of-school-time programs like Summer and Supper Clubs.

As a part of the meals team, a typical day for Eric includes making sure that the drivers have easy access to the food that will be delivered to dozens of partner sites around Maryland, as well as keeping an eye on plans for tomorrow’s menu.

“I really get to use what I learned in FoodWorks. I’m incorporating seasoning profiles into vegetables, I’m straining the beef sauce that goes with noodles, and panning up food so the kids can eat,” he said.

And while his knife skills help ensure Maryland children have access to healthy food, Eric really enjoys employing his life skills with the volunteers he oversees.

“Doing over fifteen hundred meals, we need the help, and I love working with people who care as much as I do!”

Eric feels that being in his current position is the best thing for him currently but is keeping an eye on the next step on his career path.

“I get to do front-of-the-house work (supervising volunteers) and back-of-the-house work (food prep and cooking) while feeding kids, so I really, really love where I’m at right now. Maybe in a few years, I’ll move up into a supervisory role and let somebody else have the experience that I did.”

FoodWorks is Maryland’s most impactful culinary training program, offering people like Eric Latta the chance to transform themselves into professional chefs, with the potential for good-paying careers that allow for the chance to thrive.