Work Options
Work Options nourishes communities by using food as a force for good, feeding those facing hunger while training individuals from historically excluded backgrounds for stable, purpose-driven culinary and hospitality careers.
Since 1996, Work Options has empowered adults facing significant barriers to employment - including justice involvement, housing instability, long-term unemployment, and other systemic challenges - with the skills, confidence, and support needed to build meaningful careers in the culinary and hospitality industry.
Our comprehensive workforce development programs combine hands-on culinary training, paid work-based learning, industry-recognized credentials, career coaching, job placement, and long-term employment support to help participants achieve lasting economic stability.
Beyond workforce development, our training kitchen prepares and delivers nutritious meals to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, creating a unique model where every meal served also helps create opportunities for someone building a new future.
Since 2020, Work Options has invested more than $4.5 million to prepare and deliver over 509,000 nutritious meals while providing 1,155 individuals with real-world culinary training, workforce development services, and individualized employment support.
We believe talent is universal, but opportunity is not. By partnering with employers, funders, volunteers, and community organizations, Work Options creates pathways to employment, strengthens communities, and transforms lives, one meal and one career at a time.
