It was a sugar-sweet fueled day at NECAT this Valentine’s Day, starting with a breakfast spread that included mini pancakes, a hot chocolate bar, and homemade cookies.  

Students later enjoyed a demonstration from Chef Instructors Tiara Andress and Chris Faison who made a sweet version of hush puppies – filled with chocolate chips and topped with strawberries and toasted marshmallows.  

Hush puppies are typically savory deep-fried balls of corn batter. There are a few different origin stories for how these fritters got the name “Hush Puppy,” but some trace the term back to Black Southern slaves who would fry up the cornmeal mixture to feed to the slave masters’ dogs to “hush the puppies” when they needed them to be quieted.  

What is certain is that hush puppies are a staple of Black Southern American cooking and can often be found as a side dish for communal meals like fish fries and BBQs. For Chef Andress, a native-Mississippian, hush puppies have always been a part of her cuisine and she wanted to share this sweet treat with students as an example of Black American cuisine. 

 

“One of the important things we do at NECAT is expose our students to the huge variety of culinary jobs that are out there,” says Chef Instructor Tiara Andress. “Having our students hear the personal journeys of culinary professionals firsthand has a big impact.”

Over the past six months, as NECAT has cautiously lifted restrictions on allowing visitors into the building, we have grown our Guest Speaker Series. We’ve hosted chefs, restaurateurs, and food industry experts to speak with NECAT students and provide lived experience inspiration. 

“Our students are often unaware of what kinds of culinary jobs are available,” says Director of Career Services Vic Acosta. “They know they like to cook and they want to make a living from it. But, it’s exciting to show them that there are options out there that they never might have dreamed existed.”

Some of the talent we’ve recently welcomed to NECAT includes:

• Anthony Caldwell of 50Kitchen in Dorchester
• Rico DiFronzo, Executive Chef of Union Oyster House
• Elle Simone Scott of America’s Test Kitchen
• Christopher Walker Savenor’s Butcher Shop in Beacon Hill, who is featured in the video below, fabricating a 27 lb piece of beef in NECAT’s teaching auditorium. 

 

 

 

NECAT’s very own case worker Anthony “Big Time” Seymour coordinated a special community event in Mattapan on Saturday. His organization, Youth in Crisis – a long-standing NECAT partner – held its 20th Scoops and Hoops event at Ryan Park.

Attended by Governor Charlie Baker, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Suffolk County DA Rachel Rollins, among many other community leaders. “Scoops & Hoops” has become a beloved community tradition. This year, 15 basketball teams from the DCR Summer Nights Program competed in a day-long tournament, there were activities for kids, and live entertainment from the amazing James Brown Impersonator, Tony Wilson with his full band.

Several NECAT students worked the grill, providing burgers, snacks and refreshments to hundreds of attendees.

 

Check out coverage of the event on WCVB TV here.

NECAT Launches New Re-Entry Program

 

With our partners at Suffolk County House of Correction, NECAT is launching a training program specifically designed for adults re-entering the community from incarceration. Formerly incarcerated: two words that define and limit employment opportunities for anyone who has been part of the criminal justice system in Massachusetts. Finding a job after prison can range from difficult to impossible. A desire to work is not enough, as time-served translates into low-pay, low skilled or no opportunities. NECAT’s program will level the playing field for individuals re-entering the community and the workforce – our goal is to teach an employable trade, provide wrap-around support services, and link individuals to good-paying jobs – closing the discriminatory employment gap for formerly incarcerated people.

This program will be operated in partnership with Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Reintegration staff, local employers and Boston-based organizations that specialize in re-entry services to address the stigma of incarceration and the resulting high unemployment and recidivism rates that currently exist. Together, we will work to change the trajectory of those who have been incarcerated at Suffolk County House of Correction and Nashua Street to positively affect their wage-earning potential and financial security; their families and the economic and social impacts on our community. The program is designed to be flexible — conducted behind the walls, online and at NECAT — to best meet the needs of the adults who need the structure, training and encouragement to help them take the next step in rebuilding their lives.  A tested model will help us all better define what it takes to more broadly move the needle on eliminating this historical inequality in the labor force. 

The program is made possible thanks to funding from Commonwealth Corporation.