Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Dallas College inspire the dining team with their passion for the culinary arts

Two days a week a group of students at Dallas College attend HUGS Training Academy, a professional development program aimed at preparing individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities for careers in the foodservice industry.

Class starts with a hands-on lesson in the kitchen where the students prepare a recipe together. But before the day even begins, the students get to work with their opening duties, mirroring the responsibilities of working in a kitchen. After making the recipe for the day, the students work together to clean up the kitchen and attend the rest of the class where they focus on specific curriculum, ranging from topics like knife duties to food safety.

“The dynamic seems like very empowering, I think because it's a little different from a traditional classroom, where you're being told what to do and then just doing it independently,” said Raechel Randel, HUGS instructor at Dallas College. “We're all given jobs, assignments and work as a team and help each other. And I think that really empowers people to take ownership of their jobs and take ownership of what they're doing in our kitchen.”

 By the end of the course, students will have learned new culinary skills, received a food handlers’ certification and been provided with several professional development opportunities such as mock interviews.

And the team noted that many students changed throughout their time in the program, entering as wallflowers and emerging as social butterflies.

“They work as a team, so to see them like kind of come out of their shell. Because day one, they usually come in, you know, some a little bit social, some of them not so much. But by the end, they're all like little social butterflies.” said Raul Guerrero, manager for HUGS Training academy. “It's really fun to see the growth and not just in their skills, but just in their personalities.”

Students involved in the program are very excited about the course and always ready to learn and participate, Randel said.

“I go in every day, and I can tell that all of the trainees want to be there and are excited to learn and excited to do what we have to do every day. That's been really fun for me,” she said. “I don't ever have to convince someone to participate in the class, really.”

And the students seem to enjoy and appreciate their time in the class. Tasting the recipes they work together to create is one popular aspect of the program. But more than that, many students value the connections they were able to build through the program, said Randel.

“We just had a student who he would say his favorite thing is working with his friends. It makes his heart glow to work with his friends,” she said.

Students come in with varying levels of culinary knowledge, but they leave the program confident and excited about their new skills.

“A lot of them have no experience whatsoever and they come in a little nervous about it, but excited because this is what they want to do, you know, and then for them to go home baking stuff and then making things that we teach them in class at home for their parents,” said Guerrero.

And the work isn’t done once the course is over either, as the team helps the students in finding jobs in the foodservice industry. The program is in its third semester at Dallas College and nearly every student that has participated so far has been able to find a job that interested them after the classes came to an end.

HUGS Training Academy is a branch off of HUGS Café, a non-profit organization that provides these classes at a different locations. HUGS Café was founded in 2013 with the ultimate goal of helping individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities develop skills that will aid them as they enter the workforce.

“I think the mission overall is just getting people who deserve more opportunities than they're given, an opportunity,“ said Randel.

This mission is apparent even through the name of the program, as HUGS stands for hope, understanding, grace and success.

HUGS Training Academy also gives Dallas College an opportunity to respond to the needs of its community, according to Steve DeShazo, senior director of workforce initiatives at Dallas College.

“80% of IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) capable employees cannot find a job and I think you know we have a lot of work to do in training those individuals,” he said. “But also, training our employers on how to use this very vital resource, especially in the food service industry where we have, you know, crazy high turnover.”

Randel said that she has grown close with many of the students, many of whom look up to her. And, she says, the feeling is mutual.

“Honestly, it's really mutual too. I really look up to them and I respect them a lot because it's really daunting and hard,” said Randel. “This is something new that even if you are familiar with your at-home kitchen, you might have never set foot in a commercial kitchen before, and getting up every day and being committed to trying something new is hard.”

Dallas College plans to continue to work with HUGS as they aim to ensure every individual has a place within the community and workforce.

“I see the role of Dallas College as a convener and facilitator to make sure there's a place for everyone, by working with HUGS, who are specialists in in this community to do their great work,” said DeShazo. “From the moment I heard about HUGS mission, I knew that there was a home for them at Dallas College.”