Stanislaus County
This dynamic on-site kitchen food service education and training program is a great place to learn food preparation, sanitation, cashiering and catering. The whimsically, mental health consumer-named Garden of Eat'n allows individuals to hone their skills in providing healthy food to staff, members and the community. 
The service has grown from a simple coffee and snacks catering service, to providing warm lunches, fresh soups and salads, three times a week. Trainees will then have a chance to graduate into independent employment.
Turning Point's Garden of Eat'n provides initial kitchen training while addressing barriers, fears and expectations about employment. The training program also provides individuals with the necessary life skills that make anyone successful as an employee. Staff takes the time to coach trainees about being prepared and on time, communicating with a supervisor and co-workers. We also provide anyone coming back into the workforce with the necessary guidance to enhance learned skills. The Garden of Eat'n received CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) certification because our organization promotes the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through enhancing the lives of those served. Garden of Eat'n training is offered to Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Employment Service consumers and Department of Rehabilitation members.
Read more…
This program was created with Stanislaus County Employment services and the Department of Rehabilitation, to begin providing commercial kitchen training to mental health consumers. There are three components to the program. The first is Occupational skills training, which is a classroom learning environment, basic skills such as kitchen and food safety are taught. A situational assessment is the second component, which is used to determine what individuals' barriers to employment are. The third component is the Work Adjustment phase. During this phase barriers to employment are addressed and the individuals are given hands on training, in a real work environment. After they have completed the kitchen training, they will be given a comprehensive test for all the skills learned and pass before they can graduate. The instructional class is 5 weeks, after which the students may be eligible to take the Work Adjustment training. If successful, the student then will take the ServSafe Food Handler overview and test. If they pass, they will be given a Certificate of Completion and an official ServSafe Food Handler card which will be mandatory for anyone in the State of California who works in a food establishment.
What are the steps for participating in Garden of Eat'n?
- The Dept. of Rehabilitation (DOR) refers an individual to our Garden of Eat'n food service training program.
- Participants complete 40 hours of unpaid classroom training before they can continue into the kitchen.
- If they complete the classroom training and have a good referral from the trainer, then they are hired by TP for “work adjustment” and begin their hands on kitchen training. During this time they are still working with DOR, Stanislaus County Employment Services, and the Empowerment Center to complete their resume', interview skills workshop and SSI issues.
- Once they have completed their kitchen training (could take a few months depending on the individual) then they are eligible to take the ServSafe food handler card test, if they pass, they graduate from our program! A ServSafe food handler card is now a requirement by the State of California for anyone who is serving or handling food as of July 1, 2011. This card is for food service staff.
