Every purchase at a DC Central Kitchen Cafe changes a life. We believe this and tell it to all of our customers; it’s on our signs and flyers. But how? How does buying a cup of coffee or a sandwich change a life?
Jovan W. has been working at DC Central Kitchen since graduating from our Culinary Job Training program in 2023. For over three years he’s greeted and served the public at each of our three DC Central Kitchen Cafe locations: Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen (901 G Street NW); at the Klein Center for Jobs and Justice (2121 First Street SW); and at THEARC (1901 Mississippi Avenue SE). For the last three months and change (105 days to be exact, he knew how precisely long he’s had his promotion when we recently spoke to him), he’s been a Cafe Lead—a direct supervisor of fellow CJT program alumni.
Jovan is a living example of how a purchase at one of our cafes can change a life.
Jovan first heard about DC Central Kitchen when a friend recommended the Culinary Job Training program and the three months of tuition-free life skills and knife skills training that came with it. His friend explained the benefits and resources of the program, both literal and figurative. The opportunities were enough for him to move on from piecemeal positions that had not yet added up to a career. Upon graduation, he began working full-time for DC Central Kitchen in our cafes and catering kitchens.
Whether he’s preparing meals in the production kitchen or interacting with cafe customers, Jovan is comfortable in his environment, getting joy from each aspect of the job. It’s one of the reasons he’s an advocate for the program.
While Jovan’s increased responsibilities with his recent promotion, he told us he’s happy to remain both behind the scenes and forward facing. “Every time I put on some (work) gloves in that kitchen, this feeling overcomes me. And watching someone enjoy my food, saying that they love it, is the best. When I get in the kitchen, I’m just a whole different person. I think it’s always been my calling,”
It was working in the kitchen that led to the next part of Jovan’s evolution at DCCK. Early in his new job, he was always looking to take on more work around the kitchen and wanted lunches he could eat quickly on busy days with lots of catering orders. “One day when we were doing an early catering I had some fruit, some vegetables, and, I’m not a big sugar person, so I use honey a lot, and I made a smoothie for the whole team,” Jovan recalls.“ Everybody loved it and it started to become like a normal thing, “Hey, Jo, instead of food, can we get smoothies?” It went from having smoothies once a week to three, four times a week.”
Those smoothies Jovan made for the catering and cafes staff will soon be available on DC Central Kitchen Cafe menus.
A health-conscious athlete, Jovan has been enjoying homemade smoothies for years. Now he’s looking forward to offering something in his community. Speaking of the dearth of healthy options near him, Jovan told us, “I want to bring something into my environment you don’t really see much of.”
It’s also something Sarah Frimpong, DC Central Kitchen’s Director of Cafes & Retail Sales, has been working towards. “We’re very focused on reimagining our food assortment in the cafes right now and smoothies felt like a natural extension of our menu.”
Using recipes developed by a Culinary Job Training graduate and longtime DCCK Cafe employee is also a natural extension. “Jovan is a key part of our team at THEARC and was the first to identify the positive impact that smoothies might have at that location,” Sarah told us. “That instinct together with his culinary background made him the perfect person to take on this project.”
Every purchase changes a life. Sometimes that purchase helps support a local farmer that supplies our fruits and vegetables offered in our cafes. Sometimes it helps inform someone of our programming. Sometimes it’s a healthier option. In Jovan’s case, it’s all three.
Jovan was recently awarded for his work at DC Central Kitchen, receiving our prestigious quarterly Dorothy Bell Award, given to an outstanding employee who embodies the spirit and dedication of DC Central Kitchen, at our most recent CJT program graduation. Jovan was surprised by the honor. But it’s not surprising if you’ve ever been served by him at the cafe.
We asked him why he’s so consistently enthusiastic about his career at DC Central Kitchen Cafe, the answer was obvious. “The community, the people, being able to be that resource for someone else that was in my position at one time. It’s about building a community up. At the end of the day, what makes me happy is to see the next person succeed. Especially when it comes to food, if food can change your emotions or perspective on how your day is going, I want to be that person to say, “Hey, Jo made me feel better by giving me a bowl of kale salad, a nice cold smoothie. It changed my whole day.” That right there is just top 10.”