I got introduced to this program because THE Alain Ducasse came to the Philippines just to support it. Last year, a fundraiser was held at the Alain Ducasse Institute of Enderun Colleges where, aside from dinner cooked the Ducasse way, items owned by Alain Ducasse himself were auctioned off. The event raised a significant amount for the benefit of the scholars of this program called Youth With A Future and several street kids graduated from the program months later and now have jobs at prestigious restaurants and hotels, with a few even placed abroad.
The Youth With A Future program continues and more streetkids are being given the opportunity to become Alain Duccase-empowered chefs.
I’m proud to share the testimony of my friend Kaken Buenviaje, Marketing Manager of Enderun Colleges, who has seen this project through from the start. Here’s how Youth With A Future was born and how it continues to change lives …
From the Streets to the Kitchen
by Kaken Buenviaje
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” – I’ve heard this Chinese proverb numerous times before, but I had never fully understood the true meaning of it until I started working with Tuloy Foundation for a project called Youth with a Future.
Two years ago, Enderun Colleges’ academic partner, Alain Ducasse Education in France, approached us to replicate Michelin-starred Chef Alain Ducasse’s Women with a Future. This initiative selects a group of underprivileged women from Paris to be trained for a year in a culinary arts program with an apprenticeship in one of Alain Ducasse’s restaurants. Similarly, Youth with a Future was envisioned to provide educational scholarships to select underprivileged youth in the Philippines.
Both Enderun Colleges and Alain Ducasse Education chose Tuloy Foundation to be the beneficiary of Youth with a Future because they had an existing culinary center, and Enderun’s chef instructors have been volunteering to teach at the center in the past. Tuloy also seemed like the ideal partner for the program because of its success in reintegrating street children into mainstream society though nurturing and education.
World-renowned Chef Alain Ducasse visited Tuloy Foundation
in March 2014
In April 2014, ten students, who had previously completed an 8-month culinary program at Tuloy Foundation, were selected to further hone their skills at Enderun’s campus. They learned new culinary techniques from Enderun’s distinguished chef instructors, used up-to-date kitchen equipment, and worked with ingredients unfamiliar to them. During their studies at Enderun, our chefs took notice of the scholars’ passion and determination to succeed in the culinary industry. They were eager to learn and able to cope with the fast-paced environment at our campus.
To make the program sustainable, we made sure that the students had internships and job placements after completing the program. After three months of training at Enderun, the students graduated with a Certificate in Culinary Arts from Alain Ducasse Education in France. All 10 students are now working at acclaimed establishments in the Philippines and abroad: Vask, Chateau 1771, Prego Ristorante, and Four Seasons Resort Dubai.
“Noon, hindi ko naisip na dito (sa Enderun) ako mag-aaral. Simple lang naman ang pangarap ko dati–makapag-aral. Pero tinupad ni Lord ang prayers ko at sobra-sobra pa po ang binigay niya,” a Tuloy scholar said.
Tuloy scholars at Four Seasons Resort Dubai
It warms our hearts every time we receive updates about the Youth with a Future graduates. Some graduates send us “thank you” messages with photos of themselves at their workplace. Their employers also reach out to us to say how much they enjoy working with the scholars because of their talent and work ethics. To add, one of them was awarded Employee of the Month, and another one was promoted to a supervisorial position.
A second batch of Tuloy scholars recently completed the Youth with a Future program last Friday, 19th of June, and I am pleased to announce that the following establishments have agreed to employ the students: Miascor, Vask, Chateau 1771, Cirkulo, KKK Pinoy Food Revolution, and Four Seasons Resort Dubai.
The second batch of Youth With a Future scholars with Chef See Cheong Yan, Culinary Head of Enderun Colleges
As seen in this project, education is indeed one of the best forms of charity. I am grateful to be part of this project, and to have witnessed the transformation of these former street kids into world-class chefs.