Life At Levy

The Santa Clara Convention Center Team created The Teaching Kitchen, a program designed to educate budding hospitality professionals.

Levy is a company with an extensive history and long-tenured team members that have been there every step of the way. What makes Levy even more special, though, is the dedication to mentorship. Across the company, there is an authentic commitment to teaching and supporting those in the earlier stages of their hospitality-related careers. 

Recently, the Santa Clara Convention Center partnered with the City of Santa Clara to create The Teaching Kitchen. Their mission? Provide a fantastic culinary education, free of charge, to adults pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. 

General Manager Lorne Ellison, Executive Sous Chef Eugene Galindo and HR Manager Salma Alayleh worked together to kickstart a six-week program that provided each student a set of skills, comparable to what a 2-year culinary student would receive. 

Throughout the program, students were coached by local chefs and business mentors. “It’s incredibly important for students to engage with local professionals because networking is a superpower,” said Alayleh. “This allows students an opportunity to acquaint themselves with what the hospitality scene looks like right here in Silicon Valley.”

Galindo, the program’s culinary instructor, said that meeting with local experts also helped them gain an understanding of all the different elements within the food industry, so they could better evaluate where they felt most inspired and/or comfortable.

In addition to learning key safety, sanitation and allergen practices in the kitchen, the students spent time learning about each section of the kitchen and every type of meal they might prepare. Not only did they get training in the kitchen, Salma held career readiness workshops where the students revised their resumes and went through mock interview training. With a high demand in the industry for cross-departmental workers, the team wanted to ensure the curriculum covered a broad spectrum.

“Our goal was to have our students apply for a job in hospitality and be able to attest that whatever it may be, they have some kind of work experience in it,” Alayleh said.

Upon graduation day, the students were tasked with cooking and plating a menu created for the ceremony guests, including Mayor Lisa Gillmor and other local officials. “It gave them a sense of pride, and opened their eyes to what it is to work as a team and grow as a little family of strangers from various backgrounds and experiences,” Galindo said.

As for how the students felt as they walked across the stage, Elisson said, “Lives are being transformed.”

Moving forward, the team wants to grow the program to hold multiple sessions each year, continuing the tradition of Levy locations across the country investing in the development of the next generation of culinarians. 

“The hope for the future of this program is to continue to successfully re-introduce our students into the workforce, and to continue improving our curriculum over time,” Alayleh said. “After all, we too are learning as instructors. This kind of initiative is meant to bring people, Levy operations and partners together to help each other help others.”