Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Foundation for Culinary Arts
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: 1016 W Jackson Blvd
City: Chicago
State: IL
Postal Code: 60607
Main Phone: 312-752-2352
Main Fax: 312-243-1516
Organization Website: https://foundationforculinaryarts.org/
Employer ID Number: 36-2170142
Organization Tax Status: Tax Exempt, Public Charity

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 3/23/25
Requested Amount: 2,500

Project Title: Yes, Chef! Culinary Camps
Project Description:

The “Yes, Chef! Culinary Camps” program empowers 100 low-income Chicago public high school students annually by providing them with culinary and life skills that prepare them for careers in the culinary industry, while also benefitting 500 family members. The program equips students with the vocational skills needed to pursue a positive career track and thrive both professionally and personally.

Through five culinary camps, students receive a high level of instruction by our professional chefs to provide them with the vocational training needed to secure jobs without college degrees, which many of our students can’t afford. Instead, we prepare students for employment at restaurants, catering and banquet companies, butcher shops, bakeries, and grocery store departments.

Our camps teach much more than recipes. Based on a carefully designed curriculum, students learn the necessary skills needed to land a job such as proper sanitation, knife skills, and meat fabrication. Woven into the training are lessons on nutrition (reading labels), budgeting (reusing ingredients), and food sensitivities (substitutions). They leave our camps with skills that many adults lack such as how to work with grains, using yeast to make breads, understanding sautéing and poaching, and how to store food at proper temperatures. Campers also learn life skills like learning to scale recipes, stretching a meal, and calculating calories and servings.

For many of our students, our camps are the first time they are cooking meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, moving them away from processed foods more commonly found in their homes, which helps them develop healthier eating habits. We also provide all ingredients and an essential take-home kitchen equipment kit worth $250+ of pots, knives, and other supplies for students to keep so they can continue cooking at home to the benefit of their families and strengthening the overall community.

Total Project Budget: 183,200

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Nielsen-Massey Foundation $20,000 (secured); IECA $5,000 (secured); Conagra $10,000 (potential); Kroger $5,000 (potential); Brach Foundation $5,000 (potential); MDRT $5,000 (potential); Kutchins Fund $10,000 (potential); Scholl Foundation $10,000 (potential); William Blair Foundation $25,000 (potential)

Project Duration: October 2025-June 2026
Geographical Area Served: Chicago, IL
Age Group To Be Served: 13-18

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Catherine
Contact Last Name: De Orio
Contact Title: Executive Director
Contact Phone: 312-752-2352
Contact Email: catherine@f4ca.org