GARY COMER YOUTH CENTER PARTNERS WITH TRUTH BE TOLD

Apprentices in the Culinary Arts Program at Gary Comer Youth Center participated in a cooking demonstration with Chef Anthony Bernal of Truth Be Told Tavern. PHOTO BY TIA CAROL JONES.
Apprentices in the Culinary Arts Program at Gary Comer Youth Center participated in a cooking demonstration with Chef Anthony Bernal of Truth Be Told Tavern. PHOTO BY TIA CAROL JONES.

GARY COMER YOUTH CENTER PARTNERS WITH
TRUTH BE TOLD

By TIA CAROL JONES

The culinary apprentices looked on attentively as Chef Anthony Bernal demonstrated how to fabricate a whole chicken. During the demonstration, he talked about what dishes could be created from which pieces.

Once Bernal finished, he asked the apprentices if they
had any questions. They responded, “No Chef.” When Bernal asked if they could fabricate a chicken themselves, they answered, “Yes, Chef.”

The demonstration was part of a partnership between the Gary Comer Youth Center, located at 7200 S. Ingleside,
and Truth Be Told Restaurant. The culinary apprentices from the center are participants from the Francie Comer
Culinary Art Center. It was the first chef partnership to take place since the pandemic.

Bernal demonstrated the French way to fabricate a chicken, then went over which knives were the best to use. He told them, “Always use the right tool for the right job.” While the culinary apprentices were learning how to fabricate a chicken, in the garden participants in the Urban Agriculture Program were picking vegetables for use in the dishes. Kelly Jones is a farmer who participates
in the Urban Agriculture Program. Jones
first began participating last year and
decided to return because she loves the program.

“It’s so holistic and so important for the community. You
can really see that, in the growing of the produce and seeing the produce. When people come out, they’re so excited to be
at our farmstand,” Jones said. “Seeing the progress of something you put into soil and grow become this delicious thing that feeds your body and nurtures your soul is just amazing.” The farmers brought a variety of what is grown -- daikon radishes, turnips, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, collard greens, kale, carrots and beets.

The Culinary Arts Program has been part of the programs
Gary Comer Youth Center offers since the center
opened in 2006. It is split into three tiers: Programming,
Catering and Meal Service. The meal service serves about 200 young people everyday, with an afternoon snack and supper during the school year and breakfast, lunch and a snack during the summer months.

According to Remington Price, Senior Director of
Program Management at Gary Comer Youth Center, the enrichment programming is offered to all of the members, 6th grade to 12th grade. That programming serves
about 80 young people a year and is split into Cooking as a Life Skill and Cooking as a Career. The apprentices
who participated in the cooking demonstration are part of
the apprenticeship program. The pre-apprenticeship program has a one-year program for high school
students and a red shirt apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor and it’s a two-year program. The students in the two-year apprenticeship program earn
manager certification and learn about the hospitality industry. The goal is after that program those apprentices are placed in jobs.

“Truth Be Told is in the Study Hotel in Hyde Park, which is just down the street from us. They’re a neighbor of ours and we saw an opportunity to partner together and work with each other in multiple areas of what we do at Gary Comer Youth Center,” Price said.

Next month, Gary Comer Youth Center will participate
in a pop-up shop at Truth Be Told that will feature
products made in the art program. The dish the apprentices and Bernal created will be on the menu at Truth Be Told until June 23rd. For more information about the Gary Comer Youth Center, visit garycomeryouthcenter.org. For more information about Truth Be Told, visit truthbetoldtavern. com.

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