After graduating from high school this past year, Tyler Wright was ready to take a meaningful next step. Instead of rushing into something that didn’t fit, he chose to explore an area that interested him: working in a commercial kitchen. “I was testing the water with the food industry,” Tyler said.
This fall, with support from his Kerr adult group home, Tyler graduated from Nourish & Flourish Kitchen, a 16‑week culinary training program through Germaine’s Culinary Inc. The program empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to build confidence and practical skills through hands‑on learning alongside professional chefs.
At Nourish & Flourish, Tyler learned by doing. He practiced kitchen safety and sanitation, worked with commercial ovens and stoves, and developed foundational knife skills, including the chop and the rocking motion used by professional chefs. “It taught me how to be safe in the kitchen, a lot of kitchen skills, and also budgeting and community safety,” he shared.
As part of the program, students prepare a variety of recipes. Tyler especially loved making Creamy Homemade Baked Mac & Cheese. “It’s not just mac and cheese—it’s baked, with layers, like lasagna,” he explained.
Tyler also rotated through different kitchen roles and discovered he enjoyed the dish pit—the critical dishwasher position that keeps everything running smoothly. He worked both the dirty side, where dishes are scraped and rinsed, and the clean side, where everything is organized and put away. “If dishes pile up, the whole system goes down,” Tyler said. “It’s a crucial job.”
Beyond cooking, the curriculum strengthened every day and job‑readiness skills. Tyler practiced budgeting, learned conservative shopping strategies, worked on resume and interview skills, and participated in community experiences. He served meals to people facing food insecurity and toured large‑scale commercial kitchens, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Throughout the program, staff at Tyler’s Kerr adult group home made sure he could consistently get to and from class—helping remove barriers so he could fully participate and finish strong.
Tyler is proud of everything he learned. While he hasn’t landed on a specific kitchen role yet, he knows he wants to work and now has real skills, confidence, and experience to build on.