PRLA Spring 2019

10  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Spring 2019 Applicants also must have a high school diploma or GED, previous experience—or strong interest—in food service, be free of disciplinary issues for one year and have completed all other required programming for their release. “You can take a restaurant trades class some places and never work in a kitchen,” said Terri Fazio, the DOC’s director of the Bureau of Correction Education. “Our programs are designed for students to receive book training and spend time in the kitchen getting hands on training.” In addition to ServSafe, some students also complete the National Occupation Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) in restaurant trades. Reentry specialists in the DOC stress the importance of training as the key to stable employment, which means less chance of recidivism. “A good percentage of inmates want a job where they can support their families and earn a life-sustaining wage,” said Fazio. “In addition to the culinary training, we help them develop soft job skills, like interviewing, workplace etiquette and resume preparation. Hopefully that’s the ticket to success. It’s the only way to break the cycle.“ DOC does not formally track inmates into the community to determine their success rate, but anecdotally the instructors say many graduates are able to quickly find work or are furthering their culinary education. Building on the success of the existing programs, the state’s newest prison, SCI Phoenix, outside of Philadelphia, is currently set to open its culinary academy this spring. • PRLA members are invited to join Chef Lewis and his culinary students for “Restaurant Day” held about once every three months at the DOC Training Academy in Elizabethtown. For more information contact Shane Hiner at 717-361-4321. Chef Todd Lewis addressing graduates of his program at the Culinary Arts Program at the PA DOC Training Academy. Chef James Mitchell who oversees the restaurant trades program at SCI Waymart. “You can take a restaurant trades class some places and never work in a kitchen,” said Terri Fazio, the DOC’s director of the Bureau of Correction Education. “Our programs are designed for students to receive book training and spend time in the kitchen getting hands on training.”