Food With Class is a catering program operated by young people receiving help on the Youth Villages Bartlett Campus. Participation in the program is voluntary and geared toward teaching youth valuable real-world job skills, providing teenagers who are about to graduate with their first chance at gaining hands-on work experience and learning skills for a possible career in the service industry.
"We want for our older teens to gain a greater sense of self-esteem and pride in their abilities," says Ann Tucker, a Bartlett Campus teacher who oversees Food With Class. "At the same time, we teach them solid skills, such as responsibility, work ethics and what it means to protray a professional attitude."
As part of the program, campus youth learn to prepare, present and serve food. Food With Class regularly caters Youth Villages events. The Food With Class menu includes gourmet sandwiches, fruit trays, specialty items, including fried catfish, a variety of salads and dessert.