Robert Egger calls it "Homeboy Industries meets the Food Bank."
For decades, Egger ran DC Central Kitchen in Washington, a job training program that used donated food from food service companies and farms. Now, he's bringing the concept to Los Angeles and calling it L.A. Kitchen.
"This time, we're going to offer young men and women aging out of foster care, and older men and women coming back from prison, the chance to work side by side, in kind of an inter-generational, peer-mentoring job training program," Egger said.
I spoke with Egger at LA Kitchen's new headquarters (the old HQ was his house in Mount Washington) on West Avenue 26 in L.A.'s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. It's a huge industrial space with plenty of room for kitchens, cold storage, training and more.
Egger said that dedication of the program in Lincoln Heights is set for Dec. 10. The demo begins after that, with the goal of opening in time for the new school year in 2014.
