Education 4.12 - Flipbook - Page 2
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| Sunday, April 12, 2026
Providing Career Options,
continued from page 1
Successful candidates will be certified as a ServSafe Food Manager.
In addition to culinary skills, other
attributes students will learn are teamwork, organization, effective communication, and time management, says
DuBose, who has worked in casual and
high-end restaurants and has been in
culinary education for over 15 years.
A wide array of candidates
Dignity Plates Culinary Academy has
had 15 cohorts with a total of 96 students – an evening cohort was added
this year for those who work or have
family commitments during the day –
and over 1,000 students have applied.
Obviously, not everyone who applies
can be accepted into the program.
When asked what she looks for in
candidates, DuBose says one of the
key elements is passion.
“I know that word is used a lot, but
passion is so important because there’s
a lot of information to learn in 13 weeks.
If you really aren’t passionate about
this industry, it can be a bit frustrating.
We do a two-part interview process,
and we want to make sure that they’re
consistent in their work and in certain
parts of their home life to ensure that
they show up to class every day committed to complete this program,” she
emphasizes. Candidates must also be
18 years or older.
DuBose adds that when all students
in the cohort are committed, it helps
with morale and the students push each
other to succeed. “There will be times
when they feel overwhelmed or the
program is especially difficult, but they
have a support network in place.”
Denzel Hall - Cohort 9 graduate (left), Chef Steve Boswell - Cohort 6 graduate, and Mercedes Freeman - Cohort 12
graduate, represent B&O Café and Dignity Plates Catering at Plated 2025 at the B&O Railroad Museum.
restaurants such as True Chesapeake
Oyster Company, Zoe’s Just Desserts,
Love & Cornbread, which prepares
scratch made meals for the Baltimore
City community, as well as working at
the Franciscan Center’s kitchen.
DuBose proudly adds that one of
the graduates from cohort six – the first
year she led the program – is Tempest
Lipscomb, and she is now teaching the
current cohort 15.
Students from Cohort 14 preparing for their final buffet testing.
A well-rounded education
Students at Dignity Plates Culinary
Academy don’t just learn culinary skills,
DuBose explains.
“We have ‘Wellness Wednesdays’
where we go on field trips and have
speakers such as our partner PNC Bank
who will teach our students financial
literacy, everything from opening a bank
account to what it looks like to start
your own business. We also have chefs
that come in that give real talks about
the culinary industry,” she says. “We
have people that come in and they’ll
talk about emotional health, wellness,
Chef April DuBose hugging a student at a Dignity Plates
Culinary Academy graduation.
and other things that the students are
really concerned about and really hit
our mission to be a comprehensive
program.”
This exposure to professionals in the
culinary industry also helps open students’ eyes to the wide range of career
paths they can take – everything from
being a chef to a restaurant manager or
working in a corporate setting.
“There’s so much freedom in the culinary industry, and every route doesn’t
have to be a traditional one. Some
go into food photography, and some
people manage social media accounts
for restaurants. Food trucks and popup restaurants are another option, as
is consulting. You can consult and
help restaurants develop menus and be
more strategic in pricing, for example.”
She adds that students in the academy
also gain entrepreneurship skills so that
they can start their own business.
Some recent graduates include a
catering manager at Loyola University
Maryland, and those who work at local
Representation matters
As a woman of color who has succeeded in various roles in culinary arts
and education, DuBose also serves as
a role model to many of her students.
“We do get a lot of women signing
up for the program, going through the
program and finishing the program,
including black women. We have conversations on what it’s like working
in male-dominated kitchens, what it’s
like to be the only woman of color in
kitchens, and what it’s like to run your
own business while trying to be seen as
serious, authentic and knowledgeable,”
DuBose says. “I see students in the
classroom make note that ‘If she can do
it, I can do it.’ We do develop a certain
bond and support here, and mentorship is very important for us at Dignity
Plates. They have a community of support. I think one of the most important
things in this business is to realize that
you don’t have to do it by yourself.”
