From the Kitchen to the Future: Culinary Course Builds Skills, Confidence and Career Opportunities
August 25, 2026Four students recently put 15 weeks of culinary training to the test, and the result was more than an impressive luncheon. It was a demonstration of how hands-on workforce training can build confidence, open doors and inspire students to take the next step toward their goals.
The students completed Introduction to Culinary Entrepreneurship, a new noncredit program developed by Westmoreland County Community College in partnership with Fayette County Community Action (FCCA). The course was created in response to FCCA’s goal of creating 30 jobs over the next three years and will be offered two more times in the future.
Led by Chef Greg Nemchick (Chef G), a Westmoreland alum, the program provides students with fundamental culinary skills, kitchen professionalism and an understanding of how a commercial kitchen operates. Students also explore opportunities in the growing cottage and mobile food industries, as well as what it takes to eventually become a culinary business owner.
The program combines hands-on culinary instruction with essential food safety training. Students receive ServSafe instruction and testing, learning about proper food handling, preventing cross-contamination, cooking and holding temperatures, personal hygiene and illness policies.
The goal is to prepare students for entry-level positions such as prep cook, line cook, banquet production worker, farm-to-table prep or market assistant and mobile catering assistant, while giving them a foundation to continue their education or pursue entrepreneurship.
For the four students in the inaugural class, that foundation is already making a difference.
Putting Skills to the Test
At the conclusion of the 15-week program, the students prepared a luncheon featuring baked ham, corn, chicken wings, Gouda macaroni and cheese, stuffed acorn squash and homemade cupcakes - all made from scratch.
For Chef G, the accomplishment went far beyond the food on the table.
“What impressed me most was not simply the food they prepared. It was the courage, confidence, teamwork and professionalism they demonstrated throughout the entire experience.”
Chef G said watching students with only the experience of a noncredit introductory summer program step up to such a significant challenge was an emotional moment.
“At one point, I literally had tears in my eyes.”
He added, “As an instructor, there are moments when you realize that your students have taken everything you have taught them and made it their own. Thursday was one of those moments.”
FCCA Project Manager Joe Martin said the partnership has been a success from the beginning.
“I think this class has gone phenomenally well. Chef G and I get along fantastically. The students are learning a lot and the food is amazing,” he said. “We could take all four of these students and put them on a food line right now and they’d be just fine.”
Students Turn Experience Into Opportunity
For Ashley Neptune, the course offered an opportunity to build on five years of experience as the owner of Elotes Loca LLC, a food truck business.
After moving from Los Angeles, Ashley missed the street food, fun and culture she had grown up with. She started her food truck to bring that experience with her, but wanted to better understand the business side of the industry and strengthen her culinary skills by working alongside a chef.
The experience also changed her plans for the future.
“Taking this class motivated me to learn more things,” Ashley said.
That motivation has led her to consider returning to school to continue her culinary education.
Brittany Dillinger entered the culinary world after watching Cake Boss and deciding she wanted to pursue a career in baking. After working in several bakeries, she began the process of opening her own business with her boyfriend, Smitley’s Rolling Smoke & Sweet Treats, which will combine barbecue and sweets.
She makes cake pops, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, custom-designed cookies and cakes. She had previously earned her ServSafe certification through the career and technical center, but needed to renew it. The course provided an opportunity to do that at no cost while gaining additional experience in a professional kitchen.
Most importantly, it changed her educational plans.
“I was not planning to go back to school before this class,” Brittany said. “Chef G said, ‘You’re good, but I want you to be better.’”
That encouragement inspired Brittany to enroll in Westmoreland’s Bakery & Pastry program for the fall.
“I want to be as good as Cake Boss,” she said.
From Dishwasher to Line Cook
Kate Vivian and Jim Bartsch came to the program together from Monarch Meadow, a personal care home in Uniontown. Kate is the owner, while Jim had been working as a dishwasher.
Kate wanted to earn her ServSafe certification and learn more about the requirements of operating a commercial kitchen. She also had a larger goal in mind: developing a ghost kitchen at the facility that could provide grab-and-go meals for residents, nearby apartments and the surrounding community.
For Jim, the course provided an opportunity to develop skills that could lead to advancement.
He gained enough experience and confidence to move from dishwasher to line cook.
“Jim has learned a lot of confidence in the kitchen,” Kate said. “I enjoyed learning the qualifications for running a commercial kitchen.”
Building a Workforce Through Partnership
The Introduction to Culinary Entrepreneurship program is an example of how workforce partnerships can respond directly to community needs while creating new opportunities for individuals.
FCCA approached Westmoreland with a specific goal - to help create 30 jobs in three years. Together, the organizations developed a program designed to meet people where they are, whether they are exploring a new career, already operating a food business or looking to expand their skills.
According to Judy DeWitt, workforce director, the partnership was about creating a training opportunity that could lead to immediate employment while also giving participants the confidence and foundation to pursue something bigger.
“FCCA came to Westmoreland with a clear workforce need, and we worked together to create a program that could turn that need into opportunity,” DeWitt said. “The goal was not just to teach students how to cook. It was to give them practical skills, industry knowledge and the confidence to see themselves succeeding in a professional kitchen or eventually running a culinary business of their own.”
For these four students, that opportunity has already led to new possibilities - from career advancement and business development to plans for additional education.
Photo, L-R: Jim Bartsch, Kate Vivian, Chef Greg Nemchick, Ashley Neptune, Brittany Dillinger and Joe Martin