Robyn joins the Nest

Robyn Weiss, an intern from The Good Acre VoCul Program, is testing the waters in the culinary world at GRS.

This month you will see a new friendly face in the kitchen! Robyn Weiss comes to GRS this month after completing a 10- week Vocational Culinary (VoCul) training program with The Good Acre and will be with us for 4 weeks as she completes the internship phase.

“Most of my life I have had a strong interest in working with the schools. I am excited to experience Great River School while making healthy meals for students!”

Robyn will be at GRS helping Mel and the kitchen crew with lunch and the Creative Expressions Culinary Arts class on Tuesday afternoon while she navigates her journey in the culinary arts. Robyn will be with us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Tuesdays in the afternoon. Be sure to wave to Robyn and wish her well as she completes her program with The Good Acre.

VoCul, our Vocational Culinary Training program, aims to increase the amount of healthy, locally-sourced, scratch-cooked meals in various foodservice operations by training individuals seeking culinary careers. This 14-week vocational training program supports the workforce, entrepreneurial and institutional foodservice operations, and our regional farm economy.

Under the guidance of Chef Lachelle Cunningham, Jamal Hashi, and Jenny Breen, trainees learn about food safety (ServSafe certification included), nutrition, seasonality, large-batch scratch cooking, how to use industrial equipment, and more. The first ten weeks of the program consist of in-person lectures and labs in a commercial kitchen in St. Paul. An optional four-week internship follows at one of our partnering kitchens.

Stop by the kitchen during lunch to say Hi to Robyn if you see her!