Individual career pathways and greater equity for all.
Hot Bread Kitchen is dedicated to helping immigrant women and women of color generate sustainable income to transform their lives. Over the past decade we’ve worked closely with hundreds of women at different stages of their career journeys, listening to their ambitions, their professional and personal challenges, and their aspirations for providing a stable future for themselves and their families.
While economic security is always the goal, we know one-size-fits-all training, job placement and small business support don’t guarantee this outcome. Our flexible and customizable service model centers women’s individual needs. Our knowledgeable staff helps women navigate a complex and inequitable system. And our leadership plays an active role in advocating for policies in support of greater access and opportunity for the women we serve.
The Key Ingredients of our Model
Economic Opportunity.
Our skill-building programs prepare women for careers in culinary and facility management fields. We set food entrepreneurs on a trajectory toward growth. Our English language and computer literacy classes ensure women can complete our programs and compete in today’s job market. And our job placement and small business growth services help transition women from learning to earning.
Partnership-based Ecosystem of Support.
In the quest for economic mobility, there is no such thing as “too many cooks in the kitchen”. We operate in neighborhoods across NYC through trusted community partners who multiply our impact. Our employer partners pay fair wages, prioritize equity and are invested in their employees’ success. Our entrepreneurship partners invest in and buy from our small business owners, helping them stabilize and grow. Our social services partners help with needs from childcare to housing to wellness.
Community of Peers
Women who participate in our programs automatically become Hot Bread Kitchen members with continuous access to customized skill-building opportunities and support services. At every stage of their career journey, members are encouraged to stay connected to Hot Bread kitchen staff and peers to help them access the personal and professional support they need.
Equitable food jobs
We only partner with employers who provide good jobs. But the supply is limited. We work with owners, operators, and city-level stakeholders to increase the number of roles in NYC’s culinary industry that provide living wages, stable and predictable hours, advancement opportunities, safety and other benefits that allow for a sense of purpose and dignity for workers.
