“The Quick Jobs program helped me personally and it was another piece of the puzzle to rebuilding my life.”

Ben has always been passionate about cooking – as a young child, he was “mom’s little helper” in the kitchen. Ben is in recovery at Miracle Hill Ministries, celebrating 1.5 years of sobriety. Daniel Coe, kitchen manager at Miracle Hill, saw Ben’s enthusiasm and determination working in the kitchen as shift leader at Miracle Hill and encouraged Ben to complete the Basic Cooking Skills Quick Jobs Program at the Truist Culinary and Hospitality Innovation Center (CHI). And Ben enthusiastically said yes, “It’s fun to learn new things – and it’s a joy to see people’s reactions when they eat the food.”

Ben graduated from the inaugural class and credits his new employment to completing the program, “I couldn’t have done it without the certificate. When I interviewed, the executive chef said the certificate was all he needed to see.” Ben was able to complete the program with scholarship funding from the Truist Foundation.

Ben is now employed at Bob Jones University in Dining Services. “I’m excited to get to work in the morning. I walk in the door and never know what I’ll be doing. That’s part of the excitement, every day is different. I hope anyone taking the class finds a good job they enjoy.”