Like a Chef

Like a Chef is an employment training program that equips underprivileged people with culinary workplace skills. Developed by Worldchefs in partnership with Electrolux Food Foundation and delivered by local partners, the course promotes sustainable cooking with a zero food waste approach.

120 hours of mentorship

After 8-weeks of practical training delivered by volunteer professional chefs, graduates are prepared to find a job, become self-employed, or pursue further culinary studies.

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9

training centers

Like a Chef started in Curitiba, Brazil in 2017. We now have 9 active training centers around the globe, 1090 graduates, and more on the way.

Over 63% of our graduates in Brazil are employed. From immigrant women and single parents to teenage orphans, this program empowers people in need to put food on the table.

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Our volunteers and graduates

Manoella Buffara

Like a Chef Mentor and Chef at Manu, Curitiba

#42 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019

Always when I opened the restaurant, I felt like something was empty. I was just cooking there and I was not worrying about what my producer was eating in their home, what I can do for the society, what I can do for the community. ‘I cannot change the world,’ now I know I can. If we are in a team we can, and you have to start off in your community, where you come from.

Vladimir Mukhin

Like a Chef Mentor and Chef at White Rabbit, Moscow

#9 at Best Chef’s Award 2019, #13 at The Worlds 50 Best 2019

Long ago I realized that sharing the skills and knowledge is a vitally important habit. It provides a circulation of energy and makes you happy. I will feel happy if we manage to motivate these students and someone will have a wish to become one of us. We can not help all, but if we help at least one of the students, it means that we managed to do a great job.

Maryna

Like a Chef Project Coordinator 2019, Ukraine

All participants were super enthusiastic and excited each day. For them, it was an opportunity to gain relevant skills, to socialize, and to feel that someone really cared about their future. Some of them didn’t even know how to cut vegetables on the first day of the project. But during the final exam, all of them looked very confident in the kitchen and cooked on a very good level.

Sonia

Like a Chef Project Coordinator 2020, Brazil

Each group is a different experience. It’s a fortune to see the evolution of each person, and to see the impulse they get day by day. Some of them just need a little bit of trust to get the best from them and go chase their dreams.

Mostafa

Like a Chef Trainer, Cairo

My advice is that if you have the opportunity to join the program you must take advantage of it because it will change your mind and you will gain more knowledge. On top of that, the program will enable you to take control of your career in a professional way and give you more chances and opportunities.

Victor

Like a Chef Trainer, Curitiba

The most magical thing is to realize that the students have so much knowledge and experience of their own, and they don’t even realize that. I have the chance to learn as much as they do.

Vanya

Like a Chef Graduate 2018, Moscow

I entered this project to learn something new, to find more about the secrets of cooking. Our mentor not only shares with us his skills but also encourages us, and helps us decide who we want to be in the future. In my opinion, a chef should be serious and strict. Those who really try can achieve what they want. Those who don’t try hard enough, find obvious excuses. In the kitchen, I feel relaxed. I am a Chef.

Dulcineia

Like a Chef Graduate 2017, Curitiba

This course really brought me back, rescued my dream, my gift, and today I’m very focused. I’m going to work on it and that’s what I want. If I had not gone through all that I went through, I would not have come to [Like a Chef]. I would not have known this project that is so important.

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Michelin-starred

mentors and chef volunteers

Join renowned chefs like Régis Macron, Vladmir Mukhin, and Manoella Buffara to lead the way for aspiring chefs. Find out how you can get involved below.

Ready to get started? Get in touch.

If you aren’t able to donate your time or your kitchen, you can make a contribution to help sponsor a student, or cover other costs during their time in the program.

$200 – Sponsor a student and give them a better future.
$150 – Provide the training and educational support for a Like a Chef participant.
$50 – Provide educational materials required to a student.
$20 – Help cover accommodation costs for during a student’s 4 weeks of practical training.
$10 – Pay for a student’s travel costs during the program.

To donate, visit our donation page.

Support your local community by:

Providing a training facility
Providing ingredients or logistics
Providing equipment or utensils
Providing employment opportunities for graduates
Providing workshops in professional skills
Translating and adapting the Like a Chef curriculum
Connecting us with potential participants
Promoting Like a Chef on your channels

To learn more, please contact us.

We’re looking for chef volunteers to help train our participants. Our trainers are vital to the success of Like a Chef centers around the world. Turn your culinary expertise and professional experience into a life changing gift for people in need.

Please contact us for more information about becoming a Like a Chef volunteer.

Our Like a chef training centers transform communities.

If you’d like to offer your kitchen facility as a Like a Chef training center, please contact us.