Staff Reports
An inmate training company that specializes in providing vocations for inmates when they reenter society is celebrating its first graduating class since reopening after a four-year closure.
Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises (PRIDE Enterprises) relaunched its culinary program at the Baker Re-entry Center in Sanderson in June. The program, originally located at the Baker Correctional Institution, closed in late 2019 after losing its instructor, Art Grayson, who later passed away in January 2020.
Now, the program is celebrating its first graduating class since reopening in a new location and, in doing so, has honored its former leader by renaming the onsite café in his honor, Grayson’s Café. Two former students were on hand to dedicate the café in Grayson’s memory.
“He was an integral part of our previous program, and now, his memory will live on and always be a part of our culinary program,” said Remero Green, Vice President of Inmate Programs and Training.
The culinary program consists of two phases. Students first work in the classroom and then later, gain real world experience at the on-site café. They prepare and serve meals to corrections staff. Upon graduation, students receive a PRIDE Enterprises certificate recognizing the 440 hours of instruction they received, a ServSafe Food Manager Certification and a Cook I Certification from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI).
The program teaches 25 students per class with the goal of opening career opportunities for inmates reentering society.
“Florida has a large hospitality and tourism industry and so does Jacksonville, which is located close to Baker Re-entry Center,” Green said. “The state requires every restaurant to have someone onsite that has the ServSafe certification, which our graduates gain upon graduation. We believe this program will only help to open doors for those who graduate the program, easing their transition into the job market upon completion of their sentences.”
The program is now being taught by a new instructor, Shakara Robinson, who called the program “a real chance for them to create a life and career for themselves.”
“We’re just proud to be a part of their journey and to help them gain the knowledge and experience they need to be successful outside of these walls,” Robinson said.
PRIDE Enterprises operates 37 work training programs across 17 state correctional facilities in Florida. It’s a self-funded enterprise with a mission to make a positive difference in Florida by providing vocational training to inmates to ensure they have access to employment once they’ve been released. Providing the skills for robust job opportunities reduces recidivism and, therefore, costs to taxpayers.
Grayson graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He worked as an executive chef in Key West and as a sous chef for the United Nations. He also previously taught culinary arts at the Virginia College, before beginning work training inmates on culinary skills, according to an obituary published in the Caledonian Record, which is based on Grayson’s home state of New Hampshire.
2 comments
PeterH
August 14, 2024 at 5:19 pm
Sounds like a terrific program. I’ll need to further investigate.
Margaret Chrisawn
August 14, 2024 at 5:53 pm
Back in the day before Jeb! privatized so much in FDC to reward his political cronies, the entire PRIDE program was truly amazing. The real standouts were the carpentry and mechanical programs; the furniture those inmates made was beautiful, and the various engines and other mechanical things I didn’t know anything about were interesting and certainly worked.
I remember when the inmates trained in the Pride Culinary program cooked for the institutions and the staff cafeteria, where lunch was $1. Best baked chicken and meringue pies on the planet.