Triumphant – Local chef and wife put finishing touches on training kitchen for youth

Chef Chris Wadsworth surprised many of his fans last year when he announced his early departure from the popular downtown eatery Restaurant IPO to open a culinary training program for disadvantaged youth. The Lafayette native had been named one of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine’s 2013 Chefs to Watch and was a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef New Orleans, which premiered in October.

But Wadsworth, a youthful father of six, is intensely community-minded. For months, he and his wife Summer had been dreaming of a project that would allow them to give back and to fuse their personal interests.

“Summer is a veteran of teaching, and my experience is in cooking, so it gave us a chance to blend our passions,” says Wadsworth.

Set to open this month, Triumph Kitchen occupies the first floor of De La Ronde Hall on Third Street downtown, around the corner from Restaurant IPO. Wadsworth says he was committed to staying downtown.

“I knew I wanted to be on a bus route, and be in a place with a lot of government and business relationships,” he says. “Downtown was the perfect fit.”

The couple and their team spent several months transforming more than 5,000 square feet of former office space into a funky teaching site. A local tattoo artist and a New Orleans graffiti artist painted the walls in vibrant designs and in the logos of participating sponsors.

The front of the facility features a courtyard for outdoor dining and an herb garden planted by Slow Food Baton Rouge. Inside, there are tables for patrons and a coffee bar—Triumph Kitchen is expected to serve breakfast to the public. It also includes a large meeting room where local businesses can hold lunches catered by Triumph’s students. The rear of the facility contains the massive kitchen and spectator area where students will hone their culinary skills.

Students ages 16-22 are eligible to apply to the academy. The first class will host between 10 and 15 students, according to the Wadsworths. Chris will teach the culinary arts and restaurant management skills, and Summer will focus on life skills, including personal budgeting, interview skills and resume writing.

Chris Wadsworth’s personal story adds meaning to the project. At 15, he dropped out of high school in Lafayette, but working in a restaurant gave him purpose and direction. By the time he was 21, he had become manager of the Catfish Shack, where he had begun as a busboy at 14.

He says that while Triumph Kitchen’s instruction will be rigorous, he will adjust to the needs of students. “I want to be able to address what comes up. If it means setting down the knife or turning off the pot for a minute, then that’s what we’ll do,” he says. “I want them to know that their goals are attainable and we can help them get there.”

Training sessions last 12 weeks, with the final two weeks spent on the job in a restaurant.

“We will have prepared these kids for all aspects of the hospitality industry, including how to survive [the pressure] and how to excel,” he says.

The project’s name comes from the couple’s hope that their training will help young people triumph over challenges past and future.

Find out more at triumphkitchen.org.