Empowering Abilities – James’ New Job!

James’ passion for cooking blossomed when his family relocated from Florida to Georgia, and he started attending the Virtual GiGi’s Kitchen Adult program. In Virtual GiGi’s Kitchen, James learned kitchen safety and food preparation skills while increasing his self-confidence and social skills with his peers.

Reflecting on his experiences with GiGi’s Kitchen, James shared, “I want to cook. I love GiGi’s Kitchen because I get all the things we need and then we eat the yummy things we cook.”

James’ dad shared, “GiGi’s Kitchen Adult helped prepare James for more independence. James read the recipes, ingredients, and directions in the weekly menus, and then went shopping for the ingredients. Knowing how to grocery shop and cook is an important life skill.”

Recently, James began his job as a food runner at Sliceability, a local pizzeria in Georgia. The restaurant embraces diversity and creates employment opportunities for individuals of all abilities. Their mission emphasizes the importance of recognizing abilities, employability, and uniqueness. James was featured in a news story and expressed his joy, “I love this job, I just love it.”

GiGi’s Kitchen helped prepare him for his new job. James’ dad shared, “GiGi’s Kitchen made him more conscious of washing hands, using clean utensils, and cleaning up the counters and pans after preparing food. His current job as a food runner requires close attention to washing hands and wearing gloves when preparing and handling food items.”

James’ journey highlights the amazing potential of our participants when provided with opportunities to explore their passions, learn new skills, gain self-confidence, and contribute to our communities.

Please help us congratulate James on achieving a new Best of All!

We invite you to learn more about the Virtual Playhouse and to register for our virtual summer programs that are empowering abilities and are available to all (regardless of where you live). See you soon!