Six years ago, Krystal Rivera had dreams of working in a restaurant. But, she didn’t know where to start. She was recovering from a drug addiction and trying to stay out of jail, but still felt something was missing from her life.

“I’ve loved to cook ever since I was a little girl from Puerto Rico, I grew up over there,” Rivera told Little Rock Public Radio. “My grandma would be cooking every single day, and it always intrigued me since I was seven years old.”

So when a friend told her about Food Jobs Work, a culinary training program for people in similar situations, Rivera signed up. Now, five years after graduating, she prepares for the dinner rush at Big Orange’s midtown location in Little Rock, where she works as a kitchen manager.

Nonprofit teaches culinary arts to help Arkansans overcome cycles of poverty