Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment has hosted several guest seminars featuring professionals from across the culinary industry. These sessions give students at the Center an opportunity to expand their knowledge, strengthen their skills, and explore a range of possible career paths as they seek new employment in the culinary and hospitality fields.

Entrepreneur and photographer Brendan Miller taught a Food Photography seminar at the Center, speaking with students and graduates about culinary storytelling and building a creative career in the culinary field. During the session, he drew connections between food, photography, nutrition, sports, and other fields. Students also paired up for a storytelling exercise—interviewing one another and presenting their partner’s story to the group—to practice sharing narratives in a creative and engaging way.

The seminar offered students a chance to see how the hands-on skills they are developing in the program can translate into many different creative pathways.

Brendan later returned to the Center for a second seminar, diving deeper into composition, lighting, and creative styling. He explored how small choices in angle, color, and setup can completely transform a dish. Students then practiced hands-on with props and received real-time feedback.

In a separate session at Allie’s Place, the Center welcomed customer service expert and leadership coach Kate Edwards for a Customer Service seminar. Kate, a New York City-based hospitality consultant with more than 30 years of industry experience, is the president of Together Hospitality—a member-based trade organization for hospitality professionals—and founder of Kate Edwards & Company, a consultancy that provides training and leadership coaching for restaurants, hotels, and entrepreneurs.

During her seminar, Kate delivered her “Make an Impact” presentation, which focused on the importance of customer service in the culinary field. She introduced students to the three pillars of service—greetings, trust, and communication—and discussed how Front of House and Back of House teams work together to create memorable guest experiences. The session included time for questions, giving students the chance to engage directly and learn more about getting started in the hospitality industry.

A big thank you to both Kate and Brendan for sharing their expertise and showing students how their culinary training can open doors to career pathways inside and beyond the kitchen.

If you are interested in speaking opportunities at Allie’s Place or supporting the Center for Culinary Education & Employment, click here or email Culinary@HFHnyc.org.

As winter temperatures continue, we are incredibly thankful for the donors and community partners who have helped ensure families are prepared for the season. Thanks to this generosity, parents and children across our family residences have received warm coats, jackets, and winter essentials to stay comfortable through the cold months.

Allie’s Place Family Residence recently hosted a winter clothing giveaway where families were invited to browse warm winter gear, including jackets and cold-weather accessories. This event was made possible through generous donations from Marken, helping families stock up on essentials and stay warm throughout the season.

Families at Clinton Family Residence also benefited from a recent coat drive hosted by our neighbors at OneCo HK. Their support created a welcoming coat closet experience for parents and kids, filled with winter coats of all sizes that families could browse, try on, and choose from—making sure everyone found something that fit just right. OneCo HK has supported families at Clinton since before the site opened and continues to show up in ways that help families feel welcomed in the community.

We were also honored to be included in a Three Kings Day celebration hosted by Agüeybaná Lodge No. 1198 at White Plains Lodge 473. Partnerships Manager Tierra Gunther and Deputy Executive Director Gretchen Hernandez attended the event, which included cultural festivities, a delicious home-cooked meal, and community members raising funds and collecting coat donations for families at HFH. We are grateful to have been included in this celebration and thankful for the generosity and support of the Agüeybaná Lodge community.

This holiday season, HFH Family Residences marked the holidays with gatherings that brought families together across our programs. From festive parties to cozy traditions, these celebrations would not have been possible without the generosity and support of our donors and partners.  

Thanks to our amazing partners, every child in our shelters received a holiday gift this season—from toys and board games to coats, baby essentials, hygiene kits, spa bags, hot cocoa kits, gift cards, and more. We are very grateful to ADP NYC, Alston & Bird, Area 53, Citibank, Community District 8, Ferox Ninja Park, Girl Scouts Staten Island, Good+ Foundation, Grace Church School, Hollis Lions Club, JFK Terminal 7, Knock Knock Give A Sock, K&L Gates, Lufthansa's help alliance Americas, Merl Grove High School Past Students' Association, MLB Store NYC, Nasya Batian/Cambria School of Excellence, New York Cares, Off Broadway Theater, Old Navy, Projects with Care, Rap4Bronx, Rockaplay Social Club, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Stifel Financial, Stogie on the Rocks, The New York Times, Trade Coffee Co., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Phi Zeta Zeta Chapter for helping ensure families had what they needed while kids experienced the joy of opening a gift. 

Allie's Place was filled with holiday cheer thanks to a toy drive and festive celebration hosted by Community District 8, complete with sweet treats and family photos by the tree. Rap4Bronx returned with their annual holiday party—featuring snowman figurine decorating, a catered lunch, Polaroid keepsakes, and surprise gifts—while Chef Jayda and the Culinary Team rounded out the celebrations with a hands-on holiday cookie decorating event and Afterschool hosted a festive dinner and New Year photoshoot for the kids. 

The MLB NYC Flagship Store's holiday squad—reindeer, elves, and Santa included—stopped by Clinton to deliver gifts, take family photos, and spread cheer, knocking the holidays out of the park. 

Prospect welcomed a mischievous Grinch for a holiday photo celebration with Santa and his elf, complete with cocoa, cookies, and printed keepsakes for families. Afterschool programming carried the fun through the season with Grinch bingo, ornament decorating, and a cozy movie night. 

Saratoga Afterschool transformed into a charming German Christmas Market thanks to Lufthansa's Help Alliance Americas, where kids enjoyed fresh waffles, cookie decorating, games, and Polaroid photos before Santa closed out the celebration with gifts. 

Saratoga Early Ed became a winter wonderland as families gathered for an afternoon of holiday art-making, hot cocoa, and gooey s'mores alongside their little ones. 

Williamsbridge families kicked off Christmas Eve with a cozy PJs & Pancakes celebration, followed by photos with Santa, December birthday recognition, and a holiday movie marathon hosted by the Rec Team. 

HFH Family Residences marked the Halloween season with costumes, crafts, and community.

Allie’s Place kept the holiday energy going all month long. In Afterschool, students painted pumpkins—thanks to a donation from Old Navy—and decorated them with silly and spooky designs. They also ventured to the NY Botanical Garden with NYPD Community Affairs for The Nightmare Before Christmas light show, soaking in a dazzling spin on a seasonal classic.

The building hosted Halloween movie nights for the whole family, featuring Hocus Pocus, Coco, and The Addams Family, all crowd favorites. The fun continued with an Afterschool Halloween party full of dancing and musical chairs, with costumes on full display. Festivities wrapped with a final Costume Party where staff and families arrived decked out in Halloween flair—complete with music, treats, and creativity galore.

Prospect Afterschool transformed Halloween into a delicious science experiment. Students created their own Jack-o’-lantern soda floats, starting by tracing faces on clear cups, frosting the rims, dipping them in Halloween sprinkles, and pouring in orange soda. A scoop of vanilla ice cream set off a fizzy reaction as carbon dioxide escaped the soda, forming bubbles and foam. The activity delivered a hands-on lesson in chemistry—and a tasty experiment worthy of a treat.

Saratoga Early Ed took part in a lively pumpkin exploration—offering a sensory learning experience where little ones observed pumpkins up close. Through feeling the textures and examining the seeds, they practiced fine motor skills and scientific curiosity. Kiddos also trick-or-treated throughout the building, stopping by Family Services, Safety, Admin, and Afterschool departments to show off their costumes and collect candy.

Williamsbridge brought together multiple celebrations in one fun-filled afternoon—they hosted a combined Halloween party, October birthdays celebration, and magic show. Families arrived in costume and enjoyed hands-on activities like pumpkin painting, shared cake, and gathered for a thrilling magic performance.

Clinton Family Residence hosted a Halloween hangout where families donned their best costumes, kids received ghoulish goodie bags, and families had a chance to connect over music and treats.

“Knowing that I’m making a difference in someone’s life—even in a small way—is what keeps me motivated,” said Jayda Gabriel, Chef at Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment, where she leads the Pastry Arts course. “I want my students to leave here confident in their skills.”

Jayda’s introduction into the culinary world was inspired by her grandmother, who took baking classes at a local Michael’s: Arts & Crafts store.

“Every weekend, she’d have a whole new cake,” said Jayda. “Growing up I had all the pans, the tips, the books. I realized I was good at baking too! I was always creative, but having those resources at my fingertips gave me an advantage.”

By high school, Jayda was the go-to baker among her friends. She made cupcakes for birthdays and eventually people started paying her for the ingredients and her creations.

“That’s how it kind of started off,” said Jayda. “Every weekend I wanted to learn something new. I’d do research, make it, and share it with my family.”

That drive led her to pursue culinary training at Sullivan County Community College, after which she quickly entered the professional pastry world, working as a pastry cook at Marta—a fine dining Romanian-Italian restaurant in Manhattan—and later at Maison Kayser—a French artisanal bakery chain.

“I was still a newbie [at Maison Kayser], but I was teaching people with little to no culinary background how to produce massive quantities,” she said. “I realized I knew how to teach, which was a skill I hadn’t recognized in myself before.”

In April 2022, Jayda joined HFH as a Culinary Assistant, supporting the Culinary Essentials course. Her pastry background was quickly noticed, and she developed and launched the Pastry Arts course, earning a promotion to Chef. Today, she continues to teach Pastry Arts and additional workshops in pastry and barista training, now part of the Hospitality program.

“What attracted me to HFH is that I like to help people,” said Jayda. “Helping people experiencing homelessness and those in the surrounding community, teaching them a craft so they can make something more of their lives and get themselves established—that was a big factor for me.”

Jayda credits much of her drive to the encouragement she received at home.

“My mom always supported what I wanted to do, and she never questioned it,” she said. “She wanted me to be happy with whatever I ended up doing. She always said, ‘If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.’”

That foundation of support continues to guide how Jayda shows up for her students, and it’s something her coworkers have seen shape her development as an instructor.

“I have seen so much growth from her from when she first came to HFH to now,” said Julissa Lantigua, Administrator at Allie’s Place Family Residence. “She shows so much confidence in the work she does. The students are engaged in her classes because she shows that motivation to want to teach them.”

“She is very intentional about what she teaches and how she teaches,” said Derrick Holman, Program Outreach Specialist at Allie’s Place Family Residence. “It really gives the program a vision. And the students can see that she really knows what she is doing.”

Director of Culinary Education Gregorio Pedroza, who has worked alongside Jayda for the past two years, emphasized her patience and artistry.

“What makes Chef Jayda an absolutely great instructor is that she is also just a great person,” he said. “I see her handle the ebbs and flows of her classes with such grace, skill, and humor. She is always retooling the curriculum to meet the needs of the students and the season. And when you see her plating food, it’s where her artistic eye really shines—everything is executed beautifully and tastes great.”

For Jayda, the heart of her teaching is meeting students where they are.

“Once I assess a person, I can figure out what they need,” she said. “I can have a class full of students, but I’m teaching them individually because everyone absorbs information differently.”

Her students echo this sentiment, noting the opportunity to collaborate with one another and the focus on problem solving in her classes.

“This class was excellent. I started this class without any previous experience, but Chef Jayda made it very easy to understand,” one graduate of the program said. “Her organizational skills are exceptional and the way she breaks down the recipes helped me understand the baking process.”

Jayda’s individualized approach pays off in ways that motivate her most.

“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing students’ confidence grow in the kitchen, especially when they come in not knowing anything,” said Jayda. “When I see them teaching newer students what I taught them, that’s when I know they’re retaining the information. They’ve become a resource for someone else—that makes me feel good.”

Beyond her teaching and leadership, Jayda strives to be a role model for future generations.

“When the kids from Afterschool programming come downstairs and see me in the kitchen, they’re waving and trying to look through the glass at what I’m making,” she said. “These kids look like me. I think that’s really cool because growing up, I never saw a Black female chef. Representation is so important—you never know how you can affect someone’s future.”

Outside of the classroom, Jayda’s creativity finds other outlets. She sews, experiments with ingredients (her current obsession: champagne mangoes), and takes solo trips inspired by food, like a recent barbecue-inspired visit to Tennessee. She also enjoys fishing, a hobby since childhood.

Angelica Vega first arrived at Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment after seeing an advertisement for the Center displayed on a city bus. She had years of experience managing fast food restaurants—including McDonald’s, Checkers, and several mall-based eateries—but she knew she wanted something more hands-on in the culinary world.

“I actually sent [the ad] to my brother because he is a Pastry Chef, but then I thought ‘I will try it and see,’” Angelica said.

Angelica began taking classes in early 2024 and quickly stood out to the Culinary Team for her curiosity, attention to detail, and strong leadership. With encouragement from Chef Jayda Gabriel, she became an intern in March 2025.

“She has an eye for detail, and she follows direction really well,” said Jayda. “She asks a lot of questions, is very helpful, and kind.”

As an intern, Angelica helps stock the kitchen, organize supplies, and “meez” out recipes—kitchen slang for mise en place, which refers to prepping ingredients and tools before cooking begins. She also supports students during class, stepping in to assist or correct when needed.

“If the students are hesitant about asking me something, they will ask her,” said Jayda. “She is a good mentor and critical thinker. I don’t have to worry about her—she is independent, and she has a lot of confidence in what she is doing.”

Angelica’s interest in cooking began at home, rooted in a desire to cook healthier meals for her son.

“I think having a kid got me into culinary. Wanting my son to eat healthier, and having the best options for him, made me want to explore cooking, and that’s what kind of opened the door. I love cooking in general—it brings me joy,” she said.

While Angelica originally enrolled to gain knowledge and experience, the internship is helping her move toward her long-term goal.

“My cooking has definitely developed in the past year. Cooking at home has been a lot easier … I know the tricks and techniques to make it much more efficient. I learn a lot here, and I like the way they teach. They make it fun and interesting,” she said. “I want to have my own business, so I was hoping that I could find what I really want to do here—my passion, my niche.”

She has also brought what she has learned back home to her three-year-old son so they can spend time together cooking building family traditions.

“My son is learning with me. He loves watching me cook,” she said. “Now my son looks forward to making breakfast with me every morning. It’s a tradition now.”

As a student, Angelica enjoyed classes on Asian cuisine—Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, but Pastry quickly became a favorite.

“I really just love everything about it. It is very tedious, but I seem to get it when it comes to Pastry,” she said.

Chef Jayda, who sees a lot of herself in Angelica, has been especially impressed by her growth.

“At this rate, I see her going far. With the type of skill and craft she has learned here, coupled with her managerial brain, I think that will take her far.”

“I just really love this place. They are so welcoming,” said Angelica. “I am so happy every day I come here [for] my internship. It makes my day.”

At HFH Family Residences, Mother’s Day was marked with shared meals, thoughtful gifts, and opportunities for connection. Each site celebrated in its own way, bringing together staff, families, and community partners to recognize and appreciate all of the wonderful mothers.

Clinton hosted a lively afternoon with a catered lunch and interactive games like musical chairs and the balloon stomp challenge. Organized by the Family Services team, the event created a fun, festive atmosphere where staff and residents could connect in a relaxed setting. Toiletries and beauty care items were also distributed to mothers as thoughtful gifts.

Allie’s Place held a Mother’s Day Luncheon with the Culinary Team preparing a delicious meal enjoyed by over 120 residents and staff, with support from the Afterschool, Admin, and Programs teams. Each mother received a self-care-themed gift bag assembled by the Afterschool team, along with “spa jars” donated by Old Navy. NYPD Community Affairs officers and Old Navy volunteers joined in to mingle and help make the day extra special.

Williamsbridge Family Residence welcomed back Trinity Baptist Church for their second annual Mother’s Day visit. The church provided a soul food meal—fried chicken, collard greens, string beans, candied yams, and macaroni and cheese—catered by Bed-Stuy Fish Fry, and donated beauty and hygiene items that staff packaged into gift totes for the moms. Residents had the chance to relax, enjoy their meals, and spend time catching up with one another while the women of the church offered kind words and support. Throughout the event, clients shared how happy and special the church and HFH staff made them feel. “No matter where you are in life, in situations or circumstance, know that people love you,” said Phyllis Wallace of Trinity Baptist Church—a message that resonated and left many feeling seen and celebrated.

HFH recently held its first Legacy Luncheon—a celebration honoring staff members who have dedicated more than 20 years of service to the organization. The event brought together longtime team members from across HFH’s family residences and programs to recognize their contributions and reflect on the impact they’ve made over the decades.

Graduates of the Culinary Education & Employment program at Allie’s Place Family Residence played a central role in the celebration, preparing and serving a delicious meal as part of their hands-on training. Guided by the Culinary Team, the graduates practiced both front and back of house operations, turning the luncheon into a showcase of their developing skills.

Among those recognized were two staff members stepping into retirement: Desiree Sanabria, Payroll Manager at our Central Office, and Eric Smith, Director of Building Operations at Prospect Family Residence. Eric is retiring after an extraordinary 38 years of service—the longest tenure in HFH history.

We are grateful to all our longstanding team members for shaping the legacy of HFH with their dedication and service.