Nonprofit Spotlight

THE COOKERY SERVES UP JOB OPPORTUNITIES

BY ANNA D’AMICO

A small brick building on 12th Avenue South is serving up more than good coffee and brunch. They also serve job opportunities and a way forward for formerly homeless men in Nashville.

The Cookery, which opened in 2013, is the brainchild of Terry Kemper and Brett Swayn. Although Kemper died in 2014, those who knew her keep her memory alive at the restaurant.

The mission of The Cookery is to reestablish a sense of identity and purpose in men experiencing homelessness by housing them and training them in the culinary arts. After going through the roughly five-month training program, the men are certified and ready to find a job in a Nashville restaurant.

“The idea of The Cookery was to introduce resuscitation and hope. So what we do is we offer these guys a five month course and we take care of every need,” said Swayn, the executive director and executive chef of The Cookery.

“It’s a time of consecration. It’s a time where we put them in houses to develop community and we do Jesus: they do morning and afternoon prayer, we serve the poor on Saturdays and they just begin to feel something.”

Keeping the program faith-based is very important to Swayn, who underwent his own faith journey several years after moving from Perth, Western Australia to Austin, Texas, in his 20s.

Swayn followed a call to Nashville in 2002 with nothing but the clothes on his back and a Bible. He lived on the streets for four months before being offered a job at Fleming’s restaurant, where he climbed to the position of sous-chef and was eventually able to step away to devote his life to those in need.

“I began to see God moving amongst the poor and my fear was replaced by love,” said Swayn.

The basis of faith is easily seen throughout the décor of The Cookery.

Images of Jesus and Bible verses adorn the walls. A Giving Tree with requests from people in need greet customers inside the door. A sitting area invites guests to hang prayer requests and praises on the wall- hundreds of slips already hold words of hope from past customers.

To date, 26 men have completed The Cookery’s culinary training program. The cost adds up to roughly $5,000 per student, covering everything from the cost of living to their culinary training. The funds for training come from café revenues and donations.

Ryan Ferrari is one of the men who completed the training program. He came to The Cookery in March of 2019 expecting nothing but a cooking certification course, he said.

“Originally when I came here, someone just told me about cooking,” Ferrari said. “But this place right here was the leading point, not necessarily working in the kitchen but being able to explore your identity through Christ."

After completing his program, Ferrari chose to stay with The Cookery to share his story with and train other men who come through the door. He’s also pursuing a technical degree in restaurant and hospitality management in order to continue his career.

A wall in the dining room features several black and white portraits of program graduates. Swayn looks upon them fondly and easily recalls where each came from and where each went upon completion of the program — even those who decided kitchen life wasn’t for them.

The Cookery has stayed true to the mission set forth by Swayn and Kemper many years ago, guided by the Bible verse that started it all.

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”