Young adults age 18-24, living in the city of Chicago who want to work in a culinary or food service career. No prior training or degree is necessary. Young adults with backgrounds can apply and will be considered. 

The next cohort will begin on August 18, 2025 and run through November 17, 2025. Each session is 12-week in total: 8-weeks of training followed by a 4-week paid internship. 

The training will be held in the Impact Culinary kitchen at The Hatchery, located at 135 N. Kedzie Avenue.
Class will be Monday through Thursday, 9am to 4pm. Attendance is mandatory.
Internships will take place in restaurants around the Chicagoland area, hors will vary.

This program will help prepare you for an entry-level job at a restaurant to start your career, such as prep cook or kitchen assistant.

This includes: food handling and sanitation, job readiness skills, resume writing, food preparation, equipment identification, knife skills, recipe development, product identification, and cooking methods.

There is no cost for the training, as the tuition is paid for by our donors.

ICNC has a successful job placement program and will assist in finding you employment after you pass the training and complete your internship. While we do not guarantee jobs, many of our employers will grant graduates the opportunity to interview for positions they qualify for.

Prep cook, line cook, or other food and beverage positions.

Click any of the 'Apply Now' buttons to fill out an application for the next cohort. Contact Lorraine at lorraine@thehatcherychicago.org with any questions that are not answered in our FAQs. 

Applicants who meet the minimum requirements will need to schedule an interview. Next steps will be shared with you via email.