Good Work Austin

Last Wednesday at our Rising Chef Showcase, we watched our culinary trainees receive their certificates after nine weeks of hard work and growth. The room was filled with the people who want to see them succeed, and you could feel it with every joyful tear shed.

We were honored to have Stacy Armijo of Amplify Credit Union, Perla Cavazos of Central Health, and Amanda Rohlich from the City of Austin share words of encouragement with our cohort. Their support reminded our graduates that the work they are doing matters far beyond this program.

The Menu? Our trainees designed, cooked, and served every single dish on that afternoon. Every bite was a reflection of the skills, creativity, and heart they poured into these nine weeks.

None of this happens without a village, and we are so grateful to ours. A huge thank you to Central Health, Texas Mutual Insurance, Amplify Credit Union, Sooch Foundation, Impact Austin, Austin Community Foundation, GFiber, H-E-B, and HeyHire for your continued investment in our trainees and in Austin's food workforce.

To our newest cohort of graduates and the future of the culinary workforce, we are so proud of you. Go show Austin what you've got. 🎓👨‍🍳

As we wrap up our spring training cohort this week, we’re grateful to HeyHire for sponsoring Career Day for our Culinary Workforce Training Program.

HeyHire cares about hospitality workers landing roles that pay a living wage, and it shows in everything they do.

From building a platform that's easy to use, to sharing real, practical tips on how our trainees can stand out from other applicants. They show up in a way that will make a difference in the trajectory of the lives they touch.

And for our GWA member restaurants, HeyHire offers a discount to help find the right candidate for open roles. That's a win all around.

We're so grateful for this partnership and can't wait to see our graduates put it to work!

For more about HeyHire visit https://heyhire.com/

Good Work Austin's Culinary Workforce Training program is about more than building kitchen skills-it’s about creating pathways to employment and connecting our trainees directly with local restaurants.

Our trainees took part in Career Day, where they met with 10+ local employers—owners, GMs, and HR leaders—who showed up ready to connect! It was a chance for our trainees to share their experience, goals, and passion, and for businesses to meet some incredibly talented, dedicated folks.

Huge thank you to the restaurants and partners who joined us:
Bambino, L’Oca d’Oro, Firewild, Gati, Thai Fresh, ThoroughFare, Mexta, Three Chicks Soulfood, Rosen’s Bagels, Epoch Coffee, and New Waterloo Hospitality.