Prepping for the Future
How the PX Project and Houston chefs are teaming up to give a new generation of cooks the skills to succeed
Illustration: Rachel Krohn
No matter a restaurant’s size, style, or cuisine, chefs and owners are always searching for talented, motivated cooks. In Houston, the PX Project, a culinary-focused non-profit, has captured the attention of some of the city’s most prominent chefs, who’ve helped it raise money and provide professional opportunities for those who complete the program.
The PX Project pairs young adults with local restaurants to teach them valuable skills they can use inside and outside the kitchen. During an 18-week fellowship, PX Project fellows are paid for their work and given the space to develop their confidence, learn how to cook, and market their skill set. The program spans the socioeconomic spectrum, working to improve the lives of at-risk youth, immigrants, and those experiencing homelessness. Since the non-profit’s founding in 2019, 94 percent of participants have continued their education or started a new job. Whether fellows stay in the hospitality industry or not, the goal is for them to be equipped with tools to succeed in the future.
Credit Chef Adam Garcia, PX Project’s former culinary director, for helping the organization make inroads into Houston’s hospitality community. Although he recently left the organization to pursue other projects, Garcia’s extensive network of relationships gave the organization credibility and opportunity.
“For PX Project to have Adam attached, the relationship becomes chef to chef,” explains Chef Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó. ”You have somebody who understands the industry and how hard it is to run a restaurant.”
Seth Siegel-Gardner, culinary director for Houston’s Local Foods Group, credits Garcia for a PX Project fundraiser that revived Houston’s legendary Just August Project pop-up, where Siegel-Gardner, Chef Terrence Gallivan, and Chef Justin Yu introduced themselves to Houston diners with a month-long run of tasting menus that set the stage for their future success at The Pass & Provisions and Oxheart, respectively.
“A lot of people at that dinner have supported us for years and were at the original Just August Project,” he says. “They took a chance on us, and they need to take a chance on these kids. This is the future of who’s going to be cooking in Houston. They need our support so they can continue to grow.”
As the child of an immigrant, Underground Creamery owner Josh De Leon sees a lot of himself in the PX Project participants. Helping them learn and grow is just another way the community-minded ice cream maker pays his success forward.
“It’s up to us in the community to step up and do this kind of work,” De Leon says. “For myself, I’m in a very privileged position. I think I’ve been lucky to have the community backing me and my business. This is a great way for me to step up and give back. I do see a lot of myself in these cohorts. I just want them to be successful.”
Although only about 40 percent of PX Project graduates go on to pursue careers in the hospitality industry—one recent grad shared that he’s majoring in mathematics at Rice University—restaurants that do decide to bring a student on full-time need to have a plan for helping them achieve success in the demanding world of a professional kitchen. Chef Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn Hospitality Group draws upon his experiences working with New York’s C-CAP non-profit to create goals and a path of advancement for cohort graduates.
“You have to have a game plan for them. You need to know where to put them and where they’ll start,” Bludorn says. “At Bludorn, it will be garde manger or prep. A manager or a sous chef has to be responsible for overseeing them.”
During the fellowship, honest feedback and clear direction are key, Bludorn adds. “There needs to be a sit-down with each student to make goals that can be measured. Be very clear with the expectations of what it means to work here and what happens if you don’t live up to the expectations.”
Chavez encourages chefs to show students kindness. “It takes a lot of heart to welcome someone with those backgrounds and experiences,” Chavez says. “Ask them questions. Ask them how they got here. Take the opportunity to hear the hardships of people outside your team.”
Integrating a PX Project participant into a professional kitchen is not without its challenges, but they can be overcome with a participant’s willingness to learn. Pastry Chef Julia Doran, co-owner of Houston’s Tiny Champions, worked with a couple of students who wanted to learn more about pastry and pizza.
“I could tell that while PX taught them some great foundations and basics, they were still wet behind the ears in terms of working in a professional kitchen—how to multitask, problem solve on the fly, hold yourself accountable, work clean, move faster—those are all things that we learn on the job, and I was happy to provide them with the environment and gentle nurturing to grow,” Doran says.
“They required a decent amount of my time and energy in the beginning of the week to get up to speed, but by the end they were moving and grooving and ‘net useful.’ I overall found the experience rewarding and totally worth it”
If a student’s time in a professional kitchen goes well, it opens the door to further advancement. “With PX, you have that chef working towards building skill sets and careers. That’s the highest rate of success,” Bludorn says. “It’s what makes our industry so great. It’s a meritocracy. You can get your start by washing dishes and working hard. Then you can become a prep cook. If you come in early and bust your butt, you’ll be on the line. Good chefs will be able to recognize talent and work on promoting from within.”
