Before he found an apprenticeship in the food service industry, Vikram Durci tried on many hats: working at a local grocery store, at a factory, in construction, as a dietary aide, and for a waste hauling company. None of those hats fit very well. Vik has a cognitive disability that makes communication difficult. “I had a hard time saying the right thing. People would get upset with me, and I didn’t always know why. Conflict resolution was, and still is, tough,” he says. “There would be people around me in the lunchroom, but nobody would really talk to me. I felt like an outcast through most of my life.”
Life is different for Vik now that he’s working with Torch 180, a restaurant and cafe in Fowlerville, Michigan, that trains and employs people with disabilities in the food service industry using a Registered Apprenticeship model. Coursework combined with careful guidance of a mentor has helped Vik learn the food and safety skills he needs to excel as a lead kitchen worker. Perhaps as important, he’s also learned critical communication skills. Or, as he puts it, he’s learned “to be more open to people . . . not to be so judgmental . . . to let things slide . . . to just keep trying. It has made me realize everything is not set in stone. It’s not always black and white.” These are skills, he says, that are helping him in all areas of his life.
Torch 180 founder and President Rhonda Callahan experienced homelessness and poverty, an experience that galvanized her to find a way to assist others that was not intrusive or judgmental. She and her co-founder “. . . landed on the idea of serving food because it is a necessity and binds people. We knew it would be a way to bring togetherness to difficult situations that people around our community face.”
For anyone considering an apprenticeship, Vik gives it two enthusiastic thumbs up. “Apprenticeship is not for the faint of heart, but once you get through it, it is a huge accomplishment. Keep chugging along and you will get there. You keep accomplishing little things and eventually, you will get to the big thing.” Vik’s big thing was to be a cook. And thanks to the skills, training, experience, and support he’s gained under the apprenticeship, Vik was recently promoted to cook!
Sources/related media:
- https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=822674306295360
- Rhonda Callahan: Living on both sides of homelessness
- New apprenticeship program leads to life-changing career opportunities for adults with disabilities
Publish Date: 06/27/2024