One Small Step Led to the Beginning of Clint’s Culinary Career: A GO Cook Success Story

The Journey Towards a Culinary Career

Sometimes big professional transformations don’t begin with a job offer or a clear culinary career pathway. They also don’t always start with a degree, certifications, or by successfully completing our Go Cook Program.

In our programs, major career changes and personal transformations tend to happen behind the scenes, gradually, and incrementally. They start with lots of small victories, consistently showing up to the kitchen, and doing all the little daily things in our program that ultimately lead to big change. 

Transformations in our programs also usually begin with someone believing there is more to your story than your present circumstances or past life experiences.

In our last newsletter, we spoke about a person doing just that – AJ Sam and his organization RECS. In that newsletter, we shared how our powerful partnerships and supportive workforce ecosystem ultimately create a tribe to help our students transform personally and professionally. 

In this newsletter, we want to introduce you to Clint Vigil, one of our recent GO Cook students and a true success story in every way. And, as with all our students’, Clint’s growth and successes are the direct result of his dedication to his goals, commitment to our programs, and the strategic support provided by our ecosystem partners.

When Clint joined GO Cook, he arrived facing some challenging life circumstances, including being on probation and unclear about his future career options. However he also arrived with a sincere desire to learn and grow. He showed up in the kitchen with great enthusiasm, a mindset of discipline and determination, and an openness to learning all the culinary and soft skills that we teach in our programs. 

We watched daily as Clint jumped into every kitchen station without hesitation, poured himself into the in-class individual and team cooks, and absorbed everything he could from Chef Ami and from his peers. He honed his communication skills, asked great questions, and took accountability for his successes and challenges. 

One day in particular stands out, as we watched as Clint struggled to successfully grill his parmesan-crostini for the salad course. He got frustrated for a moment, but with humility asked for help and kept practicing; he remained determined to perfect the grill marks. Well, sure enough on week #7, during our popup restaurant, Clint came through by cooking some of the most delectable garlic-parmesan crostini we’ve ever tasted.

Even more impressive was that, as the weeks went on, Clint’s confidence grew. Big time. And, an engaging, fun, and inspiring personality emerged. He began stepping forward in big ways—not just as a culinary student, but as a teammate, a leader, and a young man discovering what was possible for his future. The highlight of this being during the Popup, when one of his teammates didn’t show up, Clint jumped into high gear and manned two stations, taking on twice the responsibility yet delivering two tasty courses for the culmination dinner. 

Watching him come out of his shell reminded all of us that growth rarely happens because of one class or one lesson. It happens because people are given the opportunity, encouragement, and support to become who they already have the potential to be. And, of course, it happens when people like AJ Sam of RECS, Chef Ami, and countless others rally around one person to provide the tribe needed for their growth and lasting successes.

Clint’s story didn’t start with us, and GO Cook was only one small step towards major personal and professional transformation for Clint. During the Popup restaurant, his probation officer was in attendance. Not only was he wowed by Clint’s food, but he was so impressed with Clint’s attitude and all his accomplishments in our Go Cook Program and with AJ’s RECS program that his probation officer went back to the judge and recommended Clint’s probation be terminated – and it was! 

Another major highlight of Clint’s time with us was that his entire family was able to watch him graduate. His parents came from out of state, along with his 4 younger siblings, to watch him be presented with his graduation certificate and share his story with all in attendance. Watching his mother and father glowing as they celebrated their son’s success served as a wonderful reminder of the power of the work we do and the true impact that happens when we come together in partnership. 

Soon after our Go Cook graduation ceremony, we received a call that Clint had been offered a full-time line cook position with Delaware North, one of our employer partners and a national hospitality group that provides employees with great benefits, major growth opportunities, and lots of flexibility in terms of what kitchens or locations they choose to work at. 

Clint was super excited about his recent career development, and rightfully so. He had gone from being justice-involved and on probation to beginning an incredible new chapter in his professional life, becoming a culinarian with a clear career pathway. Last week, Clint jumped in the car with AJ Sam and, together, they made the trip to one of Delaware North’s establishments in the Shenandoah. Clint begins his new career this week, jumping into a busy restaurant as a line cook, with lots of career opportunities to look forward to.

Over the years, we have seen many success stories like Clint. They all are special in their own way, and they all demonstrate that the work we do has a major impact on our students, their families, and in our communities. Clint’s story is a reminder that GO Cook is more than a seven-week program. It is an entry point into a network of growth opportunities, resources, and support. 

Through our partnerships with employers, workforce organizations, educators, mentors, and community agencies, students gain much more than technical culinary skills or important soft-skills development. They gain connections, confidence, certifications, career pathways, and a community that continues to invest in their success long after graduation.

If you’re a potential student wondering whether there is a place for you, a parent hoping to see your child find direction, or a teacher, counselor, mentor, or community partner looking for the next opportunity for someone you believe in, we hope you’ll see Clint’s story as more than one student’s success. 

We hope you’ll see the possibility and the potential of what each person can be, regardless of their background, life’s context, or challenges. Somewhere in your classroom, your neighborhood, your organization, or even your own family is someone whose next chapter hasn’t been written yet.

Sometimes all it takes is one first step—and a community willing to walk alongside them. If someone comes to mind while reading this, we’d love to meet them and have a chat so that we can write many more success stories like Clint’s. 

For those interested, another cohort of Go Cook Charlottesville begins in early August, and our next Richmond cohort begins in October. Interested students can start their journey here!