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Restaurant Week 2011 to give 'YUTES' a chance

Published:Thursday | November 3, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Six members of the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) programme with Joseph M. Matalon (second left) and Susie Hanna (holding cake), owner of Susie's Bakery and Coffee Bar. The graduates recently completed a Bars-To-Go training course and were interviewed for the six positions at Susie's that the owner has agreed to fill. - contributed

The Gleaner-sponsored Restaurant Week (RW) 2011, Jamaica's foremost culinary celebration, takes on a socially conscious component this year when participants in the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) programme will be engaged as wait staff at selected restaurants in Kingston.

Thirty YUTE participants are currently undergoing intensive technical and soft-skills training through the Institute for Workforce Education and Development (IWED), a company of Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited (MMS), to ensure their readiness to provide world-class service during the November 11-19 culinary event. In addition to being trained, they will also be equipped with food handler's permits to work during the period.

Stephanie Scott, organiser of Restaurant Week, cites the importance of this strategic partnership.

"Restaurant Week has grown tremendously, providing not just affordable fine-dining options, but more so establishing Jamaica as an international must-experience food haven. As we enter our seventh year, we felt it important to leverage our past successes to make a meaningful contribution to social transformation within Jamaica. We are therefore pleased to partner with YUTE and meld our respective resources to give young people an opportunity to become even more fully empowered." They will be assigned to selected participating restaurants in Kingston and, in addition to providing service during RW itself, will also serve during any special RW-related events hosted by their assigned restaurants.