About Us
Our Mission
Liberty's Kitchen is a social enterprise dedicated to transforming the lives of New Orleans' youth by providing a path to self-sufficiency through food service-based training, leadership and employment programs.
The Liberty’s Kitchen Youth Development Program provides at-risk youth, ages 16-20, with the opportunity to build a better future by increasing their ability to change their situation and engage in a supportive community where they learn life, social and employability skills in a culinary setting. The intensive training program combines hands-on food-service training with classroom instruction, individual case management, education programs and job placement services and/or a return to an educational setting.
Click here to Download the Liberty's Kitchen Brochure
Our Vision
The vision of Liberty’s Kitchen is to give disadvantaged youth ages 16 – 20:
- The chance for an independent, inspired and productive life.
- A sense of purpose and confidence and the skills, tools and opportunities to thrive in gainful employment.
- Access to the resources to deal with those issues which have held them back – poverty, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, arrested educational achievement and/or participation in the justice system.
Our Board Members
- Dr. Mary Bartholomew, Director of Culinary Arts, Delgado Community College
- Mr. Thomas Beron, Attorney at Law, Liskow & Lewis; Brigadier General, Louisiana Army National Guard
- Dr. Alan Burshell, Chair of Endocrinology, Ochsner Health Center
- Ms. Wendy Good, Community Activist
- The Honorable Calvin Johnson, Chief Justice, Orleans Parish Criminal Court (Ret.)
- Mr. Matthew G. Schwartz, Principal, Domain Companies
- Mr. Bert Wilson, Division President, Barriere Construction Company
Our Advisory Board
- Mr. David Davas, Vice-President, McMoRan Oil & Gas, LLC
- Ms. Jennifer Fortier, Senior Vice President, Eustis Mortgage Company
- Ms. Loyce Pierce Wright, Executive Director of the Governor's Office - Louisiana Commission on Human Rights
Our Staff
- Janet Davas, Executive Director
Ms. Davas brings almost thirty years experience in the energy sector where she gained exceptional organizational and communication skills and business acumen. After returning to New Orleans post Katrina with her husband David and daughter Elizabeth, she served as Director of Development and was then named Interim Chief Executive Officer of Café Reconcile, a food service based mission located in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans. - Reggie Davis, Executive Chef/ Head Culinary Trainer
Chef Davis has been at the helm as Executive Chef of several New Orleans’ restaurants as well as the Elmwood Medical Center. He gained valuable experience working with at-risk youth when he became Head Chef Trainer in charge of the culinary arts training program at the New Orleans Job One Training Institute where he served for over seven years. - Megan Faunce, Youth Development Director
Ms. Faunce has dedicated her career to helping young people and worked many years as an advocate for young offenders through her employment at the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana. Megan left JJPL to help found Juvenile Regional Services which provides public defense for juveniles in Orleans Parish. Megan served as the Director of Programs and Administration at JRS. - Omar Buckner, Transitions Coach/ Life Skills Trainer
Mr. Buckner is a graduate of Xavier University where he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award. His career in community organizing and program development and his affiliation with Dooky Chase's Restaurant brings yet another level of expertise to our organization and our students. - Hardie McDonald, Sous Chef/ Lead Culinary Trainer
Chef McDonald has many years’ experience working as a culinary professional. Hardie has worked with youth in a number of environments in the past and brings a fresh perspective to the project. - Keisha Picou, Barista Manager/ Barista Trainer
Keisha Picou is a 4th generation New Orleanian from the 7th ward in Mid-city. She has a passion for human service and comes with 10 years of experience from the hospitality industry-most recently from Emeril's Delmonico Restaurant & Bar. Keisha hopes to translate the education she received from being a member of a dynamic organization such as Emeril's into a mentorship that will guide our youth into gainful employment. - Chris Brooks, Office Manager
Originally from Charlottesville, VA, Chris moved to New Orleans the summer after Hurricane Katrina. He spent a year on staff with the Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnership, before managing operations at a local non-profit primary school. Christopher also brings with him years of high-volume industrial kitchen experience, which rounds him out as a great addition to our team!
Kitchens With Mission
Critical to its organizational plan, Liberty’s Kitchen is an affiliate of Kitchens With Mission, a Seattle-based non-profit working to build and sustain communities rooted in social enterprise and food service-based training. Liberty’s Kitchen remains an independent agency implementing our own innovative programs but benefits from Kitchens With Mission’s ongoing oversight and accreditation, shared resources and benefits including sponsorships (such as Starbucks), services, equipment and products.