Second Chance Kitchen: Hospitality Training & Mentorship for Justice-Involved Young People

“You’ll learn new skills. Not only about cooking but for everything.”

— Second Chance Kitchen Graduate, Cobham Youth Justice Centre

Second Chance Kitchen is a cooking initiative that runs out of NSW Youth Justice Centres, providing hands-on hospitality training and mentorship to justice-involved young people. Launched in 2023 by chef Mitch Orr and Plate It Forward’s founder and CEO Shaun Christie-David, the initiative continues the work of the Plate It Forward movement by turning to food and hospitality as a way to offer opportunity, dignity, and community to incarcerated young people. Currently, Second Hand Kitchen delivers six-week cooking and hospitality courses to young people in juvenile detention centres, building skills, confidence, and work readiness through hands-on experiences with guest chefs and other mentors. In this session of Bridges Inside, Shaun and Alexandre Henrique Vieira Reis, a graduate of the Second Chance Kitchen program, will discuss the vision and impact of Second Chance Kitchen, and give insight into what it means to offer a space at the table for those inside the justice system.

About the guests

Shaun Christie David is a social entrepreneur and radical restaurateur, creating change through food. He is the Founder and CEO of one of Australia's leading social enterprise hospitality groups, Plate It Forward, using restaurants, catering and events as a platform to create employment, strengthen communities and celebrate culture. Today, Plate It Forward is a multi-venue hospitality group that has created 300+ meaningful jobs for people facing barriers to work while providing more than 14,000 free meals each week to communities experiencing food insecurity across Australia and Sri Lanka. An advocate for underrepresented communities, Shaun speaks nationally on the power of business to create meaningful change, leadership, diversity and inclusion. At the heart of his work is a simple belief: every plate tells a story, and when people are given the opportunity to share theirs, lives can change.

Alexandre Henrique Vieira Reis is a youth advocate, public speaker, and aspiring social entrepreneur committed to creating opportunities for young people who have experienced adversity. His work is informed by lived experience, a belief in the power of second chances, and a determination to ensure that no young person's future is defined by their past. Alex has spoken at multiple panels, forums, and the Parliament of New South Wales, sharing his perspective on rehabilitation, opportunity and systemic change.

Readings

'"I see them for who they are": Why some of our best chefs are teaching young inmates how to cook' by Myffy Rigby (click here to read).

'Off-menu: Shaun Christie-David' from Australian Story (click here to watch).

Contact the host of Bridges Inside: Sharing Space (October)