When You Train A
Chef You Feed A Village
The ZaZ Foundation exists to combat unemployment, malnutrition, and the lack of culinary education. These problems affect a range of members in our society, and The ZaZ Foundation will focus on youth in underserved communities, particularly juvenile youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, and other disadvantaged individuals looking to launch new careers in the culinary space.
Our Story
The accessibility of nourishing and wholesome food is something that many people take for granted. Regrettably, food insecurity is a very real and growing problem in the U.S. and Massachusetts is no exception. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) identifies food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle”. In 2020, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to over 38 million Americans, including almost 12 million children. In Massachusetts, 497,250 people are facing hunger, with approximately 1/11 of those people being children.
The ZaZ Foundation is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit corporation that addresses food insecurity/nutritional deficits through teaching youth and adults how to properly prepare their own food and obtain high nutritional value ingredients in food deserts.
Our Vision
We envision communities able to prepare nutritious meals that improve long-term health outcomes, through learned culinary skills that have universal application across different styles of cuisine.
We envision communities where disadvantaged youth & formerly incarcerated individuals have a valuable skill that leads to employment or revenue streams for them and their families. Self sufficiency starts with education, and we envision The ZaZ Foundation as the place where all the communities we will serve come for knowledge.
Accountability
The Foundation will hold itself accountable for providing the highest quality programming possible with its available resources. We will also hold all members of this program to the highest standards - both as culinary professionals and members of society.
Integrity
Our programs will teach aspiring chefs from all backgrounds the proper way to prepare dishes - without shortcuts. We will work towards putting out the best product and experience for all individuals and communities who choose to engage with the ZaZ Foundation
Consistency
You can expect consistency across all of our initiatives - which translates to updated courses on the online portal, frequent in-person cooking classes, and a regularly stocked food bank.
Impact
Our plan for impact will extend through different issues our target communities face. This includes providing job skills to members in the community, creating after school programs, and helping address food insecurity in communities that struggle to have access to high-quality food.
Sustainability
The foundation will work to ensure all of its programs & practices keep a low-carbon footprint. This will be accomplished by continuously finding ways to reduce food waste and any subsequent emissions from delivery programs or other business processes.
Competence
Our commitment to competence will be two-fold. This means all members of the ZaZ Foundation will demonstrate professional excellence in their chosen field of work - and we will demand the same of all students and participants in our programming.
