William Downs:

“I would like to take a minute and express my delight at having another one of your students on my payroll”. “He sets a higher standard and raises the bar daily not only for himself, but also for those who work with him” “He is extremely friendly with our staff, patients and families….he is an excellent cook and has done an outstanding job with our breakfast buffet and salad bar” “He is always pleasant, bends over backwards to make all who come for breakfast happy and not only that but he goes out of his way to try to get more patients, family members and staff to come into the dining room and eat”. These words were written by the supervisors and co-workers of Mr. William Downs, graduate of Class #18 and breakfast cook at the Nob Hill Healthcare Center in San Francisco for 1 year.

William is one of HAFP’s “success stories” and he certainly deserves every compliment he receives. He has kept in constant contact with the HAFP staff since his graduation in September 2003 and has flourished in his position at the convalescent home. I went to go visit him during his morning shift a couple months ago and was overwhelmed by the love the staff and clients had for William. Co-workers came up to me and said, “This guy is so great! He makes my day every morning when I come down for breakfast” while William stood proudly behind the counter where he serves up the breakfast fixings.

Although cooking was “in his blood” because his father was a cook at Ross General Hospital in Marin and his mom was constantly making delicious soul food at home, it took many years to channel that passion for food into a positive direction. William worked in kitchens at various restaurants and convalescent homes but his home life was distracting him from his culinary goals. His family was supportive and loving, but one by one, his close family members became ill and passed away in the last 20 years of his life. William attributes these sad deaths in his life to the beginning of long crack and alcohol addiction. During these years of addiction William found himself unemployed, in and out of jail and depressed--“the whole nine yards”. And then on November 1, 2002, the “best thing that ever happened to [him] happened”—he tested positive at a routine drug test with his parole officer and was court ordered to spend 6 months at a drug treatment facility.

At St. Anthony Foundation, William learned to let go of his fear and anger, feel his sadness in a healthy way and set life goals. One of those life goals? To get back into the food industry. Since many other clients of St. Anthony’s had participated in HAFP’s food service job training project, William heard about our program through positive word of mouth. The day he came in for an interview, he was so excited to start the class and begin the process of slowly becoming self-sufficient. During the 12 weeks I spent with William I realized I was being graced with a truly genuine, honest and loving person. He deserved the 2nd chance that HAFP offered him and embraced the challenge to change his life.

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I’ll never forget what he said in front of all the guests at his graduation from HAFP, “Hello, my name is William. I am a grateful recovering addict. And today, I am happy to say, I am a chef!!” The room burst into applause.

Which brings me back to the day that I visited William at Nob Hill Healthcare Center—it seemed as if his co-workers, supervisors and clients were all applauding him for not only meeting and exceeding the duties of the job, but for being the great person that he is. The HAFP family wants to join in on the applause and congratulate William for exceeding his goals and succeeding in life!

Jeremy Hunter:

Jeremy Hunter is a survivor. His path to the Haight Ashbury Food Program and, subsequently, into the Food Service Industry has been a journey through self- destructive behavior, drug addiction, and, ultimately, redemption. At nineteen years of age, Jeremy was one of the youngest graduates ever from the Food Service Job Training Project. He exhibited an exceptional work ethic, as well as a strong interest in developing a long-term career in cooking.

Growing up in the small town of Grass Valley, Jeremy turned to drugs and alcohol at a young age. An addiction soon consumed him and led to severe legal and life implications. Jeremy subsequently moved to San Francisco to enter Seton Hall, a St. Anthony's primary drug treatment program. While volunteering at St. Anthony's Dining, where they feed approximately 2,500 people per day, he decided that food was his true calling. He came to the Haight Ashbury Food Program in Fall 2002 seeking an opportunity to fulfill his cooking aspiration. What he found was a great learning environment, structure, and validation for his developmental goals.

Jeremy presently cooks at Noe's Café located inside the State Building on Golden Gate Avenue. Having successfully completed primary and secondary drug treatment programs, Jeremy continues to adapt to his new way of life outside programs. He lives alone in a studio apartment in San Francisco, and continues to focus on achieving his life and career goals, "I want to make this my career for the rest of my life, and my goal within five years is to be a number two or number one Line Cook at a Restaurant. I want to be a Chef before I'm thirty. That's in ten years."