The 23rd cohort of the Culinary Arts Program offered by Cuesta College and California Men’s Colony (CMC) graduated March 19.
Since 2017, Cuesta College has partnered with CMC to offer the program in the Camp Cuesta yard.

The individuals who completed the program spent the course working hands-on in a commercial kitchen, building real culinary skills and earning their ServSafe certification.
Graduates of the program are eligible for assignment to Mobile Kitchen Units (MKUs), where they support large-scale feeding operations during emergency incidents throughout California. The program also gives them practical skills they can use upon release.

“Those involved in the program take pride in what they do,” said instructors. “It shows in the effort they put in and the way they carry themselves by the end of the course.”
Submitted by Lt. M. Blankenship
Follow CDCR on YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter).
Read more rehabilitation stories.
Related content
Transforming lives: How CDCR is redefining prison education
A sprawling education system, complete with accredited adult schools, college classes and career training designed to transform lives, exists within…
Read More
Why CSP‑Solano’s vocational programs are on the rise
When Summer Peterson officially started at California State Prison (CSP) Solano, last September, she came with an understanding of the rehabilitative…
Read More
Level IV institution finds community through book club
California State Prison, Sacramento, is a Level IV maximum-security institution, but within its walls in a book club, there’s an…
Read More