Page 56 - WilmU Spring Summer 2013

M.S., Administration of Human Services
(in progress)
B.S., Psychology
o what you love; love what you do.
For Rick Carter, following that
advice is finally starting to pay off.
He has found a way to combine
two loves – helping people and
cooking – into one, and make a career out of it.
Rick, 44, has worked in every facet of hotel
and restaurant operations and once owned
a corporate catering business. He received
his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from
Wilmington University, and expects to graduate
with his master’s degree in Administration of
Human Services in January 2014.
“I have always had a passion to help those in
need. I was fortunate enough to have mentors,
and people in my life who taught me the art
of successful business, the spirit of hospitality,
and to have a heart for people,” Rick says. “So I
thought, ‘What can I do to make a living and help
people at the same time?’ ”
With help from his professors, family and
friends, Rick opened The Hospitality School, a
nonprofit training program for people struggling
to find jobs, in September 2012. Fi een students
have already graduated from the program, and
Rick says every one of them has found a job.
The 14-week program prepares the
unemployed, the underemployed, previously
incarcerated people, the disabled, foster care
youth, at-risk youth and homeless adults for
careers in the food-service industry. All students
complete the ServSafe Food Protection
Manager’s Certification Course, as well as
a end hands-on training in knife skills, meat
and seafood cookery, cooking techniques and
methods, special events, weekly field trips and
a cook-off competition. They participate in
self-empowerment sessions to encourage open
dialogue about personal challenges and develop
coping strategies.
Each student gets a transportation stipend,
two chef’s uniforms, a chef’s knife with cu ing
glove, nonslip kitchen shoes, notebooks,
textbooks and lunch.
It’s all free.
So how does he do it?
Rick says his funding comes in many forms,
but the general principle he uses to run his
school is this: “You have to run your nonprofit
like you’re running a business.” He hopes for
donations, but he doesn’t depend solely on
them to survive. He is cost-conscious and
meticulous about his budget.
Two major social enterprises – Second
Chance Catering and A&G Steak Shop – keep
The Hospitality School afloat. It’s recently taken
over management and operations of A&G, a
longtimeWilmington eatery. The shop serves as
both a training ground and job site for students,
with all revenues going to the support and
expansion of the school.
Second Chance Catering, a for-hire catering
business with Hospitality School students as
servers, puts students into a real-life work
se ing and gives them a chance to show off
their skills before they leave the program.
“They run the show,” Rick says.
Second Chance is a regular caterer for
Habitat for Humanity, providing meals to
volunteers at building sites. It’s also just secured
a five-year catering contract to supply food to
Delaware’s first federal probation residential
facility, which opened in the spring.
“A lot of these students come into this
programwith no self-confidence,” Rick says. “We
help rebuild something in them that maybe got
lost somewhere along the way. We help them
get back on their feet.”
In addition to his nonprofit, Richard is a single
dad, living in New Castle Countywith his son,
four daughters andgranddaughter. He’s actively
involved withWilmington University’s Alumni
Association, helping to plan events and raise
funds.
For more information on The Hospitality
School, visit thehospitalityschool.org.
Your Second Chance is Served
RICK CARTER
¹) TW\ WN \PM[M [\]LMV\[ KWUM QV\W \PQ[ XZWOZIU_Q\P VW [MTN̉KWVÅLMVKM ?M PMTX
ZMJ]QTL [WUM\PQVO QV \PMU \PI\ UIaJM OW\ TW[\ [WUM_PMZM ITWVO \PM _Ia ?M PMTX
\PMUOM\ JIKS WV \PMQZ NMM\ º ̉ RICK CARTER
WILMINGTON UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE