The Heckscher Foundation supported The Door’s expansion of its culinary-workforce pathway equipping New York City residents ages 16-24 with the skills and experience needed to secure meaningful employment in the food-service industry. The program combines classroom instruction on work-readiness (resume writing, communication, onboarding) with hands-on kitchen training (knife skills, safety, cooking techniques) and a paid internship in The Door’s in-house kitchen. Participants obtain the ServSafe Food Handlers certification and complete a 150-hour (or equivalent) paid internship, earning up to ~$2,250 during the program. Through this blend of practical skills, certification and real-world experience, The Door helps young people transition into jobs and careers in food service. We helped the Door with the Gap, which was one of the inspirations for this initiative, pilot a now successful workforce program, which was one of the inspirations for Heckscher’s 2022 Workforce Challenge.