Apprenticeship Program Opens Doors to Careers in School Nutrition

At the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) Central Kitchen, the workday begins long before students line up for meals across Kern County. In the industrial kitchen, staff prepare thousands of meals a day. But alongside the food, something else is cooking — future careers.

Through a growing network of internship and apprenticeship programs, the KCSOS Central Kitchen is becoming a training ground for aspiring culinary professionals, career changers, and students seeking real-world experience. While multiple pathways are available, the newest opportunity comes through a partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation, a national nonprofit aiming to promote more clean eating and scratch cooking.

For Maria Zurita, a Chef Ann Foundation apprentice, the experience has been both eye-opening and deeply personal.

“This is my first experience in a big industrial kitchen,” Zurita said. “Everybody’s so helpful. They give you instructions that are simple, so a person like me who has no experience can do this.”

The Chef Ann Foundation program places paid interns in host districts such as KCSOS, pairing hands-on kitchen work with structured training and virtual coursework. Apprentices learn everything from food safety and large-scale meal production to scratch cooking techniques and the operational realities of school nutrition.

“The first big thing I learned is the volume of the food we make here,” Zurita said. “I’m used to cooking for a family of five, not a whole school.”

For Zurita, one of the most exciting parts of the experience has been learning to cook more from scratch, substituting ingredients like dried onions with freshly chopped, locally sourced ones. She especially enjoys the hands-on work — chopping, cutting, and working with ovens and stoves — where she can fully focus and find her rhythm.

“When I’m doing kitchen prep, it’s kind of Zen. It’s very nice and easy. I love it,” Zurita admitted.

According to Rafael Juarez, KCSOS’s Senior Director of Food and Nutrition Services, the Chef Ann Foundation’s Healthy School Food Pathway was designed to build both skills and confidence for people at all stages of their careers.

“It takes skill, not just operational skill that you need on the floor, but also administrative skill when it comes to food procurement,” Juarez said. “When they get here, they actually get to put what they learned into practice, which is really cool.”

The pathway includes three tiers: a seven-week pre-apprenticeship, a nine-month apprenticeship, and an advanced fellowship for supervisors and leaders. Participants receive paid, on-the-job training, complete virtual coursework through national school nutrition institutes, and learn directly from experienced professionals.

“With our robust Food and Nutrition Services Department and programs, our apprentices are going to be exposed to so many new experiences that it’s really going to set them apart when they apply for positions in the school food service industry,” Juarez said. 

Open to all community members — including those without school nutrition experience — and to current employees seeking advancement, the program is seeing strong results: five of seven participants have advanced to the apprentice level, and 17 new applicants have applied for the next cohort. As demand increases, the Central Kitchen’s role as a host site remains essential.

“The Central Kitchen allows us to open our doors to the community,” Juarez said. “That’s always been the vision. Chef Ann is a phenomenal resource.”

For Zurita, the work carries special meaning. As a mother of three, she understands firsthand the importance of school meals.

“I have three kids. They all benefited from the meal program,” she said. “So just being able to give back feels good.”

She hopes to eventually work directly at a school site, serving students face-to-face.

“I’d like to be the last person they see and present them with the food,” she said. “Here, we know we’re doing something good. There, you get to see it.”

While the Chef Ann Foundation program focuses largely on adult apprentices, the Central Kitchen also supports other internship opportunities that connect education to employment.

Students enrolled in the Bakersfield College Culinary Arts Program can complete internships at the Central Kitchen, gaining real-world experience in large-scale food production and school nutrition operations.

The kitchen also serves as a worksite for students in the JobsPlus! Program, part of the Kern Youth @ Work initiative. JobsPlus! provides paid internships for students in KCSOS’s RISE program, emphasizing employability skills such as professionalism, teamwork, initiative, and work ethic. Some JobsPlus! participants go on to become permanent Central Kitchen employees, turning early exposure into lasting employment.

“They’re learning how to be an employee,” Juarez said. “That’s huge. Those soft skills set them up for better-paying jobs and long-term careers.”

For Zurita, the apprenticeship has already made a major difference in her life.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “I just want to do well so I can give back.”

Applicants have already been selected for the spring cohort. Fall cohort applications will open sometime in the summer. For more information about the program and to apply, visit the Chef Ann Foundation website.