Easter is approaching and, in the kitchen of the restaurant “O Compromisso”, located on the street with the same name, in Faro, they make up tongs. The doors of the educational restaurant of the Algarve Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Diminished Children opened to the public, for the first time last friday, and the association's space and graduates expect new opportunities to serve customers.
Until they open for another day, work in the kitchen does not stop and, soon, there will be a small market where the cakes that are being prepared will be sold. Rúben Rocha, aged 18, is one of the students in the cooking course and doesn't do it for less: «I want to be a cook! My goal, since I was a child, has been to be the best cook in the world!».
Experiences like the one he had last Friday, when he cooked for a full room, will help him reach that goal: «First, we start at the bottom and work to get to the top. On Friday, we made cod and pepper canapés, mango stroganoff… so much that I don't remember everything by heart. Here we are always doing something, we are never standing still», he tells Sul Informação.
Rúben Rocha has eight other colleagues who share the tasks in the kitchen with him, while Nuno Rosa is the trainer of this team of future cooks. «They are a group of kids with a lot of potential, they can go wherever they want, if they feel like it», he guarantees.
«Here, they learn what it's like to work in the real world, we try to show what it's like “out there”. We have our difficulties, but the goal is a five-star service. It is an enticing challenge and, when we look at people, even those who do not express satisfaction with words, show smiles», adds the trainer.
About the experience of guiding the kitchen of this educational restaurant on the opening day, Nuno Rosa says that «it was very good, because we did a great service. In these contexts, trainees always want to do better, they always give everything they have. Everything went very well, everyone was up to speed».
Carlos Figueira, the president of AAPACDM, explains that the idea of creating this educational restaurant «came from a perspective of increasing the degree of employability of these young people, putting them to train in a context close to the market, with a real-life experience, subject to stress».
In addition to the kitchen trainees, those in the waiter course are the other workers at the “O Compromisso” restaurant, which makes up a team of about 15 people.
According to Carlos Figueira, another of the objectives of this project is “to make civil society aware of the capacities of these young people, which are many and real”.
That's why the restaurant “O Compromisso” wants to receive anyone who is interested in trying a meal, which can even be prepared by a potential “best cook in the world”. “At this stage, anyone can make an appointment, contacting us, and we will arrange the space. You can call us, tell us the number of people, and we'll schedule the day and time. They can express preferences and the meal will also be prepared according to the agreed price», explains Carlos Figueira.
In addition, there is the objective of energizing the space with themed meals, dedicated, for example, to the Mediterranean diet and every month there will be a solidarity meal.
The association's leader emphasizes that these are young people who “have already worked in events of some magnitude. Last year, on the anniversary of AAPACDM, they served 120 meals».
If the trainees leave AAPACDM well prepared, “it is possible to narrow the gap between reality and the work they do here. We have partnerships with spaces such as Epic Sana, the Hilton or the School of Hospitality and Tourism. The idea is that, once placed, they can keep their jobs», concludes Carlos Figueira.
“The Commitment is our motto”, it reads. Now it can also be “your” restaurant. Contacts for bookings for the AAPACDM pedagogical restaurant can be made by calling 289880700, or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].
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