“The people at Cathedral Kitchen (CK) genuinely care about you,” says Hector Feliciano, Sous Chef for CK. “Not once did I feel judged. Not once did I feel out of place. Not once did I feel pity, I was treated regular. I was treated like a human being.”
Since 2009, our Culinary Arts Training Program has been providing culinary skills, life skills, financial literacy, and general support to nearly 500 students from the Camden area. In the fall of 2022, Hector was one of those students, who received the help and support he needed to ultimately turn his life around.
“CK and the culinary program gave me a sense of belonging. They open their doors wide open and they say, ‘come on in’,” says Hector. “I was so used to the prison life, being selfish and only looking out for myself. CK taught me selflessness.”
Growing up in the foster care system, and serving a total of 27 years in prison, Hector was unsure how his life would turn out. While he was serving the last year of a 15-year sentence, he was living at Fletcher House, a re-entry program for those who have been incarcerated, through Volunteers of America (VOA). With the guidance of the VOA, and CK’s culinary training program, Hector started a path that would change him into someone he, and his three children, could now be proud of.
“Coming right out of the prison system, I didn’t know what to expect when I got here,” says Hector. “They saw something in me that I didn’t see at the time, so I didn’t lose hope, not once.”
During the 15 weeks Hector spent in the Culinary Arts Training program, he quickly became a strong and reliable leader in the kitchen, showing program coordinators Chef Naimah Rutling and Ja’Net Dingle that he had the talent and determination to learn all that he could. Upon graduating, Hector was immediately offered a position with CK. He was able to showcase his newfound knowledge and talents, working closely with our kitchen staff to make the hundreds of meals we serve each day.
Just three months after being hired at CK, Hector was promoted to Sous Chef for the VOA contract meal program. In this role, he helps oversee the production of 1,600 daily meals which are delivered to homeless shelters and halfway houses run by VOA, including Fletcher House, the house where Hector previously lived. Hector recently completed his prison sentence and moved in with a relative while he looks for a place of his own. He enjoys his new life as CK’s Sous Chef. On his days off he can often be found back at CK volunteering at the Meal Program and spending time reconnecting with his children.
“I genuinely love being here. I love what I do. I was given the opportunity I’ve always wanted,” says Hector. “They instill this belief in you that you are not defined by your mistakes and I believe it.”
