Having a conversation with Ron Ahlert is a bit of a challenge. Like many other executive chefs, Ahlert is constantly juggling numerous daily responsibilities and minor emergencies simultaneously. In his office the phone rings, the computer beeps and there is an endless parade of people sticking their heads in the door with quick questions that do not necessarily require quick answers. As we walk from the office to the kitchen, emanating aromas make my mouth water as the barrage continues—food deliveries require his signature, line cooks have questions, and two guys who are going to resurface the floor want to know when the kitchen will be dormant for a few days. Hah!
Chef Ahlert, also known as Chef Ron to his students, is the Executive Director of the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC), located in the South End. Many Charlotte residents are unaware of this school as it tends to be overlooked in a city where cuisine is on the rise and the landscape is dominated by culinary training grounds including Johnson & Wales, Art Institute of Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College.
Flying under the radar is okay with Ahlert, as long as the school fulfills its mission of “fighting hunger while creating opportunity.” The well-known culinary schools are generally attended by college-age students, many with aspirations to work at a famous restaurant or perhaps to be on television yelling trademark catch phrases to a public enamored with celebrity chefs. The aspirations of the CCSC student are bit different in nature.
“Our students are adults with what we call ‘barriers to employment,’” explains Ahlert. “They are thirty-five to forty-five years old and might have had substance abuse problems, might have been incarcerated, or may be just stuck in a low-wage job with no way out.”
Students are referred to CCSC by social service offices, churches and word of mouth. After filling out an application and undergoing a background check, all candidates are required to come in and work in the kitchen for four to six hours to make sure they know what they are getting into. “Prospective students have to realize that this [ain’t] no food network here. We lose about 5% right off the bat,” explains Ahlert. Students at CCSC spend 12-14 weeks learning enough basic culinary skills to get them a well-paying job. With 98% of graduates finding employment in some of the area’s best restaurants, many people are getting a second chance in life and in doing so improving the lives of those around them in a ripple effect. As Chef Ron likes to say, “The best way to feed a hungry child is to get their parent a good job.”
The school is one of four interconnected programs that operate in the same building—four programs that fuel each other in inspirational ways. The Gleaning Network is a group that brings together volunteers and farmers to gather food to combat hunger. Federal government statistics indicate that about 20% of all crops grown in this country are not harvested for various reasons. The “gleaners” walk through fields after the harvest and gather up this otherwise wasted food and distribute it where it is needed most. Friendship Trays is a service that prepares and delivers over 800 meals every weekday to people of all ages who cannot prepare their own meals in a safe or appropriate manner. For many recipients of Friendship Trays, it is their only meal of the day. Encore Catering, the revenue-generating business within the group, is a full-service catering enterprise serving the community with “out-of-the-ordinary food at an ordinary price.”
Hands-on cooking in real-life settings gives students a tangible foundation to prepare them for the food industry. One practical application of student skills is the “Bistro Lunch” offered at the school every other Thursday. It is open to the public and free of charge, though donations to support the program are always appreciated. A gourmet meal prepared and served by proud students is presented to a range of Charlotteans. “You could see the Mayor and a guy living under a bridge having lunch here,” Ahlert says with a chuckle. One time a student invited his church congregation to the Bistro Lunch. He beamed with a huge smile when he told Chef Ron about the enthusiastic support from his church as they were preparing the lunch. When Ahlert asked him how many were coming, his jaw dropped when the student told him two hundred people were coming for lunch. They were only planning on serving about fifty at the bistro. Talk about real life in the food business—the class rallied, and when the busses rolled into the parking lot, they had prepared and cooked enough food to feed them all!
“Students pay their tuition by cooking the meals for Friendship Trays—they learn to support the mission,” Ahlert says. As the large pots and pans of food are divided into individually packaged meals, it is clear that this is good food. Even though I had a big breakfast not long ago, my mouth waters as the meatloaf is sliced and placed into meal containers. Bright green beans are spooned into the spot next to the meatloaf, and if that wasn’t enough to get my stomach growling, the creamy white mashed potatoes were. It was exciting to watch the big steaming pot of mashed potatoes being portioned out as the kitchen crew, a few feet away, cut whole potatoes to be roasted for tomorrow’s meal. “It is all about the food—our food is great,” Ahlert states with pride, referring to both Friendship Trays and Encore Catering (which is staffed primarily with CCSC alumni).
One of those graduates is Sibyl Durant, who finished up at CCSC in 1999. Prior to enrolling in the school, Durant wrestled with drugs and found herself in prison a few times. “I love the school” she exhorts, “CCSC gave me a way to feed my family.” The cooking skills she learned were a form of freedom for her. Not only did she learn how to feed her family, she expanded her skills to be able to feed a community. Today she is the kitchen manager for Friendship Trays and exudes hope and an enthusiasm that belies her troubled past. One of Durant’s favorite aspects is the unifying spirit of the place, the fact that people from all walks of life share in a common goal to improve their community. “We have a group of volunteers we call the ‘Thursday ladies,’” says Durant. “They have homes in the Hamptons and here they are side by side with people recovering from drug addiction, helping to assemble the trays of food that go out.”
As Ahlert explains the relationship between the programs, his presence here intrigues me. Here is a guy with very impressive culinary skills, great managerial skills and incredible motivation. In our food-obsessed culture he could work at the highest levels of the business, making big money and wallowing in recognition. But life-changing “wake-up calls” can come in many different forms. For Ron Ahlert, it was in the form of a prime rib sandwich. To be precise, it was the cost of the prime rib sandwich. Ahlert was the executive chef for an upscale corporate dining room and his costs caused him to increase what he charged for several menu items. Even at the higher prices they would still be less than retail restaurant prices. When one of his customers-- none of whom were financially strapped by any means--complained about the modest boost in price for the prime rib sandwich, Ahlert realized right then and there that there had to be a better way for him to apply his talents, a way that would really mean something to somebody.
“It wasn’t like I was someone who volunteered much. Let’s face it, I used to be a self-centered prick living in Manhattan,” he admits. His candor reminds me that, as much as we like to think of people helping people as a warm and fuzzy activity, his job requires a toughness and an unwavering commitment that are not often obvious to the casual observer. It also requires financial discipline. “I want a sustainable operation here, and I can’t do that with irresponsible spending. I need to be the best steward of our funds as I can possibly be,” he exhorts with passion.
Food and money are two items on the front burners every day for Ron Ahlert, as they are for students at the Community Culinary School of Charlotte and the recipients of Friendship Trays meals. A large map of Charlotte on the office wall is covered with brightly colored pushpins, each of which represents one of the 800-plus recipients of Friendship Trays. Pins protrude from virtually every neighborhood of the city and they increase in number faster than anybody would like. Those pins are what makes this food service operation different than most; it assists our neighbors who need a hand. As they open the hot meal delivered to them daily, on some level they are all thankful that Chef Ron Ahlert and his colleagues are back in the kitchen, “fighting hunger while creating opportunity.”
~ Tom Carrig
Want to help?
Community Culinary School of Charlotte
Donations of money, food or equipment.
Attend a bistro lunch every other Thursday
phone: 704-375-4500
website: www.communityculinary.org
Encore Catering
Hire them for your next catered function
phone: 704-TOGO (8646)
website: www.encorecatering.org
Friendship Trays
Drivers needed to expand delivery area and eliminate waiting list
phone: 704-333-9229
The Gleaning Network
Volunteer to help harvest crops
phone: 704-553-1730
email: sosanc@endhunger.org
website: www.endhunger.org
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