Over 200 people gathered at Apawamis Club last month to support the Don Bosco Boys & Girls Club in Port Chester and the launch of a new culinary arts training program called Café Alma.

Over 200 people gathered at Apawamis Club last month to support the Don Bosco Boys & Girls Club in Port Chester and the launch of a new culinary arts training program called Café Alma. The program is part of a $2 million expansion Don Bosco is embarking on to enhance the quality of life and provide future career prospects for the over 1,000 youth that utilize the center every year. A culinary educational pilot program for teens aged 13-19 will launch next spring in the existing kitchen at the center. The program will move into its new home when the building addition is completed at the end of 2013.

Many Rye residents have pledged their support to ensure Don Bosco reaches its next stage of growth. The expansion has also drawn the attention of local chefs and restaurateurs, including Chef Rafael Palomino, owner of Sonora; Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer, owners of Bartaco; and Chef Andy Nusser, co-owner of Tarry Lodge. They and several other local chefs will help develop the curriculum for the new culinary program. Chef Palomino has also pledged his support to outfit the training center with state-of-the-art equipment.   

Father Richard Alejunas, SDB, head of Don Bosco Community Center, is overjoyed by the outpouring of support. “Our kids have big aspirations, from owning restaurants to running their own businesses. The expansion and educational initiative will provide them the resources they need to achieve these goals.”

—Photos by Aida Krgin