I have raved about the progressive programs offered at the New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT) and recently had the privilege of returning to their main facility to share delicious food and encouraging stories with their students and staff.

In honor of their many Caribbean-born students, the menu included intriguing inspirations from The Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other proud nations. And while the plantains and Chef Chris Faison’s award-winning Jerk sauce were impressive, nothing can compare with the stories the students and staff shared.

NECAT has taken hundreds of new immigrants as well as people who are involved with the criminal justice system from lives of desperation and pain to ones filled with opportunity and triumph and many of their alumni now serve in some of our favorite restaurants!

During the delicious dinner, Chef Niurka LeBron recalled how she went from living in a woman’s re-entry home to serving at some of Boston’s finest restaurants during a rousing fundraising speech that combined fiscal logic with religious fervor. And when Instructor Michelene Desmoreau was presented with an official citation from Her Excellency Maura Healey (which will surely look nice when she opens her own restaurant in Quincy next month), the ovation lasted for many minutes!

As these are just a few of the incredible people and stories I encountered at NECAT, I urge people to go to www.ne-cat.org and learn more about this life-saving and life-affirming program. Especially as I also work with the incarcerated and with students who have faced significant challenges in life, I know what good can come from a bit of support and respect and the folks at NECAT deserve both!