St. Louis Public Radio Highlights Propel Kitchens Registered Apprenticeship

St. Louis Public Radio recently featured the Propel Kitchens Registered Apprenticeship, highlighting the new culinary career pathway and SLATE’s role in expanding Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in St. Louis.

The article, originally published by St. Louis Public Radio on August 27, 2026, is reproduced below with permission.

Have dreams of becoming a chef? A paid apprenticeship at Propel Kitchens in St. Louis can help

St. Louis Public Radio | By Lacretia Wimbley
Published August 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. CDT

Many people dream of getting paid to cook, but culinary school can be expensive. A new apprenticeship program in St. Louis aims to not only give people free hands-on experience in the kitchen — but to pay them an hourly wage to learn new skills.

It’s a first-of-its-kind program to be offered between Propel Kitchens through the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment. The two organizations have worked together for years, but this new collaboration aims to fulfill a need for greater workforce development programs as outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor last year.

The apprenticeship will be hosted by Propel Kitchens, a nonprofit that helps Black and brown communities to build food service careers while working to connect people with mental health support and other holistic needs along their journey through partnerships with SLATE and others.

Leaders said they aim to equip people with the business skills needed to succeed in careers in the broader food service industry.

The organization also operates a program that prepares and delivers breakfast and lunches for local charter schools and universities such as Washington University and St. Louis University.

Propel Kitchens operates out of a 4,500-square-foot commercial kitchen in the Carter Commons development in Pagedale.

Kisha Lee, president and CEO of Propel Kitchens, said they’re in the process of finalizing the training curriculum for the new apprenticeship program.

“They'll understand what it means to go through a health inspection. They'll understand how to use all of the major equipment in the kitchen, including the dish machine — how to properly clean and use fryers and grills and all of the traditional hotline equipment,” Lee said. “We also have some equipment in our kitchen that most kitchens don't have, like a combi steam oven. They will learn the basic knife skills cuts — julienne, dice, all of those things. They also have access to learn the mother sauces, the bases for basic cooking.

“We’re not a culinary school, but we’re going to hit on all of those things. They will walk away with all the skills they need to know to stand toe-to-toe with the average chefs in any kitchen," she said.

The application portal will be live on SLATE’s website by the end of September, according to Executive Director Connie Johnson. She noted how expensive college tuition is and said she recognizes that’s not the path for everyone.

“Everybody doesn’t go to college. But when you’re in an apprenticeship program, it allows you to get an actual credential. So it's more than a job. It's a profession. You're going to walk away with the certification that you can put on your resume to help start your career,” Johnson said.

“I’m going to turn on the TV one day and look at "Chopped," and it’s going to be somebody that came out of this program. I'm putting that out there in the atmosphere. They're going to be the ones that win the $10,000,” Johnson added. “We may have the next Anthony Bourdain."

The Production Cook Registered Apprenticeship program was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship on Aug. 6, SLATE leaders said.

No experience is required to be approved for the apprenticeship, but applicants must be at least 18 years old and possess a high school diploma, GED or other equivalent certificate. Pay starts at $15.50 and goes up to $17.50 over the course of the yearlong program, in which participants will gain 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning.

Originally published by St. Louis Public Radio on August 27, 2026. Republished with permission.

Read the original article on St. Louis Public Radio