Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Stubbs.

Hi Marcus, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

Austin Harris and Marcus Stubbs founded Cultured Mornings on May 28, 2020, with a shared goal to meet the needs of youth in underserved communities. Cultured Mornings goal is to empower youth to reach their full potential and prevent food insecurity. The organization’s programs focus on teaching kitchen skills, kitchen safety, nutrition, and interpersonal development.

Austin Harris, the co-owner of Super Chefs and the Dripping Crab restaurants, has 26 years of culinary and hospitality experience. Austin’s culinary career is inspired by his experience with food insecurity and nutrition gaps especially as he lived on his own and entered adulthood. Austin began to fill the knowledge gaps at the Sullivan University culinary program.

As a survivor of homelessness, Marcus Stubbs experienced several resource insecurities including food and nutrition at the age of 17 and 18. Like Austin, Marcus faced a skill gap when he attended Western Kentucky University for both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Austin and Marcus are inspired to work with youth of color and communities that are in food deserts to help them know and feel their sense of self-worth and to equip them with the skills they need to avoid food insecurity throughout their youth and into adulthood.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

No, it has not been a smooth road, But the journey is worth it. Creating new relationships with our beloved city and learning through the lens of the youth what change do they want to see in the world. How do they want to participate and trailblaze in their communities through our programming. Great, thing about our organization is that we have a strong board, culinarian curators, marketing team and community partners.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Cultured Mornings?

Cultured Mornings is an organization where we want the next generation of youth to know about the culinary and hospitality industry and be hospitable to their surrounding communities. We have a tag line that encompasses what our cause is. Small Portions, Big Impact – gives character to who we are as an organization. Cultured Mornings has an understanding that we have to take life one bite at a time. The process of chewing and understanding what the world means to us and digesting what truly allows us to progress together and make a big impact as one. Meaning we have to understand the value of who we are and what we want to be one step at a time.

Cultured Mornings offers a three-tiered program for each of its participants to build practical life skills, reduce food insecurity, and help youth reach their full potential.

1. Tier 1: Cohort-based learning institute focused on skill development along with social and emotional intelligence and mentoring.

2. Tier 2: More Than a Cook, a community initiative is all about teaching our members to help feed those who need our help.

Tier 3: Global Learning and learning the differences in cooking and the meaning of meals across the globe.

Services include: Cooking education, including safety certifications, promoting healthier cooking and eating lifestyles (i.e., intuitive eating), inspire youth to consider the culinary and hospitality industry as a career, mentoring, budgeting, financial literacy and skill-focused cohort institute

Cohort membership-based institution for middle school and high school students with a priority for the youth of color, communities that are in food deserts, and other communities to know and feel their sense of self-worth and to equip them with the skills they need to avoid food insecurity throughout their youth and into adulthood.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?

1. Make sure you have a strong team with you.
2. Learn how to say “No”
3. Know your why

Pricing:

• Culinary Leadership Institute – Free

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Culturedmornnigs.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturedmornings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/culturedmornings1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTAGV87jtWIU_CBVtCyEYMA

Image Credits

RoamVista