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Convene Interview: Knife Skills and Life Skills: How Chef Alexa Williams Found Her Purpose at Philabundance Community Kitchen · PCMA Convene Podcast

• Convene Podcast Transcript Convene Interview, ep. 19 *Note: the transcript is AI generated, excuse typos and inaccuracies Magdalina Atanassova: This is the Convene podcast. Today we’re exploring how a SNAP‑eligible culinary training program in North Philadelphia is shaping careers, strengthening communities, and supporting the hospitality workforce that powers business events. Senior editor Jennifer N. Dienst talks with Chef Alexa Williams, a graduate of the Philabundance Community Kitchen and now a line cook at Fork, one of Philadelphia’s most respected restaurants. Alexa shares her journey from risk management and events into the culinary world, how “knife skills and life skills” helped ground her during a difficult season, and why programs like PCK matter for restaurants, meeting planners, and the broader ecosystem that makes destinations thrive. We start now. Jennifer N. Dienst: This is Jennifer Deanz, senior editor with Convene magazine, and I'm here with Chef Alexa Williams, who is going to share with us her journey in the culinary industry as well as with the Fill Abundance Community Kitchen training program. So thank you so much for joining me today, Alexa. I appreciate it. Chef Alexa Williams: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here. Jennifer N. Dienst: Let's start. Just tell me about yourself. Did you grow up in Philly? Tell me a little bit about, you know, where you grew up, your background and, and how maybe you found out or considered moving into the culinary space for your career. Chef Alexa Williams: Yeah, no, that's such a great question. So I'm originally from North Jersey, but I spent a lot of my life in the Poconos. My family is from the Caribbean. Like I was telling you a little bit earlier, my mom's from Jamaica, my dad's from Antigua. And even if you're not familiar with the region, I think most people can associate that region with a really rich food culture. So that's always been a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories surrounding families, like cooking and like, even if it isn't like a major holiday, it's like cooking just a regular dinner with my mom and it's like, you know, her hands were in meat. I was in charge of like putting seasonings in her hand so there was no cross contamination. So I was always involved in it. I've always, I love to cook, I love to eat. The two do go in tandem, however. I didn't. I wasn't always oriented toward culinary space professionally. I actually went to college for risk management and insurance and I was an insurance underwriter for a little bit. I worked in events as like both an event production assistant. Once I realized, like, insurance just wasn't for me, I didn't feel like it was purpose driven for me and what I wanted to do with my life. I worked in events and it was a fun Space. But I just realized that just wasn't for me. I moved to Philadelphia in 2024 around that summer actually for my events work. And during that time, I actually lived very, very close to Phil Abundance, where they are in North Philly. And it was really true, truly, just because of like, oh, I just want to volunteer. Like, kind of going back to just like being purpose driven. Something that also was really integral to my life is just giving back to the community. So I only really saw Phil Abundance as like volunteer opportunity for me and for me to feel more integrated into the community. But when I learned about their other programs, specifically their community kitchen, I was like, wait, why not? I turned down a job offer for going back to the risk management insurance space. So I, you know, had the time. Events wasn't fulfilling me in the way that I wanted to. So I was like, you know what? Why don't I take this time to invest? And it's actually been a little bit over a year since I started the program, and I'm now working in the field and I couldn't be happier. Jennifer N. Dienst: Amazing. So you went through the Fill Abundance community kitchen training program, which is. Is it about like eight weeks or. Chef Alexa Williams: It's actually about like 16 weeks. Yeah, 16 weeks. Jennifer N. Dienst: Okay, so tell us what that was like. What did you love? Was there. Was there anything you didn't love? And kind of what skill sets or, or trainings did you just really enjoy while you're doing it? Chef Alexa Williams: I always tell people, like, I always preference, like, I didn't go to culinary school. Like, school Abundance isn't a full four years of culinary school. That would be very hard to do within 16 weeks. So the program is split into two tiers. The first year is the first eight weeks where you're learning, just, you know, you're getting in the kitchen, you're making what, you know, you would consider a restaurant family meal. So for all, any staff, other students, and any visitors who come as volunteers or etc. To your responsibility is to take classes in the morning, you know, utilize what you learn in those classes in the kitchen. And then after that, we're taking some other classes primarily around our serv safe and also some life skills classes. I would say what makes Phil Abundance so unique and so special is that it's oriented toward people who come from a wide range of life. Like I told you, I had a college education, but I was in class with people who did not have that, who had, you know, different circumstances in life that made those life skills classes so full and rich. Because I Got to hear about other people's experiences and what drew them to the program as well. And then the second tier of the program, so that's week eight to 16. It's more, I guess, career development oriented. So you go from the smaller kitchen with Chef Brian and you're working with the actual in house residents, like the cooks who work there. And what you're doing is making really large volume food that goes out to the community. So you're either cooking the food, you're working with the volunteers, and you might be organizing them, or you know, packing food with them, or doing a wide range of activities. And then later in the day you're working on your still working toward your serve certification courses, but also you're working a lot more with Chef's Cam and you're doing that career development piece. And then from about week 12 to 14, you actually go out on an internship. And my experience was a little different when I decided I was kind of interested in cooking. This was before 4 bill abundance, but not too. The distance wasn't too short. I started reaching out to chefs on Instagram. I'm just saying, hey, my name's Alexa and I'm interested in cooking. Would you mind sitting down with me like for a cup of coffee or like, you know, hop on the phone and talk to me. So one of those connections, I would love to shout him out. Hi, Chef Jir. So Chef Jir, we met, we sat for coffee and at the time, he and his cousin, Chef Montana were opening a restaurant called the Avery in Old City. And I met up with them again. This is probably around like week 10. So this is before the internship actually started. But I started staging at their restaurant and they offered me a job. So that was my very first line cook position, which I feel like most people don't necessarily start their career that way. A lot of people will start maybe and like start with like something like receiving where you know, when groceries are not groceries, but like ingredients come in, you know, you're responsible for making sure that's stored away properly, especially in a fine dining establishment. So I feel really grateful for my first experience to have been with those two talented chefs and they're extremely talented team. So I was able to integrate that into my internship portion. So that's what my kind of last little part of billabundance looked like. Where I was, what my schedule looked like at the time was, you know, school from 8 to 3:30, work from 4:30 to midnight on the weekends. Just if I was not working brunch one to 12. And if I was working brunch 10 to 12, it was a really tiring time. But it, despite that, despite putting so much effort into it and you know, not to lie, like, to be frank, like feeling some somewhat drained or to be real, really drained, I didn't feel like I was doing the wrong thing. I felt tired, but I felt motivated, if that makes sense. And then the last part of the program at Philabundance was, you know, just taking your survey certification. Jennifer N. Dienst: Can you explain what that is real fast, just so listeners who aren't familiar. Chef Alexa Williams: So serv. Safe. It's called different things in different states. So in Pennsylvania, pretty sure that's what it's called. I wouldn't. I'm not exactly sure what it's called in other states, but more or less it's basically a food handler certification to make sure that you understand food safety practices. So that that relates to like time temperature abuse. Like you can't keep raw chicken out, you know, room temperature for eight hours. People will get sick. You know, learning about just food safety to make sure that when you are in any space, whether that doesn't even necessarily have to be a restaurant that can be working in a hotel or food stall or whatever, just to make sure that the people who are. You're serving are getting safe food. It's not always necessary for working in a food space. However, it definitely. With the point of the Fill Abundance program being, you know, employability, it makes you more employable to know that you have that certification. And it also does cost money to take the certification. However, through Phil Abundance, we were able to take it for free. So that was just like another extra special point of that program. Jennifer N. Dienst: That's incredible. That's something that. When I spoke to the CEO of Philabundance, she said that that's. That's something that the students can walk away with. That's really valuable. And she was explaining to me some of the other facets of the program, like you were touching on a little bit too, some of the life skills, some like training with that. But also she was saying, you know, we try to support the students if they need like, say like transportation or childcare or some of those things. Like if there's a. Some sort of roadblock to preventing them from completing the program, they try to support them with that as well, which I thought was really cool. At no extra cost, it sounded like. Chef Alexa Williams: I'll share a really vulnerable story just so you can kind of get a picture. This again, this is just my experience. So to Be eligible for Fill Abundance, you have to meet SNAP requirements. And I know SNAP requirements have since changed with this recent administration. So we're going to go back to 2024. And for me, I was working in events, which is more of a freelance position, but because of Billabundance's attendance policy, which is you can't have more than like, about five absences, I was had to decline a lot of work. So honestly, from January to March, when I told you I started working with Chef Jamir and Chef Montana, I was not working, so I was living off of my savings. It was my first winter in Philadelphia, so I was not familiar with how much my utility bills are going to rise. It was honestly a really difficult time for me financially. So through that Bill Abundance, I was able to, you know, they supported me with meals. They supported me with feminine care products. They supported me by just having someone to, you know, listen, Ms. Tiffany, who kind of runs that life skill program, like, she has served and continues to serve as a mentor for me. Someone who, you know, if I have a problem and, you know, she's in turn been vulnerable about similar problems that she's had in her life. Just having someone where you can feel supported. And I think another component to that, especially in just like the culinary world, was there's not a lot of people who look like me in the long run. I've been into kitchens that have, you know, lots of black people. But there are kitchens where I've kind of been the only one. And this is. I haven't had that long of a career side of been to so many kitchens. But it's really nice to be in like a. I would say just due to the demographics of North Philadelphia, a primarily black space where you don't feel othered or you have, you know, issues that may relate to, you know, socioeconomic problems. It's nice to have someone who, you know, can relate to that, whether they have had, you know, some of the people you're working with are chefs, but some of them aren't. Some of them are administrators, or some of them are, you know, other volunteers. And it's not necessarily that you're disclosing those problems to the volunteers, but, you know, conversations just come about naturally. People sometimes are there doing volunteer work to meet requirements for, you know, situations that they're in. And, you know, just learning about other people's lives and just kind of made me feel a little bit more connected and less like, alone as I was going through those personal struggles. I would say it's not the type of environment where you just show up and you leave your problems at the door like a regular. Like, I'm not gonna say regular kitchen, but the kitchens that I'm kind of in right now, but, you know, you really can take them in there with you. I remember one day when I was working in tier one with Chef Brian, and he's a. He's gonna hear these and be like, what? He's an amazing chef. And I love Chef Brian so much. And I just remember just feeling super overstimulated that day, and I was just crying, and I. He didn't even realize that, you know, there was something that he may have done that made me feel that way. But I was coming from, you know, a personal situation that had just had me a little dysregulated. So we sat and we talked, and I shared with him what was going on in my life. And, you know, he told me that, you know, we. We actually even utilized some of the life skills. One of the lessons that we talked about is perception, which is, like, the way you perceive things may not be the way other people perceive things, so, you know, being more flexible in those situations. So we were just able to have a really great conversation. And I just left that conversation feeling like, you know what? I can do this. I can do this even when I am working with a chef who's not Chef Brian, who doesn't care, really, about my personal problems. Like, I know that I can have the Just that grounding for myself. So, you know, if your knife skills are perfect, but, you know you're going to explode when someone talks to you a little bit, you know, less than ideally, like, this industry isn't for you. So I think in that way, it really develops you wholly, like, yeah, you're learning like this. And that's why that is their model. You're learning knife skills, but you're also learning life skills. Jennifer N. Dienst: I love that. Like knife skills and life skills. Well, what an incredible opportunity that. That you can be an environment and feel, like you said, you know, you feel safe to be vulnerable and have those, you know, tough moments. And not because I think the perception. I don't have any experience working in F and B, but I think there is a perception that the F and B world can be really, really tough, and especially for women. I have some friends who are female chefs, and some of the stories they've told me about working in kitchens is pretty crazy. So how incredible that you have this space to kind of learn and make mistakes and go through tough things like you were going through and be supported and not, you know, made to be feel like you're not tough enough or something, you know? Chef Alexa Williams: Yeah, I'm really grateful for it. Jennifer N. Dienst: Well, tell me a little bit about what you're doing now, where you're working, what your role is, and I'd also love to hear about your hopes for your career in the future. Chef Alexa Williams: So right now, I'm a line cook. I work at Fork, which is owned by Ellen Yin. It is a really incredible restaurant. Our primary focus is Italian and New American cuisine. And I work the morning shift. So I am. If you came in for lunch or brunch, that's where you would see me on the line. I right now am feeling so challenged. I just left a. In October, I left a different kitchen. It was extremely popular restaurant in Philadelphia where we had a staff of, like, I don't know, like 50 people. And that's including our prep cooks and our dishwashers and, like, just the entire back of house. Now our kitchen's a lot smaller, and at first it was a big adjustment. It's like, oh, this I'm. Not that it's going to be easy, but it's going to be like, I wasn't exactly prepared for what having less people meant in this environment. But Chef Sam is incredible. He's our executive chef, and he. His goals for Fork. And honestly, for everyone in our kitchen, whether you're a sous chef to a line cook to you work in receiving is excellent. And when that is the expectation, there is a lot of pressure. We recently had kind of like a back of house meeting where we're, you know, we're just sharing what our goals for each other are, like, where we can support one another more. And he really just made it clear that, like, you know, I want to push y' all because I know that you guys can't achieve these things. So right now, although professionally in that kitchen, I am a line cook in my own personal pursuits. I call myself the chef because I work by developing menus. A personal project that I kind of learned about is gardening. I'm actually super interested in food systems just because I think, going back to my own personal background, a lot of Jamaican cuisine is like, what can you get in your backyard? And then bring it into your kitchen? So through that, I've actually taken gardening courses that I'm planning for this summer to, you know, start gardening and then, you know, host dinners featuring some of the things that I actually grow myself. So I'm super excited for that. I've been starting Doing research and development for some of those recipes myself. But what my future holds, I can't entirely say. This is something that I've been talking to some friends about recently about kind of like what it is I want. And I'm not 100% sure. And there's, you know, obviously a lot of uncomfortability and uncertainty. However, I'm allowing myself to understand. It's like, remember a year ago when you decided, like, hey, I'm just going to change my entire life. I think you'll be okay. So allowing myself to lean into that but not be, like, lackadaisical about it, just remembering to seize opportunities, to continue to work hard. And I think if I continue to work hard, more opportunities will present themselves, even if I'm not exactly sure what it is I want to do. I think my near future, like within the next five years would include going. I used. I went to school in New York, went to school to St. John's University. So I was in Queens and Brooklyn for quite a while, would be going back. And I always think, ironically, like, New York is one of the biggest food, you know, cities in the world, and at the time, you were not even thinking about that. So to kind of go with that renewed purpose would be really amazing and to connect with some chefs. I know ultimately what I want to cook would be Afro Caribbean cuisine, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't. I want to learn everything. Like, I would. I think the near future, as in, like these next few months, would just be staging at different restaurants. And for those who aren't familiar, stage is basically an unpaid working interview. Well, sometimes it's paid. It depends based off of your, you know, local laws and regulations that pertaining to that city. But just as thoughts, just to get in kitchens and see what other chefs are doing, other cuisines, other techniques, and it's absorbed that. So I would say that's kind of like where I'm at right now. Jennifer N. Dienst: Wonderful. I mean, you know, I think you. You're on a great path just from everything that you're saying, because I. I think, I think back to my 20s and there's so many options, right? And I knew from the start, like, I want to be a journalist, I want to be a writer. And I was very, very hellbent on making that happen. And I, I'm glad I did. I stuck to it. But I, I did, like, try out all different types of, you know, I worked in magazines and newspapers. It went, you know, all over the place to kind of get a Feel for what makes sense and what I like. And I'm glad I did that because I think you can have an image or an idea of what something will be like in your mind and then you know, the reality can be quite different. So saying open minded and saying yes, like you're saying, I think is so smart because it keeps you open and excited. But you're not necessarily saying, I have to be on this very specific path. You know, absolutely. Chef Alexa Williams: Like I, for me, I wouldn't say success would be memorialized. For me, it's like, oh, I'm a chef who has a mission start. It's like if I'm a chef who can eventually I would say, like, my biggest goal would be to be a teacher. Like Bill abundance really gave me so much. Like, I would love to be be a culinary instructor myself. But I always kind of tell myself like, you don't really. This is a little self deprecated things and it's not fully true, but in my head I'm like, you don't have anything to give right now. And I know that's not fully true, but in terms of the skill sets that I'm or the skills that I get from my chefs on a daily basis, there are executive sous chef at Fork, Chef Josh. He kind of personally oversees our morning shift right now. We do have a new warning, Sue. And if Chef Sophie sees this, congratulations, Chef Sophie. But Chef Shash, he has been in this industry for what feels like, from what I've gathered from our conversations, like his entire life. So to be able to give like a lifetime's worth of experience to, to young cooks, that's something that I would really love to do. So I know that will really require a wide range of experiences because not necessarily every single experience will resonate with every single person. Not everyone in my cohort for Philip and it's wanted to go into fine dining. I kind of said that I wanted to do that kind of similar to you, where it's like, I don't really know what that means fully, but I have a picture of it and this is what I want to do. And I'm grateful for the fact that that picture and the reality, there's like, you know, a lot of similarities between that. But some people wanted to be, you know, entrepreneur, some people wanted to work for hotels or in that space. So I want to be able to have a wide range of experiences to give that to people so they can kind of, you know, sift through and find out what resonates for them. Jennifer N. Dienst: Personally, I Think that's wonderful. And that's, that's why I wanted to highlight this for our audience. So, you know, our audience are people who work in the business events industry, which you're familiar with. And you know, I, I think, you know, a. Cities, especially a city like Philly that has, you know, they have a Michelin guide now and, you know, it sounds like I've only been to Philly a couple times, but it sounds like it has such a thriving culinary scene. You know, it's so important to the way a destination sells itself to meeting and event planners. So I wanted to highlight PCK just because I thought, you know, this is a. So important to the community, but also for, you know, for people like yourself who, you know, really want to get into the industry, but also for the hospitality industry to, you know, feed them workers. There's, you know, a lot of cities like my city, Charleston, South Carolina, we really struggle with finding and keeping workers. So I think that, you know, I'm. I'm hoping by highlighting programs like this, meeting planners will take notice. According to the CEO of Phil Abundance, who's saying they have quite a few groups who come to the city and want to spend either their time volunteering or make donations, support. Support them in some way or just. Just to like, note that food banks like Phil Abundance who have programs like this are important to, to keep note of and, and support. So, yeah, I'd love to know in your words, like, why do you think and from your experience now that you've gone through this program, like, why do you think a program like PCK is important to the community and, and maybe just like the wider hospitality industry since you've, you've worked in it. Chef Alexa Williams: I want to start off with a personal anecdote. PCK. Every, not every cohort gets this experience. However, I was lucky enough to get to participate in their showcase. So me and my partner shout out Jaden. We created a dish and we pretty much, you know, cooked it or cooked portions of it live for folks who joined us. And one of the people who, you know, we spoke to was Ellen Yin, for whom now I work. And we had an amazing conversation that very day where, you know, we stepped aside and she just asked me what I was doing and she asked me if I would have any interest working, you know, for her. And at the time I was working at a different restaurant and, you know, I was really passionate about that. But I mean, here I am now working at fort, and there are days when I still don't feel like I am deserving of the opportunity. Sometimes I don't feel like I've done enough work. I've working alongside people who have 5, 10, 15 years of experience and they are so inspiring to me in that way. But I would say overall, a kitchen culture where teamwork truly is paramount to what it is we do. So that is all to say through full abundance, specifically I was able to meet Ellen Yin and I'm now at work working with incredible chefs, Incredible, incredible cooks, incredible people both front and back of house, you know, putting out amazing meals for, you know, restaurant week. We were so busy and you know, with good reason. So restaurant week, major holidays, graduation season, those are some really, really busy times for the restaurant industry. So I would say through full abundance, people who work in different parts of the event space, different parts of hospitality, would meet incredible people. Even if again, like me, they're not necessarily interested in going into fine dining. There are people who are, especially for people who have children, who want to have careers that are more work life balanced. So, you know, I know someone who, while she was going through the program, she had four kids. Again, having to meet those requirements, but making sure that her babies got to school and got picked up among, you know, other things are happening in her life and is now working in a hotel. So I would say you would meet a variety of people who are, you know, if you're in that program, you're there because you want to make your life better. You're there because you love food and you're there because you know you're looking for opportunities. I would say anyone there would meet individuals who, they may not be aligned with their specific industry. Like I said, I was more interested toward fine dining or that's where my orientation was at the time. But you're going to meet someone who is perfect for whatever it is your specific niche is. I met so many people during my time and I still kind of think about that. It's like, you know, I really should just like think about that opportunity again. It doesn't actually have to be a full time opportunity. But even just like I would love to stage and just love to see what your operation is. There's so many curious, smart, intelligent, hardworking people who go through that program on, you know, a yearly basis, an annual basis, that at any point in time, if you were to say step in the building, you're going to meet students who would add so much value to your, whatever it is your organization does. Jennifer N. Dienst: I mean, I think that's the foot in the door thing. When you're when you're young and just starting out is. I mean, that's just so huge. So that the fact that they're able to make those connections and introductions. We wrote the story because they told us that they were partnering with Michelin. So now they're going to be hopefully adding some Michelin restaurants and chefs to. To the program so that students will actually get to either intern or be mentored by some of these Michelin star chefs, which is incredible. And by the way, don't let the imposter syndrome guess you. You deserve to be there. Chef Alexa Williams: It's something that I, you know, battle with, and we all do. Jennifer N. Dienst: You deserve to be there, for sure. Well, that's. That's incredible. Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you think is really important for our audience know or that you just want to say or share about the program or your experience? Chef Alexa Williams: I would just finish with the fact that, again, not just life skills, but life skills. I know we spoke a lot about, like, you know, professional goals and career development, but truly, that program grieved me so much in a time when I was struggling based off of my own life circumstances. So even if someone listening to this has no familiarity or doesn't really resonate with, you know, wanting to be in the culinary space, just know that there are programs like this that exist. I think we're living through, like, you know, really. I wouldn't say unprecedented, but really scary times right now. So to remember that there are still organizations and communities that are still focused on serving and filling gaps, it's so important. So even if you can't necessarily give back, even if you're not in Philadelphia and you're listening this and you're on the other side of the country, on the other side of the world, I think knowing that there is community, I hope that, you know, strengthens people's resolve to keep going during this time. I hope that, you know, anyone listening to this just feels like also, it's like I should come meet at work, too. Jennifer N. Dienst: Definitely support our local restaurants, wherever you are. That's something we talk about a lot. So I think. I think that audience will definitely understand that. Well, thank you so much for your time, Alexa. This has been such an incredible podcast. Thank you for sharing your story and being vulnerable with us. It's clear you're going to go very far. So hopefully I'd love to circle back with you in a year and see where you are and see what rush kitchens you're running, because I'M sure you Chef Alexa Williams: will be open still at work. Honestly, there's so much that I'm learning there. Every day I truly learn something new. So I. I hope I'm still there. Jennifer N. Dienst: I'm sure you will be. Or on to bigger and better things. Which you know. For anyone listening, if you want to know a little bit more about Phil Abundance, we have some links in the show notes and we also have links to our February 2026 issue, which also has a story about Phil Abundance. Thank you for listening and thank you for being here. Alexa. Chef Alexa Williams: Thank you so much for having me. Jen. I really appreciate all of your. Magdalina Atanassova: Remember to subscribe to the Convene Podcast on your favorite listening platform to stay updated with our latest episodes. For further industry insights from the Convene team, head over to PCMA.org/convene. My name is Maggie. Stay inspired. Keep inspiring. And until next time.