Yale Dining Jobs Pitched In Dixwell

With reunion and commencement season on the horizon, Yale Hospitality is looking to hire 75 to 100 semi-permanent workers from New Haven as banquet servers and casual dining staffers.

University officials urged an audience of city residents to apply for those jobs in the latest session of an ongoing town-gown local hiring push.

That Yale-New Haven job pitch took place at the Q House at 197 Dixwell Ave. on Monday. 

Yale Hospitality Director of Culinary Experience James Benson and Director of Organizational & Workplace Excellence Agatha Williams came to the Dixwell community center to make their pitch for New Haveners to apply to the cooking, catering, and dining hall jobs at the university.

The event was part of a series put together by the Yale’s New Haven Hiring Initiative (NHHI) Community Liaison Fallon Thomas and Director Chris Brown for city residents to hear about job opportunities at Yale. 

Yale Hospitality has also launched a Culinary Apprenticeship Program, through which the university hopes to train and hire four New Haveners as Yale culinarians.

“This is really taking the first steps to be a chef,” Benson said at Monday’s event. ​“The objective is for you to develop your skills further and work in this really rich and rewarding culture.” 

Launched last year, the apprenticeships are meant to provide an opening window into the world of culinary craft through a structured two-week educational program followed by a 32-week hands-on segment. During that latter part of the program, apprentices will work in various parts of Yale Hospitality’s service areas. 

Designed in partnership with Gateway Community College, the inaugural cohort of apprentices is slated to graduate in the coming weeks. The inaugural cohort includes four internal hires and one student from Gateway who wish to pursue culinary careers. According to Williams, all five members of the inaugural cohort will continue working for Yale Hospitality once they graduate. 

The program has two tracks: one where more experienced apprentices can work on strengthening already existing skills, another that focuses on apprentices who do not have a lot of formal experience but show the potential to grow. 

Honesty Mitchell was one of the attendees at Monday’s Q House-hosted session. She said she plans to apply to the program because she has had a lifelong passion for cooking and has begun to develop culinary skills on her own time during the pandemic.

“I’ve always loved food and cooking, so applying for this job and getting professional experience to go along with my passion will be great,” Mitchell said.

In addition to the apprenticeship program, Yale Hospitality is also hiring and recruiting candidates for the roles of banquet server, casual dining worker and third cook.

Williams explained that it can be difficult to ​“get your foot in the door” with hospitality or culinary jobs; thus, a banquet server or casual dining worker job where a person works flexible and temporary hours and is essentially on call for large Yale events like commencement and reunions.

“This is a good way to get started,” Williams said. ​“Come through these doors, get some experience, see how Yale works and then you can start applying for jobs as an internal hire and get the job you want. I have so many stories of people getting a permanent job within three months of joining as a temporary banquet server or casual dining worker. “

Benson and Williams also shared different roles New Haveners can apply for, including jobs as a cook’s helper, pantry worker, guest experience manager, general manager, or garden manager.

Williams reminded potential applicants that customer service and ​“a go-getter” attitude are musts for anyone who wishes to work for Yale Hospitality.

“Students are away from home for four years,” Williams said. ​“Yale Hospitality workers are there to ask them how their day is going, make them feel at home and comfortable. There have been times where a Yale Hospitality worker has picked up when a student isn’t doing well and got them the help they need.”

She added that with every potential worker she interviews, she’s looking to see that they can keep up with her, look professional and are excited for the job.

“If you’re walking slower than me, I’m concerned you can’t keep up,” Williams said. ​“If you’re not dressed professionally and don’t seem excited about the job, you’re probably not going far.”

“We’re not just interviewing to see if you know how to make sushi from scratch or the five types of mushrooms,” Benson added. ​“It’s all about, we talked about interviewing to seek out the passion. It’s not just about answering a series of questions 100 percent on it, it’s also about being put together and having energy.”

Williams added that jobs at Yale Hospitality are not meant to ​“be static.” 

“We want to give you the chance to grow and quickly go up the ranks,” Williams said. ​“We’re always looking to expand management and get you the help and skills you need to grow in your own careers.”

Shaina Plunkett, who currently works at Yale New Haven Hospital, said she too plans on applying to open Yale culinary positions. Cultivating an interest in cooking ​“on the side,” she hopes to bring her Jamaican heritage to Yale Hospitality. 

“I have a friend at Yale Hospitality, and I am just inspired by the passion and the culture at Yale Hospitality,” Plunkett said.

Monday’s event is part of a push by the New Haven Hiring Initiative to help execute the university’s promise to increase the number of New Haveners hired by Yale. Fallon and Brown plan on hosting future events including one on Monday, March 13 with Yale Police as well as another on March 22 where Fallon will walk people through how to apply to jobs. 

The New Haven Hiring Initiative Employment Readiness Program at the Q House occurs on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.