Hello, my name is Darcel Jackson, 54, and I am a self-made chef from the San Francisco Bay Area.
After becoming sick some years ago, I wound up homeless in San Francisco. I spent the three months living at the Next Door Shelter on Polk and Geary streets and I realized that empowering homeless’s start with the access to Internet. While working at Shelter Tech, a non-profit dedicated to providing internet access to the homeless, I obtained the necessary skills and tools to build my own business. Now, I have decided to pursue my true passion – catering!
I have been working as a local caterer for the past two years – cooking a variety of dishes (from barbecue to Italian pasta dishes) for all types of individuals. After receiving my diploma from the Episcopal Community Services chef program (where 21 chefs started and only three completed, including myself), I began catering for Code for America in San Francisco, CA.