Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanita McAfee Bryant.
Hi Shanita, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been in the for-profit part of the restaurant for 23 years. for the last ten years, there has been a real shortage of qualified workers in Kansas city especially. During this time, I worked with all of the existing programs to get interns/employees. The participants, while they were eager to work most need more assistance than just a job. About six years ago, I was working in Seattle for an event and was introduced to Farestart/ Catylist Kitchen, at the time I wished we had something like that here but was not at a place in my career where I could do it. The seed was planted and now I have shifted to the social impact part of the business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Launch a Non-profit 30 days before a global pandemic was not hard at all…. lol!! Seriously I am a roll with the punches kinda girl and being a single mother in the food world has given me an unbelievable amount of Grit !! I don’t know how to take NO for an answer.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Prospect Urban Eatery?
The Prospect: An Urban Eatery will provide culinary training and gainful employment opportunities to an underutilized, disadvantaged community, resulting in sustainable careers and a skilled workforce in the Kansas City food industry. Instruction will occur in a teaching kitchen so participants can work in a well-equipped, collaborative space that inspires innovative thinking and where participants will develop skills in culinary arts and nutrition education.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
As the Executive Director and Founder of The Prospect. I am the lead and coordinator of this project as a result of her personal experience with the obstacles and financial hardship that come with being a young single mother and aspiring entrepreneur. Although mainstream society saw me as a statistic like our target demographic, she worked beyond her measures, refusing to surrender to her struggles.
I overcame difficult circumstances and developed expert skills as a renowned executive chef and dedicates her life to making a difference in the lives of those who have been told by society that they do not deserve a second chance.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.theprospectkc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprospectkc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProspectUrbanEatery
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYd3Xo0RP7mSREETx7whLkw
