JONATHAN COLON: Before I came
here, it was difficult for me
to be around people.
I couldn't interact with people.
I couldn't do
anything by myself.
DONA GHDIBETTA: His
anxieties were so great
that he had to be Uber-ed
into the kitchen everyday
or he couldn't make it in.
CHEF LEX QUINO: I have
students that come in here,
and they are dealing
with things like anxiety
and severe depression, and
just working with food and all
of how tantalizing it is,
all of the different smells
and flavors, and
just the discipline
of it and the colors,
it tends to be
very therapeutic for them.
JONATHAN COLON: I love cooking.
I can just lose myself into it.
I feel so much better being here
than I did before I came here.
This kitchen is
Fedcap's kitchen.
Fedcap students are from
underprivileged areas
of New York.
All ways around, yeah.
You have it.
The chef.
The chef.
CHEF LEX QUINO: I have
students that come in here,
and they are dealing
with things, like anxiety
and severe depression.
At one point, I was
in a very dark time,
and I was contemplating suicide.
After coming here, you
know, I found a place where
I feel like I can push myself.
We get to give them
employment, and it's amazing.
And we get to give them
employment that's dynamic,
that they could sink their teeth
into, that they could discover
themselves newly,
that they can be
developed, and be
self-expressed,
most importantly.
And that's the best part.
Now I can interact with
people with no problem.
I love cooking.
I can just lose myself into it.
CHEF LEX QUINO:
It's also a space
where they get to be social in
a community-oriented fashion.
And they get to work
with a group of people.
And they get to bond
together and create
something amazing every day.
JONATHAN COLON: Seeing
them try their best
makes me want to push
myself to be better.
I never used to cook.
NAVEEN DHALIWAL: Never at all?
JONATHAN COLON: Never at all.
I had the kidney removed.
So I have heart disease
and kidney disease.
Every day I work with pain.
But I get up and try
it again the next day.
DONA GHDIBETTA: The
common thread is food.
There's such a passion
and love for food
that nobody sees anybody
from anywhere else.
Everybody is included
and everyone feels welcome.
DONA GHDIBETTA: That we
don't have to be different.
Once we have a
conversation and a love,
we're going to
all come together.
And we've come together
beautifully here.
