In a commercial kitchen in Frayser, something more than food is being made. Confidence, community and second chances are coming together one meal at a time.

The Sow Project, a free culinary-training program for unemployed and underemployed Memphians, is reshaping what job readiness looks like in the food and hospitality industry. Founded by longtime chef and restaurateur Ben Vaughn, the program combines hands-on culinary education with mentorship, financial literacy and job-placement support — creating pathways for people who may never have seen themselves in a professional kitchen.

Vaughn knows this path intimately. After three decades in the culinary world — opening restaurants, writing books and surviving addiction — he realized his next chapter needed to be in service of others. He started small, teaching cooking basics to a few individuals out of his own kitchen.

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“I had a skill set that could help people,” Vaughn said. “Not everyone can afford culinary school or even knows where to start. I wanted to offer them a chance.”

Soon, Vaughn needed more space and began partnering with local churches to keep up with demand. However, it wasn’t until Girls Inc. of Memphis stepped in with an offer to use its Frayser campus — complete with a kitchen, garden and office space — that the program found its true home.

“It was exactly what we needed,” Vaughn said. “Girls Inc. believed in our mission, and we showed up for each other.”

Since then, The Sow Project has helped more than 70 students gain employment, many of whom had never held a job before. Graduates have gone on to earn an average of $18 an hour in kitchens and food-service roles across Memphis, Vaughn said.

The program’s goal isn’t just to teach kitchen skills, however. It’s to restore dignity, provide structure and help people see what they’re capable of.

Memphis chef Dave Krog, co-owner of the former East Memphis restaurant Dory, joined the project as an adviser and culinary mentor after connecting with Vaughn.

“Ben and I were on similar paths,” Krog said. “We both had reputations as good cooks with complicated pasts. When he told me what he was building, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Krog now works alongside students in the kitchen, helping them learn the pace and production demands of a real-world culinary environment.

“We’re putting out 500 meals a day,” he said. “For someone who’s never been in a kitchen, that’s a big deal. But they’re rising to it.”

A Sow and grow brunch

While food is the tool, the real mission of The Sow Project is about transformation. 

That’s what the upcoming Sow and Grow Garden Party on Sunday, May 4, will celebrate. Hosted at Girls Inc.’s Dellwood Avenue location, the brunch will feature a chef-driven menu prepared with the help of students with proceeds going directly to support both organizations.

“You get a great meal, and you’re supporting something real,” Vaughn said. “This is about building up our city from the inside out.”

While they have plans to expand The Sow Project to other cities, Vaughn and his team are focused on keeping their model simple and effective: to offer high-quality training at zero cost, meet people where they are and connect participants to real opportunities.

“Memphis has been the perfect place to prove what’s possible,” Vaughn said. “We’re showing that if you invest in people, they’ll show up and thrive.”