Bridge to the Future
Cooking with Confidence
Bridge to the Future: Cooking with Confidence is an engaging, hands-on culinary program created for adults with developmental disAbilities, (Autism and Related Disabilities). This unique experience provides a supportive environment where participants learn essential kitchen skills, from food safety and meal prep to teamwork and healthy habits. By building confidence and promoting independence, the program empowers individuals to thrive both in the kitchen and in daily life.
Understanding the Challenges
Cooking is an essential life skill, but for many adults with developmental disAbilities, it can present significant and often overlooked challenges. Fine motor difficulties can make tasks like chopping, stirring, or using kitchen tools physically demanding. Many individuals also struggle with following multi-step instructions, which are necessary for completing recipes and managing multiple kitchen tasks. Cognitive and communication barriers may make it difficult to understand cooking terms, measurements, or verbal directions, while limited kitchen experience can lead to a lack of familiarity with tools, ingredients, and appliances. Sensory sensitivities add another layer of complexity, strong smells, specific textures, or the sounds of kitchen equipment can cause discomfort or anxiety. In addition, safety awareness is a major concern, as using hot surfaces, sharp objects, or handling perishable items requires sound judgment and careful attention. These challenges often contribute to a lack of confidence, increased dependency, and missed opportunities for independence, healthy living, and even potential employment. Recognizing and understanding these barriers is crucial to building programs that truly support skill development and inclusion.
Benefits of Participating
Participating in Cooking with Confidence offers numerous benefits that extend far beyond the kitchen. It helps individuals build essential life skills such as meal planning, food preparation, and safe kitchen practices, fostering greater independence in daily living. The program also promotes healthier eating habits, improves fine motor coordination, and strengthens cognitive abilities through hands-on learning and problem-solving. Beyond the practical skills, participants will gain confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and opportunities for social interaction and teamwork. For some, it can even open the door to vocational pathways in the food service industry, making it a valuable stepping stone toward greater self-sufficiency and community inclusion.
Program Goals
Develop Independent Living Skills: Participants learn practical, everyday skills such as measuring, mixing, using kitchen tools, preparing simple meals, and cleaning up, essential tasks that support greater autonomy and confidence at home.
Introduce Safe Food Handling Practices (ServSafe Aligned): The program incorporates basic food safety principles in alignment with the ServSafe Food Handler skills . Participants are introduced to hygiene protocols, cross-contamination prevention, proper food storage, and safe cooking temperatures to ensure safe and responsible kitchen habits.
Encourage Healthy Eating and Meal Planning: Participants explore the importance of nutrition, balanced meals, and portion control. The program emphasizes how to plan and prepare meals using fresh ingredients to support a healthier lifestyle.
Provide Vocational Training Opportunities: For individuals interested in pursuing employment in food service or related fields, the program offers exposure to entry-level kitchen skills and industry standards. Instruction includes basic kitchen roles, teamwork, and expectations found in professional settings, helping prepare participants for future vocational opportunities.
Foster Teamwork, Confidence, and Self-Expression Through Cooking: Cooking together encourages collaboration, social interaction, and communication. As participants engage in group activities and share their culinary creations, they build confidence, express creativity, and develop a strong sense of accomplishment and community.
Program Details
Bridge to the Future: Cooking with Confidence aims at building essential culinary skills and promoting independence through hands-on cooking experiences. The program runs for 8 weeks, with participants attending once per week. To best support individual learning, it is divided into two distinct cohorts based on experience level. As a pilot, the goal is to evaluate its impact and explore opportunities to offer it on an ongoing basis.
Cohort A: Beginner Basics is designed for individuals with little or no kitchen experience. This group focuses on foundational skills such as hygiene and sanitation, measuring and mixing, identifying basic utensils, preparing simple meals, and building confidence in a safe, supportive environment.
Cohort B: Intermediate/Advanced Skills & Food Safety is for participants who have some kitchen experience and are ready to expand their skills. This cohort includes instruction on cooking techniques, cooking proteins, making sauces and dressings, understanding basic nutrition, and practicing food safety using ServSafe Food Handler guidelines.
2026 APPLICATION FOR WINTER SESSION iS OPEN
Program Schedule
This is a cooking program designed to introduce participants to basic culinary skills, kitchen safety, and confidence-building through hands-on experience. In 2026, we will have two sessions: Winter and Summer.
Deadline to Submit Application for Winter Session is January 3, 2026. Applicants will be notified with details upon acceptance.
Cohort A (Session Dates)
Winter Session-Meets on Fridays
January-February-March (1:30pm-3:00pm)
1/9 – 1/16 – 1/23 – 1/30- 2/6 – 2/20 – 2/27 – 3/6
There is no class Februrary 13 due to Valentine’s Weekend. (This is an 8 week class)
Cohort B (Session Dates)
Winter Session-Meets on Mondays
January-February-March (1:30pm-3:00pm)
1/12 – 1/26 – 2/2 – 2/9 – 2/23 – 3/2 – 3/9 – 3/16
There are no classes Jan. 19th and Feb. 16th due to Federal Holidays. (This is an 8 week class)
Interested in Applying ?
Space is limited, but we will make every effort to accommodate all eligible applicants for the upcoming session.
Special Thanks
We would like to thank the Florida Autism License Plate Fund/Grant and Elk’s Lodge #2709
for making Bridge to the Future: Cooking with Confidence possible.
Help us build a better future...
With your contribution you can make a difference in the life of an. individuals with exceptional needs and unqiue abilities, such as Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc.
Summer Cohort A & B Experience
