I’m Tylisha, the owner of Simply DeLish’s Catering and Cafe in Broken Arrow. About five years ago, I started a culinary training program with just eight high school students. What began as a small opportunity to share skills in the kitchen has grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined. Last year, we served approximately 45 students through our after-school culinary programming. This year, we are reaching nearly 30 high school students and approximately 60 after-school students, nearly 90 young people who now have the chance to learn, create, and grow through culinary arts. I started this program because I believe the kitchen can be so much more than a place where food is prepared. It can be a place where confidence is built, creativity is encouraged, and students discover gifts they may not have known they had.

To date, this growth has been personally funded by me because I truly believe in these young people and in what this program can do for their futures. I have seen students put on an apron, step into the kitchen, and realize they are capable of more than they thought. I have watched them learn teamwork, take pride in what they create, and begin to imagine new possibilities for their lives. But the program has now grown beyond what I can sustainably support on my own. Your help will provide food and ingredients, culinary supplies, kitchen equipment, student kitchen kits and uniforms, staffing support, curriculum and instructional materials, food-safety training and certifications, transportation, and hands-on student experiences and trips. If you believe our young people deserve the opportunity to discover what they are capable of, please consider supporting Simply DeLish. Every donation helps invest in the future of a student and shows them that their community believes in them.