Building Foundations
A DeKoven Center Community Program
For more than 175 years, the DeKoven Center’s kitchen has been a place of service, hospitality, and community. From its earliest days as part of an Episcopal college, to its years as a summer camp operated by the Sisters of the Community of St. Mary, to its current life as a retreat and conference center, DeKoven has long welcomed people around shared meals and meaningful gathering.
Today, our Building Foundations program continues that legacy in a new way: by preparing participants for employment in the food service, hospitality, and service industries through hands-on training in a real retreat and conference center environment.
From 2022–2024, Building Foundations helped nourish the wider community by preparing and serving nearly 65,000 meals in partnership with local organizations including St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospitality Center, HALO, and the Bray Community Center. That work reflected DeKoven’s deep commitment to service and care for our neighbors.
The program has now evolved to meet another important community need: helping individuals gain practical job skills, workplace confidence, and pathways toward employment in growing industries. Through Building Foundations, participants are not only learning the foundations of food service and hospitality—they are building foundations for their future.
Our Program
Building Foundations offers participants the opportunity to learn in an active commercial kitchen, dining room, and hospitality setting. Rather than training in a classroom alone, participants gain real-world experience in a working retreat and conference center that serves guests, groups, and events throughout the year.
Through the program, participants build both technical and professional skills, including:
Food safety and sanitation practices
Foundational culinary skills
Meal preparation and kitchen workflow
Dining room setup and guest service
Hospitality skills
Communication, teamwork, and problem-solving
Time management and workplace readiness
Confidence working in a professional environment
Participants also have access to low-cost online certification opportunities, helping them build credentials that can support future employment in food service, hospitality, and related fields.
Click the link below to request more information:
