Fostering Mentoring Program for Foster Youth & Bernhard Debatin

"Light and Shadow: Cooking Up Bright Futures for Foster Youth" It started with a simple question Tom Stevenson asked the host: "Do you remember a time when you made a dish for somebody, something really special that you were connected to? And then you shared that with someone else?" Anna Jinja told him about her love for baking: she brings chocolate chip cookies to those she asks for a favor, explaining that the secret ingredient is love—and who could possibly say no to a cookie baked with love?

That's when she knew this wasn't just a story about workforce development.

Meet the Dream Team: This week the host sat down with extraordinary people creating a program that is absolutely extraordinary: Tom Stevenson - Ohio University's Director of Food & Beverage Operations, whose own journey of leaving home at 16 and finding family in restaurant kitchens now shapes how he mentors others Michelle Mays - Foster care survivor turned FosterHub founder, creating the transitional housing and support she wished she'd had Bernhard Debatin - Songwriter whose "Light and Shadow" captures the universal experience of searching for home

The Program That's Changing Everything: Together, they've created a 7-week culinary mentorship program for foster youth aging out of the system. But here's what makes it special - it's not really about teaching cooking techniques. It's about what Tom discovered in his own journey: "There's a family you're born to and there's a family you create." The teaching kitchen becomes a place where young people who've never experienced stable belonging learn not just food safety and knife skills, but something more fundamental - that they have gifts worth recognizing, that someone wants to see those gifts flourish, and that they deserve a seat at the table.  

Why This Matters to All of Us: Michelle shared something that stopped me in my tracks: "A lot of kids when they first age out, they go into survivor mode. They're not thinking about their futures." How many of us - adoptees, immigrants, anyone who's felt displaced - recognize that survivor mode? And how many of us wish we'd had someone to help us move from surviving to thriving? This program does exactly that. It says to young people: your immediate survival needs are handled, now let's talk about your dreams. Let's discover your gifts. Let's build the confidence and community you need to flourish.

The Universal Truth: While designed for foster youth, this program embodies something every human needs: recognition, community, and the experience of creating something meaningful for others. As Tom reflected, "I think sometimes when I was younger, I wasn't sure what my gift was. And I wasn't sure if somebody wanted to know what that gift was."

How many of us are still wondering that? Listen Now to hear the full conversation, including Bernhard's beautiful song that had us all reaching for tissues (the good kind of tears). This episode will change how you think about mentorship, community, and the transformative power of saying to someone: "You belong here. Your gifts matter. Welcome to the table."

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