Transforming Lives Through Culinary Training: Dr. Rollie Wesen and The Jacques Pépin Foundation

In today’s episode, we speak with our guest Dr. Rollie Wesen, Executive Director of The Jacques Pépin Foundation and an assistant professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. 

In 2016, Rollie founded The Jacques Pépin Foundation alongside his wife and father-in-law, Jacques Pepin. In the interview, Rollie shares how the foundation is dedicated to using community kitchens to train individuals who face high barriers to finding employment in the culinary world. 

Listen as Rollie talks about how cooking is like learning a “foreign language” and how adults today can reclaim their lives with fundamental culinary skills.