Everything in its place

Training Chicago’s next generation of culinary professionals.

A three-tier hospitality training program for Chicagoans ages 16 to 36: classroom, kitchen, then hands-on work at real catered events. Led by Chef Clifford Rome in Bronzeville.

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Formerly “Before The Plate” · A program of Rome in a Day Production Chicago, a 501(c)(3) charity

Chefs and trainees in chef hats and aprons cutting onions and peppers on a stainless kitchen line

Our mission

“Investing in our future before they step up to the plate.”

Drawing on the culinary principle of mise en place, meaning “everything in its place,” the organization strives to inspire, train and economically elevate the next generation of culinary professionals, empowering them, in turn, to positively impact their communities in and out of the kitchen.

Through the program, Rome in a Day Productions envisions a community where real-world job training is accessible and available to all, creating career opportunities and breaking the cycle of unemployment.

The program

Three tiers, from the classroom to the pass.

An integrated approach that blends lectures, demonstrations, cooking and evaluations, built on a nationally accredited curriculum and updated to reflect current industry trends.

  1. Four chefs in black and white chef coats laughing around a classroom table

    Classroom

    Introduces the basics of food terminology, sanitation licensing, the Food Pyramid, cooking basics, and job readiness, including appearance, attitude and work ethic.

  2. Close-up of hands guiding a chef’s knife through mushrooms on a cutting board

    Kitchen

    Students apply classroom knowledge in a working kitchen, practicing the industry’s essential skill sets: kitchen safety, knife skills, meal preparation and table setting.

  3. Tongs lifting golden croquettes from a skillet beside plated dishes topped with bacon

    Hands-on experience

    The final and most important stage. Trainees work catered events, compose menus, build and understand recipes, and learn best practices for both front and back of house, so they enter the workforce as capable, confident professionals.

Soft skills, practiced daily

  • Customer service
  • Communication styles
  • Adaptability
  • Teamwork & collaboration
  • Problem solving
  • Critical observation
  • Conflict resolution
  • Professional, ethical conduct

Hard skills, built in the kitchen

  • Knife skills
  • Food preparation
  • Organization
  • Cooking
  • Kitchen safety
  • Table setting
  • Financial literacy
  • Management skills
Young adults seated around a wooden table in a session with an instructor

Who it serves

Built for people ready to work.

  • Ages 16 to 36 Young people and adults who want to be exposed to, and prepared for, positions in the hospitality industry.
  • Job seekers Individuals seeking full-time employment, with basic culinary and hospitality management skills as a stepping stone.
  • Local businesses Workforce support for area entrepreneurs and business owners on Chicago’s south and west sides.

Chef Rome started the program after recognizing a local lack of opportunities to develop professional skills. Students explore different fields of the culinary trade in an intensive, practical setting.

Graduation day

Moments from Mise En Place sessions and completion ceremonies.

  • A graduating class in black uniforms with their chef instructor and supporters, posed outdoors on a brick patio
  • A chef in whites signs certificates laid out beside folded chef jackets as students wait
  • A row of open knife kits laid out on a long table
  • Students in black polos and caps seated attentively at a ceremony
  • A black chef jacket and striped apron embroidered with the Mise En Place logo
  • Family and friends seated in a bright event room watching graduates at the front
  • A row of certificates of completion on a table
  • Trainees gathered around a dining table for a classroom session

Who teaches

Led by chefs who came up through the industry.

Founder

Chef Clifford Rome

An Englewood native who first fell for food helping his grandmother cook fresh from her garden, Chef Rome worked at Spago with Wolfgang Puck, studied culinary arts in Paris, and was one of five chefs selected to work at the Cannes International Film Festival’s American Pavilion. He founded Rome’s Joy Companies and serves on the advisory board of Washburne Culinary School.

He has partnered with the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (CCAP), After School Matters, Healthy Schools Campaign, the YMCA, Education to Careers and Washburne Culinary School.

Co-founder

Eileen Rhodes

Chef Rome’s business partner in creating a training program that gives individuals basic culinary and hospitality management skills.

Instructor

Chef Trillis Rollins

Executive Chef of Rome’s Joy Catering and Peach’s Restaurant on 47th, with more than 15 years in the industry. As a Mise En Place instructor he mentors and trains students in a well-organized, efficient kitchen.

Sponsors & partners

Good jobs take a whole city.

Partnerships with south and west side businesses and nonprofit organizations help ensure job placement, readiness and success for students.

Sponsor logos: Bon Appétit Management Company, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, GN Bank, Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, MIGMIR Fund, RJC, One On One, Pyramid Partnership Inc., SAVOR, and City Colleges of Chicago Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute
  • Bon Appétit Management Company
  • Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
  • GN Bank
  • Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
  • MIGMIR Fund
  • RJC
  • One On One
  • Pyramid Partnership, Inc.
  • SAVOR… Chicago
  • Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute
  • University of Chicago

Where Chef Rome’s network places people

Chef Rome has established landing spots for employment with the University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago, Northwestern University, Sodexo Magic, Bon Appétit, Culinare and Chartwells.

Next up: Chef Rome and his team, with Bon Appétit, will lead food services at the Obama Presidential Center, with some mentees potentially working there.

Apply

Sign up for the next session.

If you are 16 to 36 and want a real start in kitchens, catering or hospitality, reach out. Tell us a little about yourself and we’ll share the next session dates.

Call 773.373.4320 Message us on Facebook
  1. Reach outSend the form, call, or message us on Facebook.
  2. Get the session detailsWe’ll follow up with dates and what to expect.
  3. Start Tier OneBegin in the classroom, then move into the kitchen and onto real events.

Tell us about yourself

Fields marked * are required. We reply with the next session dates.

Donate or partner

Help support this program.

Make a gift

Every student enrolled receives a snap jacket, a cook’s cap, a knife kit and a ServSafe Food Handler certificate. Your gift helps put those tools in a trainee’s hands.

Rome in a Day Production Chicago is a charity recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3). Mise En Place Chicago is its active program. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Partner with us

  • Hire graduates. Bring trained, ServSafe-certified people onto your team.
  • Sponsor the program. Join the businesses and foundations that support each session.
  • Train your staff. Workforce support for area entrepreneurs and business owners.
Talk with us: 773.373.4320

In the news

Press & video.

Chicago Tribune

Englewood native Clifford Rome is cooking up ways to empower disadvantaged Chicago youth

Watch

Find us

At the Parkway Ballroom in Bronzeville.

Mise En Place Chicago (MSPC) Parkway Ballroom 4455 S. King Drive Chicago, IL 60653 773.373.4320
Directions Facebook Apply online
Close-up of a cook slicing mushrooms on a white cutting board