IVC’s Joe Ludovici (left) and operations team member Alysia Beach on a recent morning at DC Central Kitchen
Lifting Up Others at DC Central Kitchen
IVC’s Joe Ludovici likes to describe his role in Workforce Development at IVC partner agency DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) as helping those who need it most – students enrolled in DCCK’s Culinary Job Training program. “They find compassion and love here, and that we care about their journey to career stability,” he says. “They are doing the work, and we coach them on skills to be successful.”
DCCK was founded in 1989 as the nation’s first community kitchen, feeding those experiencing hunger and creating culinary job-training opportunities to address poverty. Today, DCCK helps generate living wage jobs and brings food where it is most needed. They also create meals for schools in the District of Columbia, deliver fresh produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets, and operate cafes in the city, among other social ventures!
“We’re fighting hunger differently,” says DCCK CEO Mike Curtin. “Our Culinary Job Training program offers a rigorous ‘knife skills and life skills’ curriculum that prepares students for lasting careers in the hospitality sector.” That’s where Joe Ludovici and IVC help DCCK build capacity to accomplish their mission.
DCCK’s Culinary Job Training program reaches out to men and women with a history of incarceration, substance abuse, and mental illness who are unable to find or maintain employment, and are seeking a new start in life. Joe assists the program’s self-empowerment class, and supports the recruitment and retention team with case management and administrative tasks. It’s work he felt called to do.
Joe retired in 2023 following 41 years of service in civil engineering with the Department of the Navy and Department of Defense, including senior leadership positions managing shore base and facilities operations. This great background prepared him well for his next act in life – joining IVC! “I felt that DCCK was having the greatest impact on the most people, so I asked to serve there,” he says.
Workforce Development Specialist Diana Robinson is glad to have him on the team. “Joe helps us with recruitment, reviews applications, and interviews candidates,” she says. “He’s ‘hands-on’ and engages with each student and makes sure they are qualified through all phases of the program.” Joe provides critical input to Diana on whether an applicant is ready to move to the next stage. Following this rigorous screening process, up to 32 accepted students receive a $15,000 scholarship to participate in the 14-week program (offered seven times a year!).
Throughout each class cycle, Joe works with students in the self-empowerment class – listening to them, assisting with their resume development, and conducting mock interviews. “He’s been phenomenal,” says Associate Director for Workforce Development Jeff Rustin. “We work closely together, and it’s like a family relationship for us. We let our students know we will give them everything they need to be successful. We lead by example.”
Last year, 131 students completed the program with a 91% job placement rate. While most graduates are hired by restaurants and hotels in the region, many go to work at DCCK – bringing food to those in the community who need it most. It’s a program that IVC is proud to be included in.
Mike Curtin notes that over the years DCCK has been fortunate to have incredibly dedicated IVC volunteers who have effectively become a part of the staff. “They’ve brought into the mission of DCCK as part of something larger and mission based. In Joe’s case, becoming part of the program and part of students’ lives. Everyone who comes here is looking for something more; to be part of something bigger and to have that second chance or new chance. We lift each other up. IVC volunteers see parts of themselves they didn’t imagine.”