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Interested in Hiring OUR Graduates?

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Please email us via the button below for more information on how you can hire our graduates.

Why Hire Work Options' Graduates?

Relationship-First Model

Work Options provides post-graduation support for graduates for the first 12-months after training completion; we are there to help BOTH graduates and employers navigate or resolve workplace challenges.

Graduates are Driven

Our number one criterion for students is a drive to gain and maintain employment in the culinary industry. As a result, graduates are highly motivated to maintain a job post-graduation. Graduates of our program are reliable, consistent, and prepared to show up and work.

Technical Skills

Students in our program learn job-ready skills such as knife skills, culinary techniques, time management and teamwork. All students graduate with industry-recognized certificates, including ServSafe Food Handlers certification. Hiring Work Options’ graduates means that employers spend less time training employees on the front end. 

Soft Skills

Graduates learn critical problem-solving skills as they work to resolve their own barriers to employment. Practicing their culinary and soft skills while working in Work Options’ busy commercial kitchen also ensures that graduates are collaborative, good communicators and consistently perform well, even under pressure.

Brand Alignment

Hiring Work Options’ graduates show a commitment to our community and to diversity in the workforce. It is a story that we can help you tell and amplify to elevate your brand with consumers who are driven to shop responsibly.

Partner with work options
as an NRAEF apprenticeship employer

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Work Options offers our award-winning Pre-Apprenticeship program to a select group of students who complete a total of three months of training to prepare for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) Line Cook Apprenticeship.

Pre-Apprenticeship students have completed many of the educational requirements for NRAEF Apprenticeship and are prepared for long-term employment. If you are interested in becoming an Apprenticeship Employer Partner, or if you would like more information on how you can become an Apprenticeship provider please contact us.

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Julie Stone

Executive Director

She/Her

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert G. Ingersoll

Julie Stone joined Work Options in 2010 as Director of Operations and was promoted to Executive Director in 2016. She brings more than a decade of institutional knowledge and a deep commitment to the organization’s mission of using food as a force for good.

As Executive Director, Julie oversees the organization’s development strategy and financial health while guiding overall organizational vision and impact. She has an extensive background in food service management, with experience ranging from fine dining to multi unit operations, and a deep understanding of Work Options’ programming, students, and community impact. Throughout her career, Julie has specialized in training and supporting individuals with limited employable skills, helping them build pathways to stable and meaningful employment.

Prior to joining Work Options, Julie managed the Ohio Governor’s Residence, where she developed and directed an innovative inmate hospitality program. This experience helped shape her commitment to workforce development, operational excellence, and inclusive leadership.

Julie holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University’s Greater Good Leadership Program. She also serves as a board member of the Colorado Restaurant Association and Foundation.

Julie thrives in mission driven environments where she can identify and mobilize strategic priorities to achieve both short and long term goals. She is known for building strong relationships, anticipating challenges before they arise, and translating complex ideas into clear, actionable strategies. Her leadership is grounded in strong financial management, cross functional collaboration, and a commitment to innovative, equity centered solutions.