About Us

Emerging Chefs is a youth career enrichment program within On The Road Collaborative. We teach culinary skills rooted in cultural heritage and how the local food system works.

Our program began in 2015 under the leadership of Kristi Van Sickle, who’s carried the vision into reality… and we now have Emerging Chefs classes at Thomas Harrison Middle School and Skyline Middle School in Harrisonburg. We are also serving On the Road high school students through our collaboration with the Explore More Discovery Museum.

The Emerging Chefs Program

Students take a weekly class for 10 weeks per semester, and at the end of each semester host a showcase where youth create and share food with families and the community. Our program travels to cultures around the world flying on the wings of flavor- from pupusas and curtido in El Salvador to injera and misir wot in Ethiopia to chana daal and chai in India to ramen and mochi in Japan. In the summer we also host intensives for our students to dive deeper into their culinary adventures.

Programming is free and located at the school students attend with transportation provided home. We also go on several field trips during the year to local farms, the farmers market, and restaurants to learn more about the local food system.

While attending Emerging Chefs, our students participate in On The Road Collaborative’s weekly programming, which supports them in a variety of ways through the school year with mentorship, tutoring, career-enrichment opportunities, and more.

On The Road Collaborative

On the Road Collaborative empowers middle and high school youth by providing equal access to educational opportunities and hands-on career experiences. Our mission is one of hope for our young people.

We empower youth by providing equal access to educational opportunities and hands-on career experiences.

These opportunities and experiences include one-on-one and group tutoring, designated homework hours, and our Career Enrichment Courses, which are our unique 10-week-long classes that offer hands-on learning experiences and help empower our youth with a clearer understanding of their interests, skills, and future pathways.

Our Ethos

We aim to create a space of belonging with a trauma-informed approach for students of all backgrounds and identities to thrive and explore their passions for food and the interconnectedness of culture and cuisine. Our program is a place to communally cook a meal while cultivating teamwork, empathy, communication, leadership, and artistic expression.