From an early age, Annapolis resident Diesha Contee, 33, fell in love with cooking.
She grew up watching her father, two grandmothers and maternal figure cook while she would also take care of her younger sister. It didn’t take long for her to jump right in with them and start seasoning food, combining flavors and tossing different ingredients in the skillet.
Her passion, combined with her nurturing and caring personality, have made her a reputable member in the community. So much, that family, friends and neighbors often stop by her house so she can make them a hot meal.
“My favorite dish to make is pasta alfredo,” she laughed.
Contee pursued a career as a nursing assistant after high school, but cooking remained a part of her life. She became a volunteer with The Light House as a way to give back to the community while doing what she loved by preparing breakfast and dinner for residents. It was at The Light House where she learned about their Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) program.
“Between work, my son and volunteering, I didn’t think I would have enough time,” she recalled. “Chef Linda from The Light House encouraged me to join and I had always dreamed of having my own food truck. I knew I first had to learn more techniques before getting a truck, so in July, I joined the program.”
The mother of a 4-year-old son and founder of Rebuilding and Recreating Our Maternal Village, a community group to support women and fundraise money for food, Contee committed to attending classes Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. She would then go home to spend time with her son before heading out to meet with her group and plan her next ‘feed the community’ event.
“There were many times I thought I couldn’t do this,” she said. “I had to juggle everyday life, classes, work and volunteering. But I knew I first had to have the right skills to open my food truck, so I pushed through the 12 weeks and it was all worth it.”
B.E.S.T. launched in 2012 and is The Light House’s hallmark free employment-training program that gives a second chance to individuals who suffer from significant employment barriers.
The 12-week program, which serves those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and who want to find living wage employment in the workforce, trains students in the fields of either culinary arts or building trades. Up to date, it has trained over 350 individuals and cumulatively, has an 80% success rate.
“In every class we learn more, we do more and wish we could do more,” said Linda Vogler, Director of Culinary Services at The Light House. “What makes me happy about this program is that everything is always different, every day and every student graduation is different. We feel like we are meeting the needs and finding that more and more people come to us.”
When working with Contee, Vogler said she demonstrated true leadership skills and dedication to the community. “Her classmates describe her as the mother of the class,” she said.
According to Katy Edwards, Workforce Grants Administrator at The Light House, Contee’s leadership skills are what made her the ideal candidate for the program.
“Diesha was willing to share her story and felt empowered through her story,” she noted. “It can be a difficult place to start for those who’ve have a lot of barriers pop up, but we seek to find individuals who want to shine a light on folks and who see their story as an inspiration to others.”
The program, which is open only to individuals who struggle with significant employment barriers such as homelessness, poverty, incarceration or addiction, works on bridging opportunities for participants through internships and jobs by introducing them to new professional fields.
With over 15 community partners, participants in the culinary field are given the opportunity to train and work at The Light House Bistro, while those who enroll in the building trades field train in construction and maintenance skills in the Salvation Army’s basement located at Hilltop.
After her graduation earlier this month, Contee has been focusing on finding employment in the culinary field, building her credit and gathering funds to buy her dream food truck, in which she plans to serve soul food.
“I already have my next ‘feed the community’ event planned for Oct. 16 and am working on servicing families and sponsoring kids during Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said. “If I could do anything differently, I would just go back in time and complete the program earlier. I learned a lot and feel like it prepared me well to make my dream come true.”
If you would like to get involved with The Light House as a volunteer or volunteer translator, or if you know someone who would like to enroll in the B.E.S.T. program, please contact volunteers@annapolislighthouse.org.
