On Thursday mornings around 10, Timothy Lettal searches for a quiet space in Freeport’s Program Without Walls location. Once finding a good spot, he logs into Google Classroom for his culinary lecture. Timothy learned of the class through Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) services, a career discovery and employment support resource.

Tim learned about ACCES-VR during a therapy session with Julie Cannet, Assistant Director for Psychology Services, and joined ACCES-VR late last year where he began a two-week discovery course.

“They’ll assess you on math skills, learning and English skills, and then they’ll say, ‘You can try for food service, mechanic, childcare, whatever you want to do,’” said Tim. “I chose food service.”

Food service was his first choice because cooking is Tim’s passion and it’s the first step toward achieving his goal of becoming a chef. Cooking is also a part of Tim’s heritage; his father was a chef in the military, and his grandfather owned a bakery in the 1930’s. Growing up, Tim picked up a wide array of recipes from his father.

“I learned a lot from my dad, like how to prepare a meal and stuff.,” Tim said. “We made steak, pasta, beef stroganoff.”

By choosing food service, Tim effectively committed to growing this list of recipes and following in his father’s footsteps. In March, Tim’s ACCES-VR counselor connected him with Nassau BOCES to take a culinary arts course.

Among a group of four students, he learned about food safety, the hospitality industry, and received one-on-one support from a chef instructor. On lecture days, they dove deep into the food service sector and received tips from professionals in the field. During his labs, he worked in a professional kitchen and picked up new dishes to cook for his roommates at home.

“I’m learning good skills. I’m learning how to cook for myself and other people and be independent,” Tim said.

In June, Tim completed the course and received a culinary arts certificate from Nassau BOCES and is currently looking at different places to work.

“There’s some places like Chick-fil-A, BJ’s, and aviation, like in the airport,” said Tim.

He learned about these places through his BOCES class and is actively applying. He’ll still benefit from support, however, as the staff at BOCES and ACCES-VR are committed to being by his side as he starts his chosen career.