Alumni Spotlight: Daniela Hurtado, Kitchen of Purpose

Daniela Hurtado is the Director of Operations and Programs at Kitchen of Purpose, which uses the power of food to create social and economic change in low-income communities. CPNL spoke to Daniela about her career and experience in the Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program.

CPNL: Could you share a bit about your background?

Daniela Hurtado: I am a chef by profession and have always been passionate about food. I dedicated my early career years to culinary education, working in the educational industry in my country, Peru. When I moved to New York City, I continued working in culinary education as a chef instructor. I felt I needed to experience working in a New York City restaurant, so I got a second job, a night job in a couple of restaurants here and there. I think this started to wake up something in me. During the day I was going to a very fancy and expensive culinary school, working with young folks whose parents could easily pay for their education and there were a few that were lucky enough to get a scholarship. In a lot of the cases, I was under the impression that the majority of them were not appreciative of the opportunity. This bothered me because at night, white working at the restaurants, I saw how immigrants from all over the world, and in some cases, undocumented immigrants, could not stand up for themselves. They could not speak up to their boss or to HR to say they were being mistreated or underpaid. They would often come to me, or to whoever could speak English to ask for help. This disparity got me thinking: What can I do? How can I help?

CPNL: What led you to join the nonprofit sector and Kitchen of Purpose?

Daniela Hurtado: It happened naturally. I was about to move to DC, so I used the transition to start looking for jobs. With the help of my husband, I found DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). They’ve been around for a while and they work with food. They train people from marginalized communities in culinary skills, and I joined that team as a culinary instructor first and later became the manager of the culinary program. Overtime, I became very intrigued by how the nonprofit world works. I started to learn a lot about funding and grant writing and I started to immerse myself in what was happening behind the scenes. I was then introduced to someone from another organization that was getting assistance from DCCK to start her own nonprofit called La Cocina VA. I built a connection with her over a couple of years, and she asked me if I wanted to come work with her. I started entertaining the idea, because it was a similar mission to DCCK, but for the Latino community. When I was ready to leave DCCK, I moved to La Cocina VA. In this role, I learned even more because I was managing all the programs. Here, my career in the nonprofit sector developed and bloomed. I worked behind the scenes beside the CEO to continue to build the organization to the point that the organization has now changed names, changed locations, and changed CEOs.

CPNL: Given Kitchen of Purpose’s diverse initiatives, from teaching cooking skills to providing meals, how do you ensure that each program remains impactful and addresses the specific needs of the community?

Daniela Hurtado: I think that relevance is crucial. If we are not making an impact, we’re not needed. We exist because we saw that there was a need. 10 years ago when I joined DCCK, it was very clear to me that there was a tangible need for vulnerable populations. When I switched to Kitchen of Purpose seven years ago, I knew that there was a need, but the needs are so different and the barriers that people face are different. We did a lot of work in the early years of the organization to research and identify areas where the Latino community, especially undocumented Latinos, were failing. Many were unable to work, had fled their homes, and couldn’t get jobs. The amount of help that an undocumented person can get compared to a permanent resident or a citizen of the United States. It is not the same and there are multiple barriers this community faces. We also understand that as times change, the community’s needs also change. Nowadays, we no longer serve the Latino community exclusively; we serve anybody that can benefit from the services we offer.

CPNL: Can you think of any particular success stories you’ve encountered during your time at Kitchen of Purpose?

Daniela Hurtado: I’ve seen many. It’s hard to speak about one single person, but the person that comes to mind is Gerber, who is one of our students that has really taken advantage of all of our programming. He went through our culinary training program. He was working in restaurants already and was really good. Thanks to our culinary training program, he was promoted to a sous chef and makes 27 dollars an hour, which is pretty good for somebody that works in the culinary industry. He came back to us because he wanted to start a business selling El Salvadoran pastries with his mother. We had a baking program back then and he wanted to master the art of baking, so he did that program. He didn’t stop there. He joined us for the Food Lab program to learn about the financials and that aspect of doing business. Every time that I go to the office, I would see him cooking with his mother and preparing their pastry boxes and taking them out for delivery. It’s a really beautiful testimony of how we can create this circle of sustainability. We train you. You get a job. This job has enabled you and we’re still here in your circle, providing you with additional skills for you to succeed. We were so moved by his determination and how he’s grown that we created a program that offers aspiring entrepreneurs who have gone through our program free rent for the first three months of their business. He’s not paying anything to use the kitchen space, so he has the chance to run his business, build capital and strategize his marketing campaign.

CPNL: As you look ahead, What are some key goals that you have for a Kitchen of Purpose?

Daniela Hurtado: We have a new CEO and this has been a beautiful learning experience for everybody at Kitchen of Purpose. We’re very excited because our new CEO comes with a vast amount of experience in the food sector itself, specifically on the philanthropy side. He comes from World Central Kitchen and we had previously met when I was at DCCK. His vision is very focused on the power of food. It’s very exciting, especially for me, as I need to have that food component within my job to feel in my element. Having a new CEO is a great opportunity for us to decide what we want to build out. We have a cafe, we also have a catering service. At this point, we’re evaluating whether these are elements that we want to continue to grow. We’re entertaining having a second kitchen incubator. We’re looking at getting a new building because there are no kitchen incubators in Arlington County. It is one of the most expensive counties and you have an array of people that live there, but there are no spaces like ours. We place people in jobs, so we get a lot of calls from employers asking for workers, not only in the kitchen but also in the front of house. We’re also working on developing front of house training to meet the needs of the industry and simply help people get jobs and keep their jobs.

CPNL: What motivated you to enroll in the program specifically, and what are your key takeaways from your experience?

Daniela Hurtado: My motivation came from the fact that I was pretty much running the organization, but I didn’t know a lot about nonprofit management. My CEO was constantly out in meetings, seeking funding so I became the person that everybody would come to. I liked it, but I realized I needed an education. I needed to learn finance. I needed to learn more about fundraising. I needed to learn strategic planning. I was putting out fires, but I needed to know if I was doing it in the right way and if I was taking the right approach. I got an email from the Crimsonbridge Foundation for an open house about the certificate at Georgetown. I thought it sounded like something that could help me. I went to the open house and I felt it included all of the aspects that I was looking to learn. I joined, and I loved it. It was a really great experience for me.

What advice would you give to those considering participating in the Nonprofit Certificate program?

Daniela Hurtado: I would tell them not to overthink it. This program has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional career. I learned a lot from each class and I made great connections with other leaders from the area. I also know that if at any point I need advice I can reach out to them for help.