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WE ARE
PLANT TO PLATE
Cultivating
Young Leaders
GROWING • PREPARING • MENTORING • EMPOWERING
The Plant to Plate Internship Program mentors, empowers, and prepares high school students to build skills, discover their strengths, and advance their employment opportunities through hands-on experiences in gardening, culinary arts, and meaningful work.
We believe young people thrive when they are trusted with meaningful responsibility, surrounded by caring mentors, and given opportunities to cultivate their professional skills. Through regenerative gardening, culinary education, and community connection, interns build confidence, practical skills, and leadership that prepare them for the world of work and beyond.
Growing Through Experience
The most meaningful learning happens through experience.
Through paid internships, interns grow food, prepare meals, care for the land, and contribute to their community—all while building confidence, practical skills, and a deeper sense of who they are and what they can accomplish.
Learn
Interns gain hands-on experience in gardening, cooking, and hospitality while learning alongside experienced chefs, educators, and mentors
Grow
Students build confidence, responsibility, teamwork, and practical workplace skills through real-world experiences.
Thrive
Graduates become part of a supportive community that encourages curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning.
Our Impact
200+
Over 200 students have graduated from our 7 month internship over the past 9 years (and counting)
91%
91% of our interns report a noticeable increase in confidence overall
96%
Of interns report improvement in their ability to communicate effectively in a professional context
4000
Hours of mentorship in real work environments
Seed to Harvest • Farm to Table • Student to Leader • Learning to Earning • Potential to Purpose •
"Plant to Plate is about developing human beings in a way that is deeply respectful, deeply practical, and genuinely transformative. Cooking and gardening are fantastic vehicles that facilitate these goals and bring joy to the process of learning and growth.”
Kelli Barram
Plant to Plate Co-founder & Executive Director
In The News
Ask three students in a Richmond afterschool culinary program what they like best about it, and they give three different answers: Learning about gardening. Learning money management. Learning how to work together.
“I went outside of my comfort zone to try something new,” says Plant to Plate participant Samuel Solis, now a senior at Middle College High School. Solis appreciated the mindfulness activities at the start of each session, as well as learning how to write his first resume, grow vegetables, follow a recipe, and use an oven.
Creating an environment in which plants can flourish starts with the right soil. Similarly, a person’s attitudes, preferences, and behaviors are shaped early in life by foundational experiences, opportunities, and access. That’s why co-founders Kelli Barram and Arnon Oren created the Plant to Plate Internship Program.
Plant to Plate, a Richmond-based culinary and garden education program for young people, has been selected as one of 10 organizations nationwide to receive a $10,000 grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation.
I'm a Student
Grow your skills. Grow your confidence.
Plant to Plate offers paid internships where you'll build real-world skills, discover your strengths, and gain the confidence to succeed at work and beyond.
I'm a Supporter
Your support provides paid internships, caring mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences that help young people discover their strengths and prepare for meaningful careers.
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