Cafe Liberty provides free culinary training to veterans

If you've heard of Dan Gibbons, chances are it's because of the annual charity run that bears his name.

The Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot in Elmhurst has become a Thanksgiving Day tradition for thousands of suburban runners. Since its humble beginning in 1984 with 74 participants, the race has donated more than $4 million to feed the hungry in the Chicago area.

But in a former restaurant space on the first floor of an office building along Liberty Drive in downtown Wheaton, Gibbons is busy with his latest - but far less known - endeavor.

Cafe Liberty is a free culinary job training program for veterans - and adult family members of veterans - who are unemployed or underemployed. The program, which was launched by the Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot Foundation in January 2018, has trained 26 students, including 22 who went on to find jobs in the culinary field.

"If you give somebody a fish, they can eat for a day. But if you teach somebody to fish, they can eat for a lifetime," said Gibbons, paraphrasing a proverb.

Gibbons said the foundation started talking about offering job training in DuPage County several years ago and decided the program would focus on veterans in need.

"There are so many unemployed veterans, we just felt as a board that it was time to give back to them," Gibbons said.

As a veteran himself, the Elmhurst resident says one of his goals is to help those who have served our country.

"They had our back," said Gibbons, who served in the Illinois Army National Guard from 1972 to 1978. "It's our job to have their back."

At Cafe Liberty, students go through an 11-week program that gives them all the knowledge and skills they need to work in a professional kitchen.

"You can work in a small diner or with a large caterer," Gibbons said. "Anywhere you go, the food industry is huge."

But before Cafe Liberty could accept students, it needed a classroom. Gibbons said the foundation was fortunate to find a former restaurant space at 120 E. Liberty Drive in downtown Wheaton that still had kitchen equipment, including pizza ovens, installed by two previous tenants.

"If it wasn't for the kitchen equipment, we wouldn't be able to do this," Gibbons said.

The first class had six students. One of them - Billy Gordon - is now the chef instructor.

"It's like winning the lottery," said Gordon, a 55-year-old Elgin resident. "It's a great opportunity if you want to enhance your cooking skills and get into the culinary field. Where else can you go and get a free 11-week culinary course?"

Gordon is a 20-year Navy veteran who was a gunner's mate and instructor. These days, instead of teaching about weapons systems, Gordon is showing cooking techniques, including how to make a sauce, how to saute, how to sear and how to bake.

He said he learned a great deal as a Cafe Liberty student even though he had previous catering experience.

"That's the beauty of this course," Gordon said. "If you've never cooked before, this course is for you. If you've been a cook your whole life, this course is for you."

He said, "If you're a veteran and you're available to take this class - and have the time to dedicate to it - do it."

Marine Corps veteran Cesar Medina was working at the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton when he first learned about Cafe Liberty through word-of-mouth.

"I looked it up and decided it was something I wanted to pursue," said Medina, 31, who lives in Chicago.

Medina, who was in the service from 2008 to 2014 and had two tours in Afghanistan, says his goal is to use his cooking skills to feed others in need.

He was able to go through the Cafe Liberty program with his 30-year-old sister, Elidia, who lives in Aurora.

"I'm really happy that they let me go through with her," Medina said. "We support each other and help each other out when we can. It's pretty cool."

During one of their days of class last week, the Medinas prepared a variety of seafood dishes, including soy and mirin glazed salmon, fish en papillote, sauteed fish, shrimp, baked clams and fried oysters.

"Most of the dishes are pretty new to me," Cesar Medina said, "other than the basic spaghetti and meatballs or something like that."

While the program has trained 26 graduates, Gibbons said his goal is have more students in future classes. "Finding veterans to participate is our challenge," he said.

He said he plans to devote the entire month of January to recruit more students.

"We need the exposure," he said. "We need more people to know about it."

To donate to Cafe Liberty or to apply for the program, visit cafeliberty.org or call (630) 868-3003.