The Village Bakery
Sara Leong, left, a former methamphetamine addict and mother of four recently released from prison after a grand theft auto conviction, and Felicia Cuellar, center, a mother of three recently released from prison on an assault charge, have a laugh while complimenting Emily Noel as she works on a chocolate cake at the Village Kitchen. The cafe, a project of The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children, employs former addicts, dealers, thieves and women who have been down on their luck. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Justin Vuong, 8, ogles some of the cookies and baked goods on display at the Village Kitchen. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Executive chef Jaime Turrey has a sip of some simmering tomato sauce for a baked ziti that Judith Gil is preparing. During much of the program’s training and menu design, Turrey, 32, had only a shopping cart and a broom closet to store his equipment and many of his cooking tools, including muffin pans and his best knives, were taken from his own wedding registry. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Village Kitchen is a new bakery run by 10 women who are either recently homeless, recently released from prison or both. They have been professionally trained though they had no background in cuisine or food preparation. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Sara Leong, Kimberly Ferguson and Felicia Cuellar, all recently released from prison, wait for the bus to take them to the behavioral modification unit where they stay during the week. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Executive Chef Jaime Turrey and Felicia Cuellar share a laugh at the end of the day. Cuellar, who was exposed to meth by a relative when she was in the third grade, is a former dealer. I never thought in a million years I would like this,” she said of baking and cooking at the Village Kitchen. “But I do.” (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Kimberly Ferguson, left, and Sara Leong head out the door of the Village Kitchen after another day of cooking and baking. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
