For inmates, a recipe for success

Montville - At first glance, the kitchen Barry Dufault uses for his culinary arts program appears like any other commercial kitchen.

There are, however, a few subtle differences. Like the French knife bolted down to the table. And the close watch Dufault keeps on all the other sharp instruments.

But those restrictions haven't hindered more than 1,000 inmates who have graduated from the culinary arts program at Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center. On Friday, another 39 joined their ranks.

"This course is directed towards those who want to be a professional chef some day, not those who want to be working in a kitchen," Dufault said.

The intense, 6-month-long program accommodates up to 50 inmates at a time, is split into two groups and is focused on teaching "hard-core, French classical cuisine." Any inmate can participate.

Dufault, who was honored recently as Vocational Educator of the Year for the Unified School District #1, the prison school system, is strict. Inmates can anticipate taking 70 tests during their 110 days in the classroom.

In fact, Dufault said the biggest challenge for students is to deal with him. "I'm not here to be their friend. I have a process and a product to deliver," he said. "I tell them, 'I can't teach you anything if you don't want to.' "

Dufault, 65, has almost 50 years of experience working in the industry and has been at Corrigan-Radgowski for 16 years. His passion for cooking runs in the family - he said both his father and grandfather were master European chefs.

Of the 50 inmates who participate at a time, about 40 typically make it to the end of the program.

Dufault modifies his curriculum based on the skills he'd want his employees to have if he had his own restaurant. The program focuses on the language of the kitchen, the technicalities of cooking and the ingredients.

Students in the program at Corrigan-Radgowski leave with a portfolio and a certificate noting that they passed the National Restaurant Association Serving Safe Food Employee Certification Program and a Connecticut Career Certificate from the Department of Education.

"You should be proud. You have done something that only a small percentage of the population can do. You have been taught a skill," Warden Anthony Coletti told the graduates on Friday. "This is a valuable option for employment. When you get out, seize the day. Run with it and make the most of it."

The graduates sat in the visitors center wearing their khaki pants, white T-shirts, chef jackets and sneakers. After receiving certificates, they gathered with friends and family who were invited to the event.

Graduate John Levesque, 28, formerly of East Haven, said he hopes to get a job someday in the culinary arts industry. He became interested in the program originally because of Dufault.

"I know that if you listen you can definitely go somewhere with what he teaches," Levesque said.

Another graduate, Jose Rivera, 24, from Bridgeport, said finishing the program was challenging but he feels like he accomplished something.

The state Department of Correction reported the recidivism rate - the percentage of inmates who commit crimes and return to prison after release - was 25 percent for the culinary arts participants in 2007. In comparison, the DOC reported last year that about 60 percent of inmates overall are reoffenders.

"It's the lowest recidivism rate of any program in the nation," Dufault said. "It's working."

Dufault couldn't provide statistics, but he said many inmate graduates of the program have been able to land jobs as culinary professionals.

Three other prisons in the state also have vocational programs for culinary arts.

a.renczkowski@theday.com