Two South End Chefs Praised in Mayor’s Annual Address

Two South End chefs were lauded by Mayor Thomas M. Menino Tuesday for their recent partnerships with Madison Park high school students.

Barbara Lynch, the culinary mind behind the South End’s , and , and Gordon Hamersley, of , were singled out for their efforts in Menino’s State of the City address at Faneuil Hall.

In his address, Menino talked about the need to revamp Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury and said student-business partnerships, like the ones Lynch and Hamersley have undertaken, will be a key component of the high school’s transformation.

Menino on the Madison Park Business Partnership:

Second, we will create the Madison Park Business Partnership. I challenge Boston’s businesses and institutions to provide advice, jobs, and their own financial resources to help transform this school.

I am delighted to announce our first two partners: Renowned Chefs Barbara Lynch, who herself attended Madison Park, and Gordon Hamersley. They will provide instruction and guidance to Madison Park’s culinary program and open up their restaurants for internships and apprenticeships. With these kinds of collaborations, we’ll succeed in creating a first-class vocational education in Boston and a first-class ticket to success for our students.

Menino on Madison Park overall:

We’ll first have to rely on the trust we’ve built as we confront truths about one of our most important city assets -- Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.

Madison Park should be the pathway to solid jobs and a strong future for city youth. Thanks to the facility, the finances, the teachers, and leadership, Madison Park can be their launching pad. However, only 11 students last school year were involved in a work-based cooperative, the gold standard of vocational education, and the average student is absent for more than one month every year. We must do a better job engaging our students.

Tonight, I am announcing a plan to transform Madison Park into a top-notch center for career readiness and workforce development. First, we will work to designate Madison Park as an “Innovation School.” We can then change the schedule and the curriculum so they allow for real work-based experiences. Second, we will create the Madison Park Business Partnership. I challenge Boston’s businesses and institutions to provide advice, jobs, and their own financial resources to help transform this school.

I am delighted to announce our first two partners: Renowned Chefs Barbara Lynch, who herself attended Madison Park, and Gordon Hamersley. They will provide instruction and guidance to Madison Park’s culinary program and open up their restaurants for internships and apprenticeships. With these kinds of collaborations, we’ll succeed in creating a first-class vocational education in Boston and a first-class ticket to success for our students.

We won’t stop there. The partnerships, facilities, and training we develop together can also be deployed at night for our neighbors. So we will also turn Madison Park into a better center of job training for unemployed and underemployed Bostonians.

Real change won’t come easily. We must build new connections to take the school to new heights. Then, Madison Park will be a shining example of how to increase jobs and opportunity in our neighborhoods.