EVA’S VILLAGE IS NAMED A JACQUES PÉPIN FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDEE

The Paterson, NJ community kitchen is one of 20 nationwide receiving a $10,000 grant to benefit their efforts 
February 2, 2026 – The Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) proudly announces Eva’s Village as one of their Winter 2026 Grant Awardees, awarded this month. One of 20 recipients this round, Eva’s Village offers culinary vocational training and job placement services that support individuals in northern New Jersey that are facing poverty, homelessness, addiction recovery or are impacted by the justice system.

They will use their grant to strengthen their alumni support system to include networking events, professional development, peer and industry mentorship, job site visits, and guest chef sessions. In addition to the $10,000 grant, Eva’s Village will receive JPF branded aprons for their students and a group membership to the Foundation. 

Founded in 2016 by the Pépin family, the JPF strives to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of culinary education. The JPF empowers and inspires professional chefs, home cooks, and community kitchens nationwide by sharing Jacques' legacy of culinary education. In 2019, the JPF became a grant-making organization, and in the last seven years the Foundation has given just shy of $2M to 98 different non-profit, community-based, culinary arts training programs that offer life skills and culinary training to individuals with barriers to employment. The JPF mission and vision are rooted firmly in the belief that culinary skills training leads to increased self-confidence, better health, and employment and career opportunities.

“The JPF’s mission is realized in part by supporting programs that create opportunities through culinary training, and giving grants to these important, impressive, local organizations,” says Rollie Wesen, Executive Director of the JPF. “By formalizing their alumni support system, graduates from the Eva’s Village Culinary School will gain access to networking events, professional development, peer and industry mentorship that will help improve long-term career outcomes for the graduates. We’re proud to support Eva’s Village’s vital work and ensure that they are able to continue serving nearly 1,000 meals each day of the week.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Jacques Pépin Foundation for this support, which will allow us to strengthen The Culinary School at Eva's Village beyond the classroom and stay connected to our graduates as they build lasting careers”, says Howard Haughton, Chief Executive Officer of Eva’s Village. “This investment helps ensure our students not only gain skills, but continue to feel supported, valued, and part of a community long after graduation.” 

In addition to Eva’s Village, Winter 2026 JPF Grants were awarded to East Lake United Methodist Church (Birmingham, AL), Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (Tucson, AZ), Homeward Bound of Marin Fresh Starts Culinary Academy (Novato, CA), Mychal’s Learning Place (Los Angeles), Sprouts Training Center (San Francisco), The Salvation Army Napa Culinary Training Academy (Napa, CA), Manna (Durango, CO), Havenly (New Haven, CT), Food Bank of Delaware (Newark, DE), Feeding Tampa Bay/FRESHforce (Tampa, FL), Gulfstream Goodwill Academies (West Palm Beach, FL), Dignity Plates at the Franciscan Center (Baltimore, MD), Rise and Shine (Odenton, MD), Michigan Hospitality Foundation (Lansing, MI), House of Bah Foundation (Omaha, NE), Black Veterans for Social Justice (Brooklyn, NY), Foodlink (Rochester, NY), JustDane (Madison, WI) and Riverview Gardens (Appleton, WI).

Community-based culinary arts training programs are invited to apply to the Jacques Pépin Foundation Grant Program for Community-Based Culinary Arts Training Programs throughout the year and are awarded twice: one in summer and one in winter. Applications for the Summer Grant Programs open this month. 

About the Jacques Pépin Foundation:

Founded in 2016, the Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) was created to honor Jacques’ generosity and passion for sharing his culinary knowledge. The JPF’s work is focused on teaching and inspiring all people to cook. Among our programs, we provide hundreds of hours of free instructional videos, available to all, through social media channels, YouTube and our website to teach and enhance cooking skills, and still more to JPF members with access to recipes and videos from renowned and inspiring chefs through our JPF members’ Video Recipe Book Cook with Jacques Pépin & Friends. Our existing Community Kitchens Support program provides grants, cookbook libraries, and other resources nationwide for workforce development, designed for individuals who are under-resourced, enabling them to achieve success through employment in the hospitality industry. The Foundation works with existing Community Kitchens to build their curricula, train aspiring hospitality professionals, and foster a supportive community, hope, and opportunity for a brighter future.  The JPF is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. To support the JPF or learn more visit our website: https://jp.foundation and follow us on Instagram.

About Eva’s Village 

Since 1982, Eva’s Village has provided essential support and life-changing resources to individuals facing hunger, homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health challenges. From its beginnings as a humble soup kitchen, Eva’s Village has grown into one of New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive anti-poverty organizations. Through integrated care, Eva’s Village provides food, shelter, substance use and mental health treatment, and workforce development opportunities. Located in the heart of downtown Paterson, NJ, Eva’s holistic social services and behavioral health programs empower individuals to lead healthy, stable, and independent lives. Visit www.EvasVillage.org to learn more.