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“I can get up at three or four in the morning. That’s not a problem,” said Sullivan.

Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia

Of the 149 students who have graduated from the program since it started in 2004, 142 have been employed soon after they graduated. The program started with five students. Now, there are three times as many applicants as there are available spots. Dropouts are rare: 14 of the 15 students who started the most recent program graduated.

“Cooking allows you to use your imagination and be yourself,” said chef Ric Allen-Watson, the Mission’s head of food services. “These people have so much imagination and it’s been bottled up.”

Allen-Watson,” Chef Ric” as he is known, has been at the Mission since 2002. He’s the engine behind the program.

“It’s awesome. Chef tells you like it is,” said Sullivan. “He tells you like he wants things done. It’s his kitchen. His first and last name is Chef.”

Sullivan now works in the kitchen of the Salvation Army. “I wanted to be involved in a non-profit. I’m also Christian. I work with street people. I want to be part of something,” he said. “Getting a job boils down to service for a higher power.”

“He had a dream and he wouldn’t give up on his dream,” said Allen-Watson. “He wanted to work in his community.”

Allen-Watson’s own journey started in Kingston, using drugs and living on the street. At 14, he got a job washing dishes at Ban Righ Banquet Hall at Queen’s University.

“It was the home I never had,” he said. “I became a cook’s helper. I became a bakery helper. I kept moving up,” he said.