Meet the Sow Project

At Narrative Food, each of our gifts is designed to tell a story. We've worked with hundreds of vendors and partners over the years, listening to their stories and sharing them with you. In this series, we're honored to spotlight the small-batch makers and mission-driven partners behind our gifts — in their own words.

Read our interview with Chef Ben Vaughn, Founder of the Sow Project, the Memphis-based nonprofit culinary training program behind Stollen for Sharing and Granola for Giving.

Tell us a bit about you and how the Sow Project got started.

I'm a chef, author, and the founder of the Sow Project, but at the heart of it, I'm simply someone who believes in people. The Sow Project began with the understanding that food can do much more than satisfy hunger — it can create confidence, restore dignity, teach responsibility, and provide a real path toward independence. We built the program to remove barriers that often keep people from moving forward in life.

What does a trainee's experience in the program actually look like?

Our students receive 470 hours of hands-on culinary education at no cost. They learn the fundamentals of working in a professional kitchen, earn industry credentials, and develop the discipline, communication skills, and confidence needed to succeed at work. We also cover transportation, healthcare, financial literacy, life coaching, and job placement. After completing the classroom portion, students can continue into a registered culinary apprenticeship, where they earn a paycheck while developing their craft.

Is there a specific trainee or graduate story you're especially proud of?

Kylen is one of many students who reminds us why this work matters. He joined the Sow Project in December 2025, graduated from IOTA Hillcrest High School with a 3.3 GPA, and completed all 470 hours of our Culinary Introduction program. Kylen lost both of his parents at 16 and moved between Mississippi and Tennessee until he landed with his aunt in Memphis. He has continued moving forward through a depth of grief and hardship no young person should have to carry, and he's building a future defined not by what happened to him, but by the determination he's shown since.

He's now enrolled in Tennessee's registered culinary apprenticeship program and working as a grill man at Huey's Restaurant. He recently turned 18, is getting his driver's license, and is working toward buying his first car. Those milestones may sound ordinary to some people, but together they represent independence taking shape in real time.

What excites you about this collaboration with Narrative Food on Stollen for Sharing?

Stollen is a food built around tradition, patience, and generosity, which makes it a natural fit for this collaboration. Working with Narrative Food gives us an opportunity to share something thoughtfully made while introducing more people to the students and purpose behind the Sow Project. A loaf can be shared around a table, given as a gift, or sent to someone you love — and through Stollen for Sharing, that simple act can also help create an opportunity for a young person within our program to work, earn, and learn.

Anything else you'd want people to know about the Sow Project?

The Sow Project is not simply a cooking class. We are an employment incubator that uses food as our pathway toward healing, meaningful work, and independence. Our students don't pay tuition, and they graduate without student debt. We measure success not only by what they learn in the kitchen, but by what happens afterward: a steady job, reliable transportation, a bank account, healthcare, confidence, and fewer services needed to move through life.

We don't just train students. We clear the path.

Every loaf of Stollen for Sharing and every bag of Granola for Giving helps clear that path for students like Kylen.  Our A Seat at the Table box pairs both with a cup of coffee.