Social Enterprise initiatives help expand a nonprofit’s mission while generating funds for the organization. Chrysalis Center’s La Cocina Culinary Arts Training Program, La Cocina Catering, and the TCC (Training & Conference Center) are three social enterprise initiatives, which address this critical need. They provide hands-on job training skills for individuals, catering both on-site and off and state-of-the-art rental space, 24/7, which expands beyond traditional funding sources and creates unrestricted revenue to support the organization’s mission.

As one of the State’s leading organizations serving Connecticut’s people living with mental illness and returning from homeless populations, Chrysalis Center provides opportunities for individuals to become self-sufficient and independent. On-the-job training programs and links to employment opportunities in the community is vital for individuals to become employed and independent.

In 2019, Chrysalis Center was honored to be selected as one of 10 nonprofits in the area to expand our Social Enterprise programs through an initiative from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s (HFPG) Nonprofit Support Program. Through consultation and coaching with the HFPG and in partnership with “No Margin, No Mission”, a national consulting firm, Chrysalis Center created a business plan and is thrilled to grow these programs.

Chrysalis Center’s La Cocina Culinary Arts Training Program serves as a job readiness program for individuals in the community to help them become employed. The program provides clients with extensive wrap-around services and support under the instruction of a five-star chef and case manager. Clients are high-risk young adults and adults living in the community with major barriers such as mental health diagnosis, educational limitations, addictions and/or criminal records which may otherwise prevent them from obtaining gainful employment. 

Chrysalis Center’s La Cocina Catering is a licensed on-site and off-site caterer, which offers a diverse menu and a variety of food options, with a socially conscious mission. All funds generated through the catering program and through rental of the organization’s TCC, help further the organization’s mission, while helping to solve the problem of poverty through employment training.