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Kitchen of Life
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  • Home
  • Media and Testimonials
  • Gallery
  • How to Help
  • Contact Us
  • Supporters
  • LifeTown
  • Volunteers
  • Careers
  • Volunteer Group Gallery

KOL Testimonials

Mike DeWine, Governor of Ohio

Erika Clark Jones, CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County

Erika Clark Jones, CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County

I am pleased that LifeTown has created a new program called Kitchen of Life to help build resilience and strengthen students' Interpersonal skills. I have visited LifeTown and have seen first-hand the valuable impact of the program. With the new Kitchen of Life program, students will expand their knowledge by not only creating meals and learning about health and nutrition, but by learning about decision-making, independence, and empathy. This hands-on, interactive experience will spark both traditional learning  and critical soft skills. These skills will help students live up to their God-given potential and truly succeed throughout their lives.

Erika Clark Jones, CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County

Erika Clark Jones, CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County

Erika Clark Jones, CEO, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County

Lifetown has created a new, useful, and long lasting skill building program to help foster confidence and resiliency. The Kitchen of Life has an opportunity to save lives by providing an innovative way to support individual development and offer a safe space with no stigma, which ultimately saves lives.

Jed W. Morison, Superintendent / CEO Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Jed W. Morison, Superintendent / CEO Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Jed W. Morison, Superintendent / CEO Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities

I am impressed with the goals of the program, which is designed to help youth in Columbus City Schools deal with challenges through prevention.    Your plan to use collaborative culinary experiences to build  resilience in dealing with the adversities of life is innovative and will capture student interest. While  I realize the program is not therapeutic nor clinical in nature, we believe teaching teenagers  social emotional skills while giving them new experiences through the joy of food will provide a meaningful deterrent to suicide. Students will build emotional literacy and a toolbox of skills from their time spent in the Kitchen of Life through questions and reflections about how to deal with failure by coming together as a group and a community, and by learning to feel interdependence, independence, and empathy.

M. Cameron Mitchell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Jed W. Morison, Superintendent / CEO Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Jed W. Morison, Superintendent / CEO Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities

The mission of the Kitchen of Life is to provide experiences embedded with the foundations for resilience and positive youth development through collaborative culinary experiences in a commercial kitchen fostering belonging, generosity, independence and mastery.


Food is an international language that teaches our children that every culture has their unique flavor. Food is a perfect medium for our kids to learn health and nutrition, while implanting resiliency skills and social emotional literacy. I don't
know of any abilities more desperately needed for our kids to master.

This is one of the most hands-on prevention programs I have ever seen. Kitchen of Life is a critical tool for giving students of all abilities and all cultures the resistance and resiliency skills needed to live healthy and meaningful lives.

In my life I'm passionate about creating quality food experiences and investing in the future of our children. Kitchen of Life contains these two cherished ingredients.


2023-2024 KOL Student Testimonials

Read what our Students have to say about Kitchen of Life!

“I cooked with my new friends and learned how to involve others and help each other when we are struggling on a certain situation.”

“I made sure not to leave a teammate out. We took turns on the role and made sure everyone had something to do. When there was a problem, I would try to solve it by communicating with them.”

“I made sure everyone felt involved and helped when they needed it.”

“At the Kitchen of Life I learned how to cook with my peers. At the Kitchen of Life I learned to have better social and communication skills with my peers. At kitchen of Life I learned that you working in groups and cooking are a great way to bond have those memories in life.”

“I learned how to make a few healthy recipes in groups of people. I learned a few terms and definitions that help students understand a sense of belonging. I built a relationship with my peers and worked together on getting the recipes done.”

 “I build collaborative relationships with other by getting to know them and helping each other not as one but as a team and supporting one another.”

“We used teamwork and worked with people we didn't really talk too. And we cooked and made food and also got to try it. Lastly I got to meet some nice and cool volunteers.”

“What I learned about myself was that I actually like meeting new people and experiencing new things. I feel like my weakness was to talk to people because of how shy I am.”

“I used to think that I almost always would work better if I was by myself but while I was at the Kitchen of Life I felt like it would be much better if I started working with people in groups because it can be a lot more productive and overall just easier and more fun than doing things by myself.”

OSU Wexner Medical Center Endorsement

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Letter of Appreciation from OSPF

Mental Health America of Ohio Endorsement

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Find out more!

Welcome To The Kitchen Of Life!

Kitchen of Life is a master chef style experience where the students demonstrate willingness to seek help for themselves and others. As well as, how to demonstrate a sense of personal responsibility, confidence, and advocacy. Our program aligns with Ohio’s K-12 SEL standards as is laid out by the Ohio Department of Education. Would your school be interested in participating in KOL? If so, please email scheduling@kolc.org

Building Resilience, Belonging and Community through Cooking

Interviews with students & faculty on their experience with Kitchen of Life.

Columbus Jewish News 8/11/22 Article

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Iside Columbus Schools Article

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NBC4HD 8/9/22 Article

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Columbus Business First 8/2/22 Article

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The Columbus Dispatch 6/25/22 Article

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Columbus Jewish News 6/16/22 Article

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WSYX Columbus 8/2/22 Feature

Kitchen of Life  Grand Ribbon Cutting

Spectrum, News 1

Middle school students build social-emotional skills through cooking

Spectrum News 1 Article

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