Film

COLDWATER KITCHEN

Inside a Michigan prison, a dedicated chef's gourmet culinary training program gives incarcerated men new skills - and new hope.

What does it mean to be rehabilitated? Is it learning to persevere in the face of temptation? Is it learning to have trust and faith in the system and dedicate yourself to living a life within its laws and rules? Is it learning empathy, humility, and striving to live a life of service? The answer is different for every inmate; some have to start by confronting their behavioral patterns and learning to deal with their own emotions. Enter chef Jimmy Lee Hill, who runs a kitchen and provides expertise within the walls of the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. Learning a trade in the process of criminal rehabilitation is nothing new, but learning to cook is not just a trade. Here, expressing yourself through food is a holistic approach that provides structure and life lessons. Cuisine can be art, serving is learning to care, and kitchen work teaches respect and discipline. Can this rehabilitation continue outside the physical space of the prison, once the inmates are on their own for the first time in years?