GARD Centre Wish List
The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) is a non-profit organization located in Mercer’s Creek, St. Peter. GARD Center is the premier training institution through which vulnerable youth, men and women are empowered to improve their living standards. GARD Center
facilitates the development of life skills for vulnerable youth, men and women through agriculture, entrepreneurship, technical vocational skills, business development training and job services.
We have been in existence for over 36 plus years and at least 8,000 trainees have benefited from our training programmes. The Center operates under the auspices of the Methodist Church in the
Caribbean and Americas (MCCA).
Wish List
Project Proposal
Project Duration: 4 Months
Target Group: 15 Youth and women, ages 16–50
Location: Antigua and Barbuda
Total Project Cost: EC$29,000.00
Organization: Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center)
1. Project Summary
The Empowering Youth and Women Through Basic Baking, Decorating and Food Preparation Project will provide 15 youth and youth women between the ages of 16 and 50 with practical vocational and entrepreneurship skills to improve their employability and create opportunities for income generation. This project is intended to accommodate individuals with varying levels of formal education, including those with little or none.
The project will combine basic food preparation, baking, cake decorating, food safety,nutrition, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, marketing and customer service.
The food preparation component will introduce participants to essential kitchen skills, including safe food handling, knife skills, preparation of simple meals, salads, sandwiches, appetisers, sauces and other basic food products. Participants will also learn how to plan
menus, control portions, calculate food costs and present food professionally.
The baking component will cover basic cakes, cupcakes, pastries and other baked products, while the cake decorating component will introduce participants to buttercream, piping, simple fondant work and professional presentation.
By combining practical culinary skills with entrepreneurship training, the project will prepare participants for potential employment in the hospitality, catering, food service and baking sectors, while also encouraging home-based and small-scale businesses.
2. Project Goal
To empower 15 youth and women with practical food preparation, baking, cake decorating
and entrepreneurship skills that can contribute to employment, self-employment and
sustainable livelihood opportunities.
3. Project Objectives
The project will:
1. Train 15 youth and women in basic food preparation and kitchen skills.
2. Provide practical training in basic baking.
3. Develop participants’ introductory cake decorating skills.
4. Strengthen knowledge of food safety, hygiene and sanitation.
5. Introduce menu planning, portion control and food presentation.
6. Develop participants’ knowledge of costing, pricing and budgeting.
7. Introduce entrepreneurship, customer service and marketing.
8. Develop participants’ confidence and readiness for employment or self-employment.
9. Support each participant to develop a simple income-generation or enterprise action plan.
10. Provide an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their skills through a final food and baking showcase.
4. Training Components
Component 1: Food Preparation and Kitchen Skills
This will be a major practical component of the programme.
Participants will learn:
Basic Kitchen Skills
• Kitchen organization;
• Identification and safe use of kitchen equipment;
• Measuring ingredients;
• Knife handling and basic cutting techniques;
• Food preparation techniques;
• Safe storage of food;
• Cleaning and sanitizing work surfaces;
• Kitchen safety.
Basic Food Preparation
Participants will prepare a variety of simple food products, which may include:
• Breakfast items;
• Sandwiches and wraps;
• Salads;
• Soups;
• Rice and pasta dishes;
• Vegetables;
• Simple meat, fish or poultry preparations;
• Appetizers and finger foods;
• Sauces and dressings;
• Simple snacks.
Menu Planning
Participants will learn how to:
• Plan simple menus;
• Select appropriate ingredients;
• Calculate portions;
• Reduce food waste;
• Plan meals within a budget; and
• Prepare food for small events and catering opportunities.
Food Presentation
Participants will receive an introduction to:
• Plating;
• Garnishing;
• Portion presentation;
• Buffet presentation;
• Packaging takeaway foods; and
• Professional food presentation
• Time Planning and Management
5. Food Safety and Hygiene
Food safety will be integrated throughout the practical training.
Participants will learn about:
• Personal hygiene;
• Handwashing;
• Safe food handling and training certification
• Prevention of cross-contamination;
• Proper food storage;
• Temperature control;
• Cleaning and sanitizing;
• Safe use of kitchen equipment;
• Proper disposal of food waste; and
• Maintaining a clean food preparation environment
6. Basic Baking Skills
Participants will receive hands-on training in:
• Measuring and weighing ingredients;
• Understanding recipes;
• Preparing cake mixtures;
• Sponge cakes;
• Butter cakes;
• Cupcakes;
• Cookies;
• Basic pastries;
• Simple fillings;
• Buttercream;
• Baking temperatures and timing;
• Troubleshooting common baking problems; and
• Product quality control
• Writing and Lettering on Cakes or Cookies
7. Cake Decorating
The cake decorating sessions will introduce participants to:
• Preparing cakes for decoration;
• Buttercream preparation;
• Using piping bags;
• Basic piping techniques;
• Borders;
• Rosettes;
• Simple flowers;
• Cupcake decorating;
• Colour mixing;
• Introduction to fondant;
• Simple fondant decorations;
• Cake boards and presentation; and
• Packaging finished products.
8. Entrepreneurship and Business Development
Participants will learn how to transform their culinary skills into income-generating
opportunities.
Topics will include:
• Introduction to entrepreneurship;
• Identifying business opportunities;
• Developing a food-related business idea;
• Identifying target customers;
• Costing recipes;
•Pricing products;
• Calculating profit;
• Basic bookkeeping;
• Budgeting;
• Managing cash flow;
• Customer service;
• Marketing;
• Social media promotion;
• Branding and packaging; and
• Basic business planning.
9. Practical Enterprise Opportunities
Participants will be introduced to possible income-generating activities, including:
• Home-based baking;
• Cake and cupcake orders;
• Lunch and meal preparation;
• Small-event catering;
• Snack boxes;
• Afternoon tea packages;
• Birthday and celebration packages;
• Food delivery;
• Pastry sales;
• Holiday food packages; and
• Small-scale food vending, subject to applicable requirements.
10. Practical Training Methodology
The project will use a 70% practical and 30% theoretical approach.
Training methods will include:
• Demonstrations;
• Hands-on preparation;
• Individual and group assignments;
• Recipe practice;
• Product development;
• Food presentation exercises;
• Business exercises;
• Group discussions;
• Guest demonstrations; and
• Practical assessments.
Participants will be encouraged to work in teams while also completing individual practical
assignments.
12. Expected Outputs
Output Target
Youth and women recruited 15
Participants completing programme At least 13
Participants trained in food preparation 15
Participants trained in baking 15
Participants trained in cake decorating 15
Participants receiving food safety training 15
Participants receiving entrepreneurship training 15
Individual enterprise/action plans 15
Final food and baking showcase 1
Certificates awarded At least 13
13. Expected Outcomes
By the end of the project:
• Participants will demonstrate basic food preparation skills.
• Participants will demonstrate basic baking skills.
• Participants will demonstrate introductory cake decorating techniques.
• Participants will understand basic food safety and hygiene.
• Participants will understand menu planning and portion control.
• Participants will understand basic food costing and pricing.
• Participants will have improved entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
• Participants will have increased confidence in seeking employment or starting a small
enterprise.
• Participants will have developed an individual livelihood or enterprise action plan.
14. Project Budget
Total Project Cost: EC$29,000.00
Budget Item Amount (EC$)
1. Trainer/Facilitator Fees (60 hours)
Food Preparation, Baking & Decorating $5,100
2. Food Preparation Ingredients & Consumables $3,000
3. Baking Ingredients & Consumables $3,000
4. Cake Decorating Supplies $2,500
5. Small Kitchen/Baking Equipment & Utensils $4,000
6. Food Safety, Hygiene & PPE Supplies $1,000
7. Training Materials, Recipes & Handbooks $1,000
8. Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy Training $2,000
9. Venue/Training Kitchen $2,000
10. Marketing and Customer Service $900
11. Marketing Press Release, Printing & Certificates $750
12. Final Food & Baking Showcase & Graduation $1,000
13. Monitoring, Evaluation & Documentation $1,000
14. Transportation/Logistical Support $1,250
15. Contingency $500
TOTAL $29,000
15. Monitoring and Evaluation
Participant progress will be assessed through:
• Baseline skills assessment;
• Attendance records;
• Practical demonstrations;
• Food preparation assignments;
• Baking assignments;
• Cake decorating assignments;
• Food safety knowledge checks;
• Business costing exercises;
• Individual action plans;
• Final practical assessment; and
• Participant satisfaction surveys.
Key targets
At least:
• 85% of participants complete the programme;
• 80% demonstrate improved food preparation skills;
• 80% demonstrate improved baking skills;
• 80% demonstrate basic cake decorating skills;
• 80% demonstrate an understanding of food costing and pricing; and
• 10 participants develop realistic income-generation or enterprise action plans.
16. Sustainability
The project will focus on skills that participants can continue using after the programme.
Participants will receive recipes, practical guidance, costing tools and business planning
templates. The reusable kitchen and baking equipment purchased through the project can
also support future training and enterprise development activities.
Participants will be encouraged to establish a peer network through which they can share
business opportunities, recipes, suppliers, customers and marketing ideas.
Where possible, graduates can also be linked to future entrepreneurship, employment,
mentorship and small-business support opportunities.
17. Final Showcase
The project will conclude with a Youth and Women’s Food, Baking and Entrepreneurship
Showcase.
Participants will prepare and display:
• Savoury food products;
• Snacks and appetizers;
• Baked products;
• Cupcakes;
• Decorated cakes;
• Pastries; and
• Other products developed during training.
The showcase will allow participants to demonstrate their technical skills, practice customer
service, receive feedback and promote their potential businesses.
Certificates will be presented to participants who successfully complete the programme.
18. Conclusion
The Empowering Youth and Women Through Food Preparation, Baking and Cake Decorating
Project will provide 15 youth and women with practical skills that can be applied
immediately in the workplace or developed into small-scale businesses.
By combining food preparation, baking, cake decorating, food safety, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and marketing, the project creates a comprehensive pathway from vocational training to economic opportunity.
With an investment of EC$29,000.00, the project will equip youth and women not only to prepare and present quality food products, but also to understand the business principles required to turn their skills into sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The project is an investment in skills, confidence, entrepreneurship and the economic empowerment of youth and women, especially those who have varying levels of formal education, including those with little or none.
