Bed-Stuy Catering Service Gives Former Criminals A Second Chance At Life
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Men with a criminal history may think the job market is a hopeless cause, but one Brooklyn-based food service strives to give men with a past a chance to change their future.
For over 30 years, Dishes By Doe — a non-profit catering company whose bakers specialize in baked goods, has given formerly homeless and incarcerated men a chance to smoothly get back into a successful work environment.
Dishes By Doe is currently run by Peter Bessent, a former drug dealer and gang member, who rose to head baker after working diligently with the company for eight years. Bessent strives on waking up before everyone else — he begins his day shortly after midnight — arriving to the kitchen located at 520 Gates Avenue in Bed-Stuy by 2 a.m.
“For some people, it’s hard, but that is just an excuse ” Bessent tells Pix11. “If you want to make a change in your life, you need to go for it.”
After Bessent and his staff have finished baking, their items are carefully packaged and transported to farmer’s markets in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy and Harlem to be sold. All the proceeds of what’s sold go towards benefiting The Doe Fund, in which Dishes by Doe is an affiliate, and to the baker’s salaries.
To support the men who continue to work hard to change their lives, find the nearest farmer market their goods are sold below:
