The Ethos of Support.
Our externs come from inside and outside hospitality. They share a common goal with us to smash the current industry model that dictates their success and opportunities. Our 12-week intensive program connects externs with cocktail and wine knowledge curriculum, restaurant and bar management training, brand marketing, and hospitality leadership. Our process is both experiential and classroom-oriented.
Turning Tables addresses industry-specific racial inequities while building a support system for our community. Our externs not only learn the most current bar curriculum; they are provided with career pathways.
Our Mission
Turning Tables advocates for equity in the hospitality industry by providing mentorship, educational tools, and platforms for exposure in a system of support for the Black and Brown communities of New Orleans. Turning Tables is changing the face of hospitality by cultivating leadership and creating a model for equitable access to career pathways.
We seek out partnerships with employers, brands, and like-minded individuals in the industry that recognize the pervasive inequity in the industry and want to join us in challenging it. We support them to identify the ways in which racism, discrimination, and implicit bias have permeated their establishments, and help them implement new policies and practices to eliminate it.
community of spirit
We collaborate directly with restaurant, hotel, and beverage industry partners to increase the diversity of their teams, inclusivity of their environments, and equity in access to opportunities and training. These approaches combine to make it possible for our students to feel more confident in their skills, see more role models who look like them, and feel that they are part of a larger part of the city’s economic growth.
