Sep 25, 2026 · 53 min · 13 segments
**Episode 167** **Chefs on the Spectrum: An Innovative Employment Program for Autistic and Neurodivergent People, with Chef Franklin Becker and Chef Joseph Valentino** This episode features…
Franklin BeckerGuestBarry PrizantHost
Dave FinchHost
Joseph ValentinoGuestThank you.
You know, I would like to go back to Chef Franklin and something you said, and you said it so beautifully, I'm not going to be able to.
really get that beauty across, about how Joe's presence and how who he is as a human being has changed other people in the kitchen.
Because I think that, you know, there's that first step which you're fighting, and that's the longstanding stigma against autism and people with disabilities.
But then the next step is how much can we all learn? How much can we all grow as human beings by having a person like Joe in our presence?
I think it's important for people to, you know, I'm going to go back in my trend of thought and I'm going to go back to when I was a young chef.
And I would go through person after person after person who couldn't fill my bill.
It was, I wasn't teaching and I wasn't, giving them some of the skills and lessons and such, because I didn't know how to do that.
I was just taught, okay, you want to be the best, you got to surround yourself with the best.
And in reality, when my son was born, And that's going back now 26 years ago.
And then when he was diagnosed 24 years ago, that was the light bulb that went off in my head.
And it was at that moment that I realized people have differences and it's okay to have differences and people are going to learn at different paces and it's okay for people to learn at different paces.
They might not learn at the pace that you're learning or they might not do, but place them in the jobs that they're capable of succeeding in.
And it's kind of like a puzzle, which is ironic because the, the puzzle piece is the, is the logo of autism speaks, but it's like a puzzle and take all, these pieces and put them into their places.
And once that puzzle piece is in the right place, leave it there and finish the picture.
Thank you.
You know, I would like to go back to Chef Franklin and something you said, and you said it so beautifully, I'm not going to be able to.
really get that beauty across, about how Joe's presence and how who he is as a human being has changed other people in the kitchen.
Because I think that, you know, there's that first step which you're fighting, and that's the longstanding stigma against autism and people with disabilities.
But then the next step is how much can we all learn? How much can we all grow as human beings by having a person like Joe in our presence?
I think it's important for people to, you know, I'm going to go back in my trend of thought and I'm going to go back to when I was a young chef.
And I would go through person after person after person who couldn't fill my bill.
It was, I wasn't teaching and I wasn't, giving them some of the skills and lessons and such, because I didn't know how to do that.
I was just taught, okay, you want to be the best, you got to surround yourself with the best.
And in reality, when my son was born, And that's going back now 26 years ago.
And then when he was diagnosed 24 years ago, that was the light bulb that went off in my head.
And it was at that moment that I realized people have differences and it's okay to have differences and people are going to learn at different paces and it's okay for people to learn at different paces.
They might not learn at the pace that you're learning or they might not do, but place them in the jobs that they're capable of succeeding in.
And it's kind of like a puzzle, which is ironic because the, the puzzle piece is the, is the logo of autism speaks, but it's like a puzzle and take all, these pieces and put them into their places.
And once that puzzle piece is in the right place, leave it there and finish the picture.
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