Michael Lovely learned to cook from an early age.  He was raised by a single mother who worked as an RN and so Michael, being one of the oldest children of five, spent a fair amount of time in the kitchen.  His mother also battled with addiction which required him and his older sister to often help with his younger three brothers; Michael is grateful that his mother has been in recovery and is now nine years clean.

In an interview with Michael he shared:  “My mother made me the strong man I am today. She showed me that no matter what was happening in her life she always made sure that we had a hot meal.  She taught me that I could accomplish anything I put my mind to. That no matter what anyone said or no matter if I don’t succeed, to take it as a life lesson and keep moving.”

Michael recently completed the Kitchen Sage culinary training.  After falling two points short from passing the ServSafe Manager Certification exam, he committed to continue studying while beginning a paid externship at Kitchen Sage, helping prep the meals for the 350 preschoolers that are fed every day as part of the Kitchen Sage training.   A couple weeks later he retook the exam and passed it.  As he shared:  “I never knew how much there was to learn, until I enrolled in the Kitchen Sage culinary training.  I was taught many different things from cutting techniques to the importance of temperature control, cleanliness, sanitation, FAT TOM and kitchen etiquette.”  Michael took his newly acquired knowledge and was hired in at Five Guys where he started at the grill.  His long-term goal is to become a manager within the food service industry.  “Completing the ServSafe has filled my heart with a sense of confidence.”