Culinary School Helps Soldier Reinvent Himself As A Chef

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Wounded warriors used to being on the front lines are taking their skills to the kitchen. A culinary school in Baltimore City is helping one soldier reinvent himself as a chef.

Jessica Kartalija has more.

A new mission for 50-year-old Army veteran Clifton Hoffler.

"I saw some things, some soldiers got killed so now for me, I've got to come back and not keep living where I've been," he said.

A retired staff sergeant, Hoffler fights a daily battle with PTSD.

"We have been through a lot. When you come back, people don't know how to accept you; people don't know how to deal with you," he said.

So he's putting his energy toward a new career in culinary arts.

Chef Eric Yeagar is the culinary arts program director at Stratford University in Baltimore City.

"We look at it as a re-education process and something they are used to. As far as rank and file goes and discipline, it fits right into their former curriculum," he said.

"Take what I've learned in the field and apply it to being in the kitchen where you're under pressure," he said.

The Wounded Warrior Project introduced Hoffler to cooking and now, with Chef Yeagar's help, he's preparing a meal for 40 fellow veterans.

"I'm still here. I'm still valuable. I still have skills and abilities and I now have to learn how to get back in touch with the world," Hoffler said. "And now I'm giving back."

Stratford is donating all of the food and the venue for Tuesday night's dinner. It has a number of programs designed to help veterans transition back into society.