“Judy Langston works to build community” |
| Judy Langston works to build community Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:05 PM PST
It looks like a kitchen, with cookware all around and the unmistakable smell of a chocolate cake in the oven.But the way Tastebudz owner... It looks like a kitchen, with cookware all around and the unmistakable smell of a chocolate cake in the oven. But the way Tastebudz owner Judy Langston tells it, the catering business feeds people on another level. She is busy trying to nourish hungry spirits as well. "I consider myself a social entrepreneur, changing the way we do business and the way we relate through business," she says. It's reflected in "how we treat each other — vendors, competitors, employees and customers." Langston is approaching 20 years of cooking for The Shelter on West Tennessee Street. She employs prisoners in her kitchen who are on work release as they near the end of their sentences, giving them a positive environment and some job experience. She is one of the 25 Women You Need to Know, the Tallahassee Democrat's celebration during Women's History Month of their professional achievements and contributions to the community. Langston is most passionate about working with teens and young adults. She has 600 Facebook friends, and two-thirds of them are teens she has mentored or worked with in various capacities, including youth camps where participants can get in touch with who they are and the spiritual dimensions of their lives. "I am who I wish I had been when I was a kid," she grins, but adds that she was adrift at that age. Today, "I am the one who says it's going to be OK." She is a volunteer for Challenge Day events, which are designed to address bullying and hostility among students. Rickards High School was the first school in Leon County to try the program in October 2009. Since then, referrals have decreased by 40 percent. Cindy Bigbie, one of the Challenge Day coordinators and a friend of Langston's, nominated her to be a 25 Women honoree. Bigbie summarizes all of Lagnston's civic work as a "mission of building community." "Judy is all about the people and building connections," she wrote. "She has a weekly newsletter that she sends to all her customers, helping to lift their spirits and network and do good in the world." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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