Shanna Badgett has been cooking for almost 30 years— in restaurants, rented kitchens, and out of her own home. Cooking helped her raise five children, two of whom are still at home, but it never provided the financial stability her family needed. Without formal culinary training, Shanna’s decades of experience didn’t translate into the wages she deserved. 

When she joined United Way of Greater Knoxville’s East Tennessee Collaborative program (ETC) in May 2024, enrolling in a culinary program was one of her top goals. 

“She knew she wanted to be a chef,” said Deanna Lemmons, Shanna’s ETC Mobility Mentor through the YWCA. “Whatever she’s determined to do, she’ll go after.” 

Funded by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, the ETC program empowers parents and caregivers living below the poverty line or those in a group known as asset-limited, income-constrained employed (ALICE) to overcome hurdles to reach financial independence. In Knox County, 43 percent of households fall into these two categories.  

Through ETC, participants have access to mentoring, career planning, basic needs assistance and skill enhancement to work toward goals around education and employment, financial security, and family stability and well-being.   

Deanna and Shanna often met for their sessions at restaurants. Together, they mapped out a plan for Shanna to enroll in the University of Tennessee’s intensive 8-week Culinary Certificate Program and navigated the federal student financial aid process to make it possible.  

  “I had never done a culinary class or went to school,” recounted Shanna, who earned her GED in 2014. “And then here I’m a—UT student. I’m in college. It was surreal.”   

In the program, Shanna bonded with aspiring and seasoned chefs, including a food truck owner who offered guidance to fellow classmates thinking about getting their own businesses off the ground.  

Building stability goal by goal  

Beyond culinary training, Shanna set her sights on building stability in other areas. She took financial literacy classes with Regions Bank’s Next Step program, gaining the skills and tools to start paying down debts and rebuilding her credit. 

“Being on a fixed income and figuring out where you can cut when you’ve cut so much can be hard,” says Regions’ Jalen Jones, who has led financial workshops for several ETC participants through the YWCA. “We help people focus on the things that they can control.” 

Always community-minded, Shanna earned a community health service certificate through Grow Partnership Tennessee, while meeting goals to prioritize her own health and wellbeing.  

And, with Deanna’s help, she successfully had past her record expunged through Knox Country courts—clearing the way for new beginnings. 

“Don’t think you can do it all at one time,” Shanna said, reflecting on her two years with ETC. “But If you do the programming, you will come out with something.” 

Deanna, who mentors 20 participants across five counties, has witnessed outcomes like Shanna’s time and again, as each participant lays their own foundation for financial stability goal by goal.  

“In two years, you can have some certificates and degrees to get higher paying jobs. You can have your car paid off,” she said. “No matter what you’re in, there’s a way to get out.” 

Cooking and coaching: A new career  

With culinary certificate in hand, Shanna is planning her next chapter. She worked with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center to create a business plan for her mobile catering business, Sisters Catering & Events. 

“I had the opportunity to work with Shanna earlier this year and learned about her 30-year experience in catering,” said Gregg Bostick, Director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center. “We were able to provide guidance on how to grow her catering business through business plan development, financial forecasting, how to prepare to access capital, and overall business guidance. She has a great story to share and by utilizing all of the available resources small business owners have available to them in Knoxville, she has all the potential to become successful.” 

While she saves for a trailer and seeks funding, Shanna rents a space on the weekends at Real Good Kitchen, Knoxville’s first shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator. Her specialty: lemon pepper chicken wings with homemade spices.  

At the same time, she is stepping into a new role as a life coach with Knoxville Peace, a community violence intervention initiative. She plans to draw on her own lived experience—and the connections and credibility she has built after years of cooking for her community—to support others. 

As she leaves ETC, Shanna is ready to celebrate how far she’s come. 

“I’m really ready to show it out,” she said. “I just was focused on doing the program and now that I am right here at the edge, I can lay it out on the table.”