(Springfield, MO) -- Everybody loves food. But for one local group of graduates, food has become a life-saver.

Cook's Kettle is designed to help people with drug or alcohol addictions get back on their feet again. It's a program that's been around seven years.
The most recent group of graduates is hitting the job market with a very different set of life experiences. "It boiled down to a point where I was looking at prison time," said 21 year old Andrew Cousins.

Less than three years ago, instead of serving coffee, you would have found Cousins on the street trying to score drugs. "I had no plans, I had no future, I didn't care what happened to me," said Cousins.

It's the same story for Mark Doring, he was addicted to prescription medication. "In the few years I did it, it completely crashed and burned my life," said Doring.

Now they're getting up at 4 a.m. and training with professional chefs. "They get really interested in high end cooking, presentation that sort of thing," said Victory Trade School Director Victoria Queen.

200 students have graduated from the Cook's Kettle program so far.  They'll tell you the most important thing they've learned isn't how to cook a meal, but how to work with other people and hold down a job. "I'd love to be a manager of a kitchen, I love people," said Doring.

The year long education is free for students but before they start, they have to spend one year in a rehabilitation program and remain drug free. "It's definitely not a hand-out, they work for what they get," said Queen.

Andrew said his next goal is to go to college and prepare the next course of his life,  drug free. "I've always wanted to council people, be a help to somebody," said Cousins.

It costs about 15 thousand dollars per year to educate each student at Cook's Kettle. Right now private donations pay for the majority of that cost.  Cook's Kettle is open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Friday.