Exclusive | NYC ex-cons slice and dice their way through new culinary program

In this kitchen, justice is served – and finely chopped.

Nearly a dozen ex-cons graduated Monday from the city’s Department of Probation’s inaugural culinary-skills program, part of a range of new classes offered to parolees to try to bolster employment and slash recidivism rates.

“This is my yellow brick road,” said newly minted class graduate and parolee Angel Rivera, 52, of Brooklyn. “This is going to open up doors for me.”

The 11 graduates — who are serving probation for everything from weapons possession to assault to sex abuse — met once a week at Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine on Theater Row in Manhattan, led by chef Basil Jones. 6

The participants were taught food safety, preparation, nutrition, serving, management and event planning over 10 weeks, all of which are designed t