Richard Astwood Jr. Autism Culinary Institute

Call Directions Website Contact the school

Richard Astwood Jr. Autism Culinary Institute A nonprofit cooking school empowering individuals with autism through hands-on culinary training, life skills, and confidence-building opportunities.

Focused on independence, dignity, and real-world readiness.

There was lots of fun and laughs with some great people at this demonstration! Making pizza quesadillas are so fun, quic...
10/13/2026

There was lots of fun and laughs with some great people at this demonstration! Making pizza quesadillas are so fun, quick, and EASY! We love and appreciate all the great responses we continuously get ! πŸ’™ A SPECIAL THANKS to our SPECIAL HELPERS ! πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™

The Richard Astwood Autism Culinary Institute did some wonderful volunteer work at the Garden of Giving located right he...
10/06/2026

The Richard Astwood Autism Culinary Institute did some wonderful volunteer work at the Garden of Giving located right here in Monroe County Pennsylvania, we finally met Tammy in person , who is currently in her 18th season of growing!
We had our lovely C.E.O. and our Director of Urban Agriculture there lending a helping hand on the farm! It’s so important that we work together to help our community thrive and positively impact the lives of all around us!πŸ’•

Blueberries πŸ’™

Look at the beautiful view behind the Director of Urban Agriculture! She was truly in her happy place!✨

✨

We need the bees and the bees need the FLOWERS 🌼🌼🌼🌼

Painting raised garden beds with lintseed oil to protect the wood !

Harvest!

The C.E.O. Is ALWAYS hands on! ✨

Rosemary ✨

PEPPERS!!

Basil ! πŸ’š

Thank you so much Tammy for everything! Your love, your light, your kindness and your prayers ! πŸ’•

Strawberries! πŸ“

Another successful cooking workshop! This time it was a quick and fun pizza quesadilla ! Quick and easy meals, build con...
09/20/2026

Another successful cooking workshop! This time it was a quick and fun pizza quesadilla ! Quick and easy meals, build confidence in the kitchen and confidence IN LIFE ! Lead by our hands on CEO Lori Astwood and our head of HR Edi Daley ! πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™βœ¨

First we set up, then it’s time to GET DOWN ! Another fun and entertaining cooking demonstration with some of our experi...
09/07/2026

First we set up, then it’s time to GET DOWN !
Another fun and entertaining cooking demonstration with some of our experienced chefs ! Having a great time building confidence while doing life skills definitely makes it more memorable AND meaningful!
Special thanks to our hands-on C.E.O. Lori Astwood, Director of Urban Agriculture Loren Astwood & our ground CREW: Sir Charles Mosley, Iyana Astwood-Evans, & Zion Astwood-Evans ! πŸ’™

All geared up for our next demonstration today ! There’s a lot that goes into the R.A.A.C.I. and every step IS an import...
08/21/2026

All geared up for our next demonstration today ! There’s a lot that goes into the R.A.A.C.I. and every step IS an important one ! We treat EVERY demonstration with love and serious care ! πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™

07/29/2026

Meet the people behind the mission. 🧑

You know RAACI for our cooking demonstrations, grow programs, and community impact, but none of it would be possible without the incredible people who make it all happen.

We thought it was time to introduce you to the amazing team behind RAACI... one fun question at a time!

Today, meet Loren, our Director of Urban Agriculture. 🌱

Watch until the end to hear her answer, then tell us in the comments: Who would you cook for, and what would you make? πŸ‘‡

Stay tuned, there are plenty more RAACI team members for you to meet and questions to be answered!

07/27/2026

Booking a cooking demonstration isn't just about making a meal. It's about building confidence.

Every recipe teaches more than cooking:
It teaches problem-solving.
It encourages independence.
It creates friendships.
It reminds every participant that they are capable.
That's why we do what we do.

We're so proud of every chef who joins us. Thank you to our volunteers, families, partners, and supporters who help make these moments possible.

πŸ’š Leave our current and future chefs a word of encouragement in the comments. We know they'll love reading your messages.

Interested in bringing a cooking or grow demonstration to your organization, or supporting programs like these through a donation? Send us a message. We'd love to connect.

07/24/2026

We had the chance to sit down with our Founder & CEO, Lori Astwood, after today's cooking demonstration and ask her one important question...

Why is RAACI an important organization to have?

Her answer is a powerful reminder of why we do this work every day and why creating opportunities for differently abled adults is so important.

πŸ’š Take a listen, then let us know in the comments: What part of RAACI's mission resonates most with you?

🚨 Introducing today's cooking crew! πŸ‘¨β€πŸ³πŸ‘©β€πŸ³Meet the amazing chefs who made today's cooking demonstration a success! From ...
07/24/2026

🚨 Introducing today's cooking crew! πŸ‘¨β€πŸ³πŸ‘©β€πŸ³

Meet the amazing chefs who made today's cooking demonstration a success! From chopping and stirring to laughing and learning, this crew showed up ready to cook, create, and build new skills together.

Help us celebrate today's chefs by dropping a πŸ‘ or πŸ’™ in the comments!

CookingTogether

In a last minute venue change Ms. Estelle Moore and her dedication to help the Richard Astwood Autism Culinary Institute...
07/12/2026

In a last minute venue change Ms. Estelle Moore and her dedication to help the Richard Astwood Autism Culinary Institute assisted us with a GREAT and spacious place for our most recent cooking demonstration with the Pocono Autism Society! We all had a wonderful time making our ground turkey casserole (a wonderful $8.24 meal) together and individually. Lori Astwood and Loren Astwood were the leads of our cooking experience! We also had our team of special helpers who include SirCharles Mosley, Iyana Evans-Astwood, Zion Evans-Astwood, and Edi Daley. We thank you so much for all you have done!!
Special thanks to our Prayer Team: Karen Cunningham, Dawn Ange, Poochie Freeman, and Odessa Pat Cunningham πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™

Address

3308 Route 940 #427
Mount Pocono, PA
18344

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Richard Astwood Jr. Autism Culinary Institute posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Richard Astwood Jr. Autism Culinary Institute:

Shortcuts

Share

Category