Coastal Cooks is a 10-week long program at the Street Reach Mission in Myrtle Beach that aims to give the homeless the skills they need to start a new life and a new career.

Thursday morning, the first fifteen members of the program graduated. They were each presented with a chef jacket and a certificate.

Betty Bromley founded the program after seeing one like it in Cincinnati. She's a professional chef at The Cooper House Event Center in Socastee.

During the program, the students learned not just how to cook, but how to work in a professional kitchen. They also learned about sanitation, service and how to fill out a basic restaurant application.

Conrad Marquez is one of those who graduated today.

"Throughout my history, I've been doing a lot of wrong things and I'm 24 and finally trying to get my life straight and this is the biggest start I have."

The Coastal Cooks program prepared meals for as many as 75 people a day at Street Reach, plus meals for people staying at a nearby domestic violence shelter.