As senior citizens awaited a pre-Thanksgiving sit-down meal at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s (MMCC) Senior Center, inside its sweltering kitchen an assembly line formed with Aaron Domeny topping spoonfuls of greens on an endless stream of plates.

For anyone who knows Domeny, who hails from nearby Williamsbridge, they will likely describe him as a timid and shy 18-year-old. But Domeny, whose strait-laced demeanor is broken by the quips delivered by his boss and chef, Michael Tompkins, is also a young man with dreams of working at a five-star restaurant and has a humorous side. MMCC’s kitchen, cheerful and lighthearted as it can be, doubles as a virtual classroom with a dash of teamwork, a smidge of humor and a pound of culinary discipline, ingredients Domeny uses to work his way around a kitchen.

Within the span of two months, Domeny has gone from intern at MMCC to part-time cook, a stepping stone that’s offered Domeny the chance to impart what he’s learned to another intern, Juan Mendoza.

“He was a little shy at first, but now he’s laughing, he’s more comfortable. He’s become part of the group,” said Lisa Nicotra, senior director for the MMCC Senior Center, describing him as someone who “wanted to come in and be successful.”

Domeny is a product of the Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP), a program overseen by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). The program places Bronx residents between the ages of 16 and 24 into an internship in the healthcare, retail, construction and hospitality vocations. On-site employers offer job training and possible job placement, creating a work that can morph into careers. MMCC, a center with services for toddlers to senior citizens, has been a host site, employing ambitious young people like Domeny for years.

“I kind of consider cooking to be an art,” said Domeny, a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He was hired for part-time as a food package server, but transitioned to a kitchen cook, learning how to prepare food, package it to another MMCC center, work in a team and “pretty much everything.” That also involves building confidence, according to Tompkins. “That’s why I have [Aaron] train Juan–to help him with his communications and train him how to talk to people,” said Tompkins.

Domeny was part of a team that successfully helped MMCC’s pre-Thanksgiving luncheon go off without a hitch. The ambiance in the room was set with some classic, bilingual hits from Hector Havoe’s “El Cantante,” which played in the background as an estimated 110 seniors packed the room to celebrate their luncheon. As attendees sat eating their Thanksgiving-themed lunches, MMCC staffers and volunteers helped latecomers find seats.

MMCC maintains three senior centers in the Bronx with a membership close to 2,000, offering various classes in arts and crafts, current events, book discussion, and field trips, all while having the ability to socialize with each other. Among some of the services being offered to seniors at the center is a lunch program funded by the New York City Department for the Aging. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Councilman Andrew Cohen provide funds for senior programming and MMCC. “It’s great to see a packed house today,” said Dinowitz who was accompanied at the event by Cohen, spreading some Thanksgiving cheer. “I love coming here because the [MMCC] Senior Center is a great place to be not just on Thanksgiving, but all year round.”

Plenty of seniors danced off some of the heavy Thanksgiving fare with one lady dragging another to the makeshift dance floor, which later spurred three more couples to show off some moves.

Additional reporting by Jasmine Gomez.