Barbara Hughes has been with Project Renewal since 1992, serving first as an instructor for the award-winning Culinary Arts Training Program (CATP). She was instrumental in launching Comfort Foods Catering, which rebranded as City Beet Kitchens (CBK) in 2014, a social enterprise catering company employing formerly homeless individuals and preparing foods for both shelters and other organizations across the city.

Barbara continues to lead CBK and the CATP program. She has over 30 years of experience in the New York City restaurant industry and has spent much of her life outside of work as an activist for the HIV/AIDS community. She is currently the President Emeritus of the Treatment Action Group, an independent AIDS research and policy think tank. Barbara earned a BA in Music from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.