After a collection of pop-ups that started in 2024, Café Momentum, an award-winning nonprofit restaurant, is lastly opening the doorways of its first Atlanta location on Thursday, March 27. With a mission to remodel the lives of justice-involved youth, the restaurant is tackling juvenile incarceration intervention in a brand new manner, mixing rehabilitation and growth with high quality eating.
What began in 2015 in Dallas by founder and CEO Chad Houser has grown right into a system of assist for over 1,200 justice-involved youth by its paid 12-month internship program. The purpose was to construct a greater system of making pathways out of incarceration by group, assist and constructive change for youth. In an experimental tackle social change, teenagers aged 15-19 are uncovered to alternatives to achieve social, monetary, and educational life abilities by navigating the calls for of the restaurant trade. After commencement from this system, they’re positioned in jobs with group companions.
Help from the Atlanta group, firms, foundations, and volunteers such because the Stand Collectively Basis led to the town being chosen as the subsequent location to advance its mission, with 25 interns at present in this system. Nyaboke Machini, director of growth, mentioned Café Momentum desires to be a part of the village to assist the youth “do extra and be extra.”
“We wish individuals to have scrumptious meals whereas taking off the stigma of juvenile justice,” Machini mentioned. “To come back have high quality eating, and also you’re served by a 17-year-old who’s assured about what they’re doing and the way they’re doing it? I feel that’s actually nice.”
Café Momentum goes past serving to its interns throughout the restaurant, implementing wrap-around companies similar to group remedy, parenting lessons, and home check-ups. The workers, who vary from therapists, educators, and case managers to restaurant leaders, are all skilled and skilled in trauma-informed practices.
Kenzo Sohoue, a Café Momentum ambassador, joined the intern program at age 19. Sohoue shared that he was incarcerated when he was chosen to take part in a pop-up dinner in Los Angeles. From there, he mentioned knew he had the chance to construct group and household.
“I couldn’t simply let go of that chance. And to belief me within the kitchen, to belief me exterior of my present circumstance? I knew I had far more potential.”
At 25, Sohoue is now a case supervisor and coverage advocate for youth in L.A. As an envoy, he has been instrumental in spreading the café’s mission in different cities because it strikes to develop. By way of mentorship and steering, he has discovered life abilities similar to cooking, networking, and constructing group and suggested different youth who’re concerned within the justice system to not maintain again.
“You received’t know what is nice for you till it’s gone. And simply understand that they’ve the chance to truly develop inside one thing and never really feel stagnant and really feel like they’re solely getting the identical outcomes on a regular basis, which I can relate to. You haven’t any limits. You’re a king or a queen,” Sohoue mentioned. “Now that I’ve emancipated from my challenges and nonetheless rising, I can now be a job mannequin and have an effect with out even saying something as a result of I’m a strolling testimony.”
Café Momentum is positioned at 200 Peachtree St NW Suite L02. It will likely be open Thursday-Saturday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
“The meals sells itself. The tactic sells itself. Simply come and eat or inform our story,” Machini mentioned.
