For young trainees at this café, the menu is full of possibilities

A trainee named Brian works in the kitchen of Curt’s Café, tossing spices like a master chef. While he experiments with a recipe for grilled-chicken chipotle, he reflects on the three months he has spent in the café’s job-training program. It is clear he has discovered a passion for paprika – and a generous dash of hope. 

“The key is to make it smoky and ... sear it [in] a very hot pan,” says the 19-year-old, moving swiftly around the crowded space. (For privacy reasons, Brian asked that his last name not be used for this story.)

Three years ago, he was searching for direction as he sat in a jail cell after breaking into his uncle’s home. When Brian’s mother arrived at the police station, she was in tears. “From that day on, I knew I had to become a better person,” he says. He realized, “This is not who I want to be.” 

After the charges were dropped, Brian spent several months sleeping on friends’ sofas. That was when he learned about the nonprofit Curt’s Café through a local organization, Connections for the Homeless. “Curt’s helped change my mind, and it helped change my heart,” Brian says. “I’m on the straight path.”

Investing in relationships 

Susan Trieschmann founded Curt’s Café in Evanston, Illinois, in 2012 to provide job and life-skills training for young people ages 15 to 24. A second café opened nearby in Highland Park in 2019. More than 600 students have completed the cafés’ 500-hour program, with many graduates going on to finish high school or find jobs. 

Some students are trying to leave gangs. Many have arrest records or are experiencing hardships, which can make it difficult to find employment, says Tanya Jenkins, the nonprofit’s executive director. New students meet with a social worker, who addresses basic needs and “will get them connected with resources,” Ms. Jenkins says.