For young trainees at this caf茅, the menu is full of possibilities
| Evanston, Ill.
A聽trainee named Brian works in the kitchen of Curt鈥檚 Caf茅, 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 caf茅鈥檚 job-training program. It is clear he has discovered a passion for paprika 鈥� and a generous dash of hope.聽
鈥淭he key is to make it smoky and ... sear it [in] a very hot pan,鈥� 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鈥檚 home. When Brian鈥檚 mother arrived at the police station, she was in tears. 鈥淔rom that day on, I knew I had to become a better person,鈥� he says. He realized, 鈥淭his is not who I want to be.鈥澛�
Why We Wrote This
Some trainees at Curt鈥檚 Caf茅 are trying to leave gangs. Many have arrest records or are experiencing hardships, which can make it difficult to find employment. The caf茅 offers services that address the trainees鈥� basic needs so that they can flourish on the job.
After the charges were dropped, Brian spent several months sleeping on friends鈥� sofas. That was when he learned about the nonprofit Curt鈥檚 Caf茅 through a local organization, Connections for the Homeless. 鈥淐urt鈥檚 helped change my mind, and it helped change my heart,鈥� Brian says. 鈥淚鈥檓 on the straight path.鈥�
Investing in relationships聽
Susan Trieschmann founded Curt鈥檚 Caf茅 in Evanston, Illinois, in 2012 to provide job and life-skills training for young people ages 15 to 24. A second caf茅 opened nearby in Highland Park in 2019. More than 600 students have completed the caf茅s鈥� 500-hour program, with many graduates going on to finish high school or find jobs.聽
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鈥檚 executive director. New students meet with a social worker, who addresses basic needs and 鈥渨ill get them connected with resources,鈥� Ms. Jenkins says.聽
Youth intervention programs such as Curt鈥檚 tend to have strong success rates because they offer supportive 鈥渨raparound鈥� services, says Dallas Wright, an assistant director at Northwestern University鈥檚 Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science, an organization that partners with Chicago communities to provide data on public safety.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to meet participants鈥� needs in the most thorough way that they can,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 ... very targeted, very high investment in personal relationships.鈥�
Less than 5% of the students who had been incarcerated before working at Curt鈥檚 have returned to prison. The national recidivism rate is over 80% within 10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Over the past decade, Illinois has invested significantly in intervention-based youth programs, violence prevention, and workforce training.
Students at Curt鈥檚 not only learn how to make an omelet or run the cash register; they also learn skills such as conflict resolution, anger management, and how to handle their finances. One year, they learned about the history of graffiti and painted a mural on the side of the Evanston caf茅.聽
They take field trips to trade schools and colleges, while receiving help with preparing r茅sum茅s and finding jobs. Curt鈥檚 also provides tutoring to help some students earn GED diplomas.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 about opening up the possibilities,鈥� says Joshua Rovner, senior research analyst with The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based organization that studies alternatives to youth incarceration.
鈥淯nconditional love鈥澛�
As sunlight streams through the caf茅鈥檚 large front windows, customers sit on plush sofas choosing from menu items such as kale chicken Caesar wrap and French toast. Local art creates a patchwork of color on an exposed-brick wall, while a painted bench rests in the corner. Warmth is felt not just in the hot soups and freshly baked pastries, but in the caf茅鈥檚 purpose.聽
鈥淲e just want to make sure that they鈥檙e supported,鈥� says Bri Consalvo, the caf茅鈥檚 manager. 鈥淭his is a place to learn.鈥澛�
That means giving employees some extra grace, she says. Sometimes, a student is late to work because 鈥渋t鈥檚 clear it鈥檚 been a rough night 鈥� maybe they slept on a train,鈥� she says. In those cases, she tells them to lie on the couch and rest for a bit while staff members get them breakfast.聽
For many students, Curt鈥檚 provides a kind of stability they have never had before, Ms. Jenkins says.
鈥淥ur students can always come back,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter when they complete the program. They鈥檝e got a place鈥� at Curt鈥檚.聽
Ms. Trieschmann, who left the nonprofit in 2022, came up with the idea for Curt鈥檚 after working with an organization that helps former criminal offenders reintegrate into society and make peace with those they have harmed. At first, she couldn鈥檛 find investors for the caf茅, so she took out a second mortgage on her house 鈥� and got to work.聽
Curt鈥檚 was founded on the principle of unconditional love. 鈥淯nconditional love gives you an opportunity to see beautiful things,鈥� Ms. Trieschmann says.
Occasional challenges, including theft at the caf茅, have tested that sentiment.
鈥淚 would not punish anybody,鈥� she says. Instead, she gathered her crew in a circle. 鈥淲e would talk about the harm caused when people, you know, take money in a group that鈥檚 supposed to be trustful of them.鈥�
鈥淏eing a team鈥�
On this bright morning, Curt鈥檚 is buzzing with conversation and community. A customer strolls in for her carryout order. She smiles and leaves a generous $10 tip on a roughly $30 tab. Ms. Consalvo says it鈥檚 common for neighbors to chip in extra.聽
Beyond practical skills, students acquire something deeper: a sense of dignity.聽
鈥淚鈥檝e seen students learn to make eye contact and say 鈥榟ello,鈥欌�� says customer Steve Morton. 鈥淵ou see that they are gaining confidence.鈥�
After students complete 500 hours, there is a graduation. At a ceremony March 28, caf茅 staff members, friends, and fellow students form a semicircle around graduates, offering words of encouragement.聽
Joshua Herrera, who found Curt鈥檚 through his probation officer, smiles as he receives his certificate. 鈥淲ithout all of you guys, being a team, I wouldn鈥檛 be here,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hank you.鈥�
Back in the kitchen, Brian ladles chicken noodle soup into a bowl. He says that after graduation, he plans to complete a culinary program through Chicago鈥檚 nonprofit Westside Health Authority and focus on fusion cooking. He鈥檚 also compiling a cookbook of recipes he has created. 鈥淎ny type of art or expressive feeling, you can taste it in my cooking,鈥� he says.
