- Michael Gebert
- Gracie’s Cafe program participant Peter with manager Mike Ellert
The restaurant industry has always been an open door into the workforce for people with legal trouble in their pasts. Show up, do the dishes, and you’ve established a first foothold in the working world, no other questions asked. That’s the reason Saint Leonard’s Ministries, a 60-year-old residential program for recently released prisoners on the Near West Side, has long included food-service training among its programs for helping the formerly incarcerated learn the skills to make it in the world of work.
To date they’ve brought in 18 program participants, and Ellert says twelve who’ve completed it to date have gotten jobs in food service, with two more currently interviewing. The intent of the cafe is to produce revenue, but Ellert admits it’s not self-sustaining—”A typical coffeeshop like this would have two people working in it, plus a manager. We have six, and additional staff to help with their training.” The cafe was launched with a one-year grant from TIF funds for the redevelopment of the Near West Side, but is currently looking for ongoing funding.
