Dine With a Purpose
At Curt’s you’ll find freshly brewed coffee, homemade pastries, smoothies, inspired sandwiches, soups, and salads in a warm and welcoming home away from home.
We provide something besides delicious treats and a comfortable space:
we also serve up good portions of hope and opportunity.
We strive to use local products and vendors, and we make everything possible from scratch. We offer free WiFi and provide space for community meetings, book clubs, church groups, knitting groups — whatever you need! Just call the cafes for more information.
Our student trainees, aged 15 to 24, are living in at-risk situations, such as involvement with the judicial system, being unhoused, experiencing food insecurity, or having dropped out of school. These young adults are determined to create a positive future for themselves. For them, gaining and maintaining employment will significantly contribute to their success.
Our program at Curt’s is both unique and essential. At-risk or formerly incarcerated young adults have limited resources available to them. Even a short period of confinement significantly impacts their ability to thrive after incarceration. With little hope of securing employment, even for entry-level positions, many end up living on the streets and reverting to destructive habits. Unfortunately, 86% of those released from incarceration find themselves back in the system within three years. We all bear the cost of such recidivism. Therefore, for everyone’s benefit, it is crucial to guide these young adults toward a secure and productive future.
These young adults all identify one essential thing that would help them turn their lives around: a job.
At Curt’s, we offer opportunities by teaching essential soft skills and assisting individuals in securing employment. Our curriculum includes culinary techniques and addresses educational gaps to help students gain confidence and become job-ready.
Instruction takes place in various settings: on café lines, in classrooms, and through one-on-one mentoring or outside cafés. Students are referred to us by probation officers, the Youth Job Center, social service agencies, police officers, city outreach personnel, and family or friends of graduates and current students. After completing their training, we support students in finding jobs and help them transition into full-time employment.
We support our students in the process of learning productive life skills by introducing them to four disciplines:
L
ife Skills such as opening a bank account, decision-making, job readiness
I
ntellectual Skills such as English, Math and Computer Literacy
F
ood Service Skills in the kitchen, as baristas, in counter service, and in food preparation
E
xperiential Skills by offering excursions around the city with mentors to learn outside of the cafés
