Café Momentum, a restaurant model that helps troubled youth, coming to Pittsburgh
Eat. Drink. Change lives.
That’s not just a slogan.
Those words mean action at Café Momentum, a Dallas-based nonprofit restaurant that provides 12-month paid internships to young men and women exiting the juvenile justice system. They rotate through all aspects of the restaurant, focusing on life and social skills, coaching and development.
Soon that momentum will be making its way to Pittsburgh.
The restaurant will be Downtown on Forbes Avenue not far from Market Square, easily accessible via public transportation.
On Tuesday, The Speckled Egg restaurant held a pop-up dinner to introduce the concept to Pittsburgh. During a presentation it was announced that the Allegheny Foundation has donated $1 million to support Café Momentum.
After cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres, a four-course meal (salad of baby kale and roasted butternut squash with maple mustard vinaigrette, truffle cavatelli, beef bourguignon, carrots and garlic mashed potatoes) was served to 70 guests. Five area youth and two teens from Dallas helped preparing the food with assistance from The Speckled Egg owners, Jacqueline and Nathan Schoedel, and their staff.
The program here will help at-risk youth ages 15-19 coming out of juvenile facilities who live in Allegheny County.
The teens learn everything from preparing the meal to serving food and drinks.
James, 16, of Pittsburgh’s South Side, said he quickly learned a lot about the restaurant business.
“They taught me how to be a team player,” said James, who served appetizers to the guests. “And that you have to work hard to earn things that are worthwhile. It’s been a great experience.”
In 2019, there were 55,000 youth court-ordered into residential placement in the U.S., according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. On a typical day in 2019, juvenile facilities across the U.S. held 21,141 youth.
The plan is for these young people to return to society and the restaurant business has been one where individuals with a criminal record have been hired, said Melissa Sickmund, the director for the National Center for Juvenile Justice on Pittsburgh’s South Side. She said at some facilities the youth are introduced to preparing meals so they will have developed a skill so when they are released there might be possible employment for them in the restaurant business.
She said she’s aware of similar programs such as Café Momentum across the country. There is limited evaluation data, but there’s been a lot of positive anecdotal information about them, she said.
Olivia Cole, chief marketing officer for Café Momentum’s parent company Momentum Advisory Collective said the goal is for Café Momentum to become “the model for juvenile justice on a national level.”
Pittsburgh was appealing as a tightknit community, Cole said. When searching for the pop-up site, they toured eight Pittsburgh restaurants. The Speckled Egg, located Downtown in the lobby of the Union Trust Building, was the perfect fit, Cole said.
“They embraced what we are doing and want to give young people a chance,” Cole said. “There is magic that happens when patrons sit at a table in a restaurant. Those patrons are saying ‘I believe in you’ and that creates a connection.”
The Momentum Advisory Collective and Café Momentum have been partnering with Stand Together Foundation, an organization that helps those in poverty. Its executive director, Evan Feinberg, a Peters native who lives in Washington, D.C., said they look to partner with “people who are transforming lives and tackling critical social problems.”
“These young people made some mistakes, but they need to know we are here to help them and that they can do great things and be successful,” Feinberg said.
They need that support, agreed Kenzo Sohoue, 21, who was incarcerated at age 18. The Los Angeles resident became aware of the program at a pop-up dinner in his area. He’s become an ambassador for Café Momentum.
“They gave me the opportunity to do better and to expand my potential,” Sohoue said. “It is life-changing. When I see these young people, I can relate to them because I was in their shoes. Momentum is needed around the world. You all’s presence here (at the pop-up dinner) is what gives them hope.”
Tristyn, 18, of Dallas was losing hope when Café Momentum saved her, she said.
“I had a shaky home environment and I was pregnant,” she said. “Café Momentum mentored me. They tell me they’re proud of me. They’ve opened doors for me.”
Sam Reiman, director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation, dined at the Texas establishment. He contacted Chad Houser, the CEO and founder of Café Momentum and its parent company Momentum Advisory Collective.
A restaurateur for more than 25 years, Houser sold his part of a business to create Café Momentum. The idea came in May 2008 after Houser volunteered to go to a juvenile detention facility to teach young people how to make ice cream.
“I stereotyped them right away and I felt ashamed,” Houser said. “Then I took the time to really listen to them. In life, I was given so many chances, and they weren’t.”
Houser began by hosting 41 pop-up dinners all over the country. Since 2015, Café Momentum has helped more than 1,000 young people. The restaurant became known as one of the top dining destinations in Dallas, Houser said.
David Evrard, assistant chief of Allegheny County Juvenile Probation, said the Café Momentum program is doing great things.
“It’s a comprehensive program,” Evrard said. “It’s an opportunity for kids to get involved. These kids made some bad decisions. Here, they will learn more than how to cook. They learn life skills. Café Momentum will never close the door on them.”
Houser said Pittsburgh has welcomed Cafe Momentum.
“Pittsburgh has embraced us,” Houser said. “The city is a big small town — Mister Rogers’ neighborhood. The people here are passionate about everything they do. It was a natural fit to come here.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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