Christina Geyer
- Posted:
- July 27, 2011
For a delicious nonprofit restaurant recipe, look no further than Café Momentum. Begin with a concoction of restaurateurs and philanthropists: Parigi Restaurant co-owners Chad Hauser and Janice Provost, plus board-of-advisors members such as Jerry Silhan of Youth Village Resources of Dallas, Katherine Lindholm of the North Texas Food Bank and Steve Palma of Central Dallas Ministries. Next, teach basic gastronomic skills to a group of 13- to 17-year-old boys from the Dallas County Youth Village juvenile detention facility. Rotate the epicurean pupils through various front- and back-of-house positions, including cooking, plating and serving — all while being mentored by a special guest chef who changes monthly. Finally, one Sunday a month, house the budding cooks in a pop-up eatery at various local restaurants and invite the foodie contingent to nosh on the prix-fixe dinner (the tariff changes monthly, too). Stir. Et voilà! You’re left with a charitable-cool concept that teaches disadvantaged youth a skill that can lead to paid positions in the Youth Village cafeteria and beyond. The tastiest ingredient? Café Momentum has partnered with the North Texas Master Gardeners Association, allowing its culinary students the opportunity to cultivate ingredients locally. A fresh idea, indeed. Eats deets: The August 7 and September 11 dinners have already sold out, so promptly reserve your seat for the feast on Sunday, October 2, featuring Salum and Komali chef Abraham Salum ($75) at cafemomentum.org.