At age 15, the future was not looking bright for Nashville’s Cameron Carver: his stepfather recently passed; his grandmother on life-sustaining oxygen; his mother unable to pay the electricity bill. His heart set in the right place, but his mind bent on a bad decision, Cameron took it upon himself to keep the lights on (and the oxygen flowing), but soon found himself on the wrong side of the law, held in juvenile detention. All too often, this would be the opening setup to a deeply depressing story.
But this is not a depressing story; this is the Café Momentum story. Founded in Dallas seven years ago by Chef Chad Houser who had an epiphany while teaching teens to make ice cream at the juvenile detention center. Generating an impressive track record of success, Café Momentum is a fine dining, farm-to-table, nonprofit restaurant model that provides life skills, professional development, and a sense of purpose to troubled youth. The model provides a 12-month, post-release internship to young men and women leaving juvenile facilities, providing on-the-job training in all aspects of the restaurant industry along with counseling and life skills coaching. Now expanding to Nashville, Café Momentum is currently searching for an appropriate venue with an aim to open in 2022.