Dallas Chef nurtures at-risk youth at upscale restaurant

Chef Chad Houser of Dallas became a “CNN Hero” last week, featured in an article and video that highlights his work with Dallas County at-risk youth.

The many other heroes of the story are the dozens of young men and women who’ve lifted themselves up and found a path toward a lawful life and productive career by training in the culinary arts under Houser’s tutelage.

Their story is one of working together for success. It starts in 2011, when Houser began volunteering to teach kids in Dallas County juvenile detention how to cook. He discovered that many of the youth had simply failed to draw the best cards in life; they’d endured poverty, violence and had veered into crime. Their stories drew Houser in and he built the program up to became a full-fledged enterprise in which at-risk youth work alongside professionals at a high end restaurant, Café Momentum, in the heart of downtown Dallas.

Café Momentum is truly upscale, with the requisite elements, like $40 bottles of wine and exotic hors d’oeuvres such as Octapus Tiradito. There’s farro risotto, and creamed Swiss chard, and spaghetti squash and green harissa and other things you go to restaurants to learn about.

But the cafe operates as a non-profit and its goals are down to earth. The money raised at dinners (served Thursday, Friday and Saturday) supports 12-month paid internships for young men and women who’ve served time in Dallas County juvenile facilities. The youth learn culinary skills and other aspects of the restaurant business and are required to enroll in regular education classes.

Read the full CNN story here.
Watch the CNN video here.

McFadden Sends Youth Home with Backpack of 'Hope'

By Y. Denise Caldwell Community Resource Coordinator, Northern District Parole Office FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Larry Bossaler, McFadden volunteer McFadden Ranch Volunteer Larry Bossaler enjoys his assignment: Making sure that every youth who leaves the McFadden halfway house knows that people are praying for him and wishing him the best in his future. He is the man who brings them their “Good-Bye” backpack. When he delivers the backpacks, he makes sure to do three things – visit with the youth, show the contents of the backpack (because staff put them in the lockers until the youth leaves), and lastly close the visit with a heartfelt prayer. The youth enjoy and appreciate the backpack, the visit and the prayer. Many are a little anxious and scared to leave but knowing that the McFadden volunteers care enough to send them off in this special way, helps them feel a bit less worried. “I always bring an extra backpack,” Larry said. ...

IN MEMORY AND APPRECIATION: Trayce Haynes Alexander

Trayce Haynes Alexander, of Cat Spring, Texas passed away in April. She was a JCO IV at the Giddings State School and began her employment with the Texas Youth Commission on January 5, 2009, as a JCO III. She was promoted to a JCO IV on April 1, 2010. Trayce was a hardworking, loyal and dedicated staff member and friend. Her number one priority was the youth in her dorm and she would drive one hour and forty minutes everyday (even in ill health) to try to make a difference in the lives of the youth she worked with. She was well respected by both staff and youth due to her extraordinary work ethic. The boys could always depend on her to hold them accountable. She is survived by her husband Geoff Alexander and two daughters, Kristyn and Robyn Alexander. Trayce was born on September 3, 1952. She earned a BS from Southwest Texas State University in Law Enforcement.

Canyon Lake Evening Reporting Center

When Comal County Juvenile Probation Chief Kris Johnson joined the department in March 2011, he brought with him a long-term vision to open an Evening Reporting Center (ERC) in the county. ERCs, which require youth offenders to report to specified locations during evening hours for programming, skills building and community service, were first used in Chicago, where juvenile justice advocates needed after school programs to keep their higher risk kids from getting involved in the gang scene. They also serve as an alternative to detention pending a youth’s hearings. ERCs have become common detention alternatives in many communities throughout the United States and are based on research and best practices recognized by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnson believed implementing an ERC in Comal County would reduce juvenile crime by providing supervision during the hours crime is most likely to occur. Additionally, it could significantly reduce the cost of deten...

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