The Shawshank Prevention

After about thirty years of a lifelong sentence, Red tells Andy that “Hope is a dangerous thing” behind prison walls.

But what about in front of them?

For much of the youth in New Orleans, hope does not exist. After the devastation of Katrina, so much has been lost and destroyed for this population who had so little to begin with. While the city is rebuilding, it’s a slow process. And unfortunately, for some teens, prison is almost an inevitability.

That’s where Liberty’s Kitchen steps in. Amidst the bail bonds shops and attorney offices and across the street from the New Orleans courthouse – which itself is next door to a prison – Liberty’s Kitchen offers hope to the at-risk youth in the area. A small coffee shop and café that was completely submerged by Katrina, Liberty’s Kitchen offers 16-20 year olds the opportunity to gain valuable skills – not so much a “culinary training program” as much as an “employability training program”. This allows for the opportunity for one under-served population serving another under-served population. And with partnerships with social services (GED program, mental health organization and public defenders), Liberty’s Kitchen helps students transition to a job after they finish the program.

Liberty’s Kitchen held its opening gala party/fundraiser on Saturday night – an event that our CulinaryCorps team helped produce. Working with the ebullient co-founder/Executive Chef and the sous-chef, our team executed a 150-person dinner – based on the chef’s menu, we also brought our own ideas to the table.

Chef Reggie is a New Orleans native who came back the Thursday after Katrina where he spent most of his hours cooking and feeding all of the workers who were rescuing people and fixing electrical issues. Since then he became involved with Café Reconcile, a restaurant with the similar mission of helping teens. and has committed himself to doing what he can to help this disadvantaged group.

But, as Chef Reggie so succinctly puts it: “Hope is not a passive thing.” In a recurring theme of the week: hope exists, but people need to engage to make it a reality. Like the volunteers at Camp Hope who were rebuilding houses to provide hope to the residents of New Orleans, our team worked from 8am to 11pm to provide hope to Liberty’s Kitchen and subsequently, the teens in the area so affected by Katrina.

Our combined menu for the evening:

• Redfish Gougonette on a Cauliflower Puree
• Pork Tenderloin Tournedos with Corn Pudding and Gingersnap Gravy
• Andouille Sausage with Sweet and Sour Cabbage
• Shrimp Remoulade
• Pulled Pork on Sweet Potato Biscuits with Apple-cranberry Jelly
• Pasta Jambalaya Orzo with Smoked Chicken
• Sweet Corn Cake Topped with Fried Quail Eggs, Greens and Bacon and a Mustard Gastrique
• Crawfish Risotto
• Pissaladiere with Fig Olive Tapenade
• Bayou Brownie with Caramelized Banana and Pepper Praline Sauce
• Strawberry Po’Boys with Chocolate and Vanilla Custard

The music was playing, the beer was flowing, and everyone was happy, full and excited about the possibilities of Liberty's Kitchen.

I hope that Liberty Kitchen succeeds. I hope that these teens see the world of opportunities available outside the prison walls.

I hope.