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Nonprofit Farestart, which offers food service job training to people struggling with poverty, addiction, homelessness, or a criminal record, celebrates the staggered roll-out of its five new Amazon campus restaurants this week.
The expansion is made possible by a major donation from Amazon announced in February. It will enable Farestart to launch a new Foodservice Apprenticeship Program and nearly double its reach over the next ten years, raising more people out of homelessness and poverty and into long-term financial stability.
The first of the new arrivals unlocks its doors on Wednesday, July 19. This includes the three-in-one market-like dining hall at 399 Fairview Ave N called Community Table, which will house a barbecue spot with smoked meats and a vegan option, a “bowls” shop serving grain bases topped with seasonal vegetables, and a salad bar with tossed-to-order plates. Also opening Wednesday at the same location is Rise. Open from early morning to late afternoon, the shop will serve coffee, tea, kombucha, and cold brew on tap, plus pastries, sandwiches, soups, and salads.
The final piece of the expansion, Maslow’s, will start service on Monday, July 24. This full-service casual restaurant and bar at 380 Boren Ave N is named after Abraham Maslow, who developed the well-known theory of motivation called the hierarchy of needs. The restaurant will serve lunch, happy hour, and dinner.
Farestart’s highly respected program currently operates two cafes and one full-service restaurant, all of which are open to the public. The charity also operates a popular Guest Chef Night, a weekly fundraising event that features a different chef each time preparing a three-course meal with Farestart student assistance.
The donation from Amazon includes more than 25,000 square feet for a new full-service restaurant, three fast-casual cafes, a coffee shop, a catering venue, and training classrooms. As with the nonprofit’s current three restaurants, the new ones will be open to the public.
