For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, FareStart's Beacon Hill cafe has reopened at the Pacific Tower. The eagerly anticipated reopening will once again serve cafe staples including coffees, teas, and other beverages, as well as food options such as freshly made sandwiches and pastries.
The cafe is especially popular among workers in the offices within the Art Deco Pacific Tower, but the cafe is open to the public as well. Visitors to the cafe celebrated the reopening week with a warm welcome back.
“It’s great to be back home. It’s great to feel missed,” adds Chermell Cain, who heads up virtual training at FareStart and works closely with Barista and Customer Service students during their first few weeks in the program.
The cafe is home to FareStart’s Barista and Customer Service Program, a job training service designed to train people age 15 1/2 to 24. Participants in the program gain skills by working with expert baristas, who also support participants by helping them find jobs or internships. Wraparound support services complement the training to assist participants on their pathway towards personal stability and economic mobility.
Photo: FareStart
Food as a Community Builder
FareStart serves as a solution to some of our area's most pressing challenges: homelessness, joblessness, poverty and hunger. Their model as a social enterprise allows FareStart to act as an effective social service provider, with food and culinary training at the heart of their work in this space.
"People in poverty struggle to escape the cycle they are in and often face additional compounding barriers to getting and keeping a job," says FareStart. "At FareStart, we help people overcome those barriers by teaching them work and life skills they need to succeed in the foodservice industry and in life."
Through a number of local restaurants, cafes, catering, and other programs, FareStart provides meals to social services, shelters and schools. At the same time, participants in FareStart's programs get hands-on work experience that positions them for future job opportunities, all while giving back to their community. Since 1992, FareStart has prepared more than 18 million meals for schools, healthcare centers, shelters, and daycare centers.
Job Training Programs
The FareStart Cafe in Beacon Hill is a part of the organization's four foodservice training programs throughout the Seattle area:
Adult Culinary Program: combines hands-on culinary training with classroom instruction, individual case management, life skills coaching and job placement services for adults 18 and older. The 16-week program provides the tools, training and support to put graduates on the path to employment.
Youth & Young Adult Barista Program: runs in partnership with YouthCare and is built around the needs of young people 16-24 who are street-involved. The program teaches barista and customer service skills through classroom instruction, job-readiness training, on-the-job experience and job placement support.
Youth Culinary Program: for youth 16-21 currently enrolled in Seattle Public Schools Interagency Academy or Nova High School. This program provides hands-on training focused on culinary arts, customer service, life skills, job-readiness training, on-the-job experience and job placement support, while youth earn school credit toward high school graduation.
Foodservice Apprenticeship Program: for individuals 18 and older with foodservice work experience. This program is designed to help foodservice workers develop the higher skills they need to advance in the foodservice industry and toward a living wage.
Visit the FareStart Cafe in Beacon Hill
The FareStart Cafe in Beacon Hill is located at 1200 12th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144. The cafe's hours are 7:00am to 2:00pm daily Monday through Friday, and closed on the weekends.
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