New start for eatery staff

by Joel Crea of the Plain Dealer   

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer
of October 23, 2013
read story on Plain Dealer website
 

Fine French cuisine and a fresh start:
Those are two of the things Edwins Restaurant intends to serve.

Authentic French food is rare enough on the shores of Lake Erie. But when it opens in Shaker Square Friday, Nov. 1, Edwins will also be the first restaurant in Cleveland — and, owners say, in the U.S. — specifically created and designed to employ individuals who have been sentenced for crimes and in most cases served prison time.

Most of the people who will greet the guests, serve them and prepare the food brought to their tables are returning to society. Edwins will serve as a training ground, an employer and a bridge to new opportunities.

They'll emerge in a sophisticated setting. Slate-blue walls, suede upholstered banquettes and chairs surrounding white-cloth-draped tables and Vieux Carre lanterns, evocative of New Orleans' French Quarter, mingle with Art Nouveau posters and a handsome fireplace to create an evocatively chic atmosphere. The 82-seat dining room and expansive bar will include a dedicated cheese-and-wine cellar.

''[Brandon Chrostowski] didn't just open a sandwich shop: He's going in, full force, with nouvelle French cuisine,'' says Crickett Karson, one of many donors who volunteers time and funding for the fledgling enterprise. ''He wanted participants in Edwins to learn how the best of the best is done, in order to equip them for any career opportunities that emerge for them.''

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Much more on the restaurant's worthy goals and how it came to be on the PD website. click here

photo PD Joel Crea