1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: A gentleman that worked in the junial apartment, that was 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: a supervisor in the facility at the time, told my 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: entire staff that he thought I was the craziest soob 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: he'd ever met, because I walked into Juvie and gave 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: kids knives. And he said, but it taught him a 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,959 Speaker 1: very valuable lesson, which is the kids responded to my 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: belief in them and expectation that they could succeed, and 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: they responded to that. 9 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 2: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 2: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: I'm an entrepreneur, and I've been a football coach an 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: Inner City Memphis. In the last part, it accidentally led 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: to an oscar for the film about our team, it's 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 2: called Undefeated. I believe our country's problems will never be 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: solved by a bunch of fancy people and nice suits 16 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 2: talking big words that nobody understands on c in Fox, 17 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 2: but rather an army of normal folks, US just you 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 2: and me deciding Hey, I can help. That's what Chad Houser, 19 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: the voice we just heard is done. Chad was a 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 2: restaurant owner in chef whose life was forever changed when 21 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 2: he was asked to teach eight young men in juvenile 22 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 2: attention how to make ice cream, and he couldn't look 23 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 2: away after that. In twenty fifteen, Chad founded Cafe Momentum, 24 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 2: now an award winning Dallas restaurant that get this, is 25 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,839 Speaker 2: run one hundred percent by youth leaving the juvenile justice 26 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 2: system and their interns, who not only get paid and 27 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 2: trained in the restaurant business, but they also benefit from 28 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 2: twelve months of support that includes case management, financial education, 29 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: parenting classes, career exploration, and they can even go to 30 00:01:58,120 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 2: their very own school. 31 00:01:59,400 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: There. 32 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 2: They've walked alongside a thousand youth in Dallas and are 33 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 2: now expanding this incredible model across the country. I really 34 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 2: cannot wait for you to meet Chad right after these 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 2: brief messages from our general sponsors, Chad Houser, it is 36 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: so good to meet you. I was actually aware a 37 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: little bit aware of you and what you were doing, 38 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 2: and I'll reveal to you a little later how but 39 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 2: it Man, is so good to be in Dallas and 40 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 2: be with you. Thanks for taking it an hour or 41 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 2: so to hang out with me. 42 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for being in Dallas, and thanks for hanging out 43 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: with me. 44 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I'm a month too early. A month later, 45 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 2: I think it I wouldn't feel any heat. But at 46 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 2: least I missed July. What was it like one hundred 47 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: and eleven down here or something. 48 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: I have PTSD. Still, I don't know if I can 49 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: to talk about right. 50 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 2: Alex the producer's going to be mad at me because 51 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 2: I time stamped it, so now everybody knows it's after 52 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 2: July that I was here. 53 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: But anyway, really really good to be with you. 54 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 2: And before we jump into Cafe Momentum and the phenomenal 55 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 2: success that you've had, I just really want to set 56 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 2: up who you are. So where were you born? Where'd 57 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 2: you come from? Tell me about Chad the kid running 58 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 2: around in the neighborhood. Chad, tell me who that kid is? 59 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: That guy? Well, it's ironic. I was born here in Dallas, 60 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: and the hospital I was born in is less than 61 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: a mile from Cafe Momentum, So no kidding, I keep 62 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: it close. Yeah, yeah, you got a tight world. So 63 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: where is that Baylor Hospital just outside downtown Dallas? Was 64 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: born here? Something that I think may sound a little 65 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: bit ancillary, but I think in the Grands scheme of 66 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: the story made a significant impact as my mom graduated 67 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: high school in nineteen seventy three, which was two years 68 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: before I was born. The significance of that for my 69 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: life is that the high school that she graduated from 70 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: was the first high school in Dallas to be desegregated 71 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 1: when she was a freshman. Wow, which meant that hold 72 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: in she stayed. 73 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,720 Speaker 2: Yes, because in the South, for those of you not 74 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 2: from the South, a lot of times when the high 75 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 2: schools got disegregated in the early seventies, kids left. Some 76 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,559 Speaker 2: kids left because their parents yanked them out. Other kids 77 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 2: left because part of that was kids would get bussed 78 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 2: out of their neighborhood to other schools to segregate. 79 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: So she no, they stayed. And you know, at the 80 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: end of the day, whether my grandparents wanted to leave 81 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: or not, they were too poor. That wasn't an option 82 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: for them, you know. But for me, it meant they stayed. 83 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: For me, it meant that I grew up kind of 84 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 1: in two worlds. And by that I mean I actually 85 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: grew up in a suburb of Dallas, and the suburb 86 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: that I grew up in was a suburb that had 87 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: a population growth around the time that desegregation happened and 88 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: white family started leaving the city and going out the suburbs. 89 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 1: So the suburb that I grew up in was very white, 90 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: very middle class. But my mom and my grandma being 91 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: best friends meant that I spent every weekend at my grandparents' house. 92 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: It meant that I spent every summer running around him. 93 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: And you know, my grandfather had the greenest thumb of 94 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: any human being in the world, So if he wasn't 95 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: working on a car or something in the garage, he 96 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: was out in the backyard gardening. My mom and my 97 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: grandmother loved to sew, which was not anything that I 98 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: cared to do. So that meant that I was running 99 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: around the neighborhood. And in that particular neighborhood did not 100 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: look like the neighborhood where I grew up, right, It 101 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: was very racially diverse, It was socioeconomically diverse. In fact, 102 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: I remember times when my grandfather would hook the garden 103 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: hose up to the kitchen sink so that he could 104 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: run warm water into the neighbor's backyard and phillip a 105 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: kidte pool because they couldn't pay their water bill. That 106 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: particular month, and that's kidding. No, I mean that was 107 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: things that happened. But then I would go home to 108 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: the suburb and that was not the world. Nobody yeah, 109 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: nobody was in free on free and reduced luncheon school. 110 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: Nobody was What did your grandfather do for a living? 111 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: My grandfather drove a bread truck from Missus Baird's bakery. 112 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: That's awesome, yes, And I we have a running joke 113 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: in our family because the Missus Baird's bakery was right 114 00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: off the highway and the highway that we would take 115 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: from home to go to my grandparents' house, and we 116 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: would drive by that bakery and I would say, you know, 117 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: what would happen if that bakery blew up one day? 118 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: And everybody in the car would roll their eyes and 119 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: I'd say, I sure don't know, but it would be 120 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: one crummy days. Shove a bit of bait. That was 121 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: dad jokes before there were dad jokes. 122 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was right my time. So your parents, what 123 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 2: did your parents do for a living? 124 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: My mom was a secretary for all of my growing up. 125 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: That was really fun too, though, because she was a 126 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: secretary on a horse ranch, which also meant that amongst 127 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: going into the city and experiencing that living in a suburb, 128 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,559 Speaker 1: I would spend days during the summer on a ranch 129 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: cleaning horse poop and washing horses and. 130 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 2: A secretary for I would I wouldn't think a horse ranch. 131 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: Well they had, they raised Morgan horses and so they 132 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: would show them. They would travel all the country to 133 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: these horse shows and all this stuff, and so my 134 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: mom was out there. My dad was an office supply 135 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: salesman and built a whole career doing that, but he 136 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty also signed up to be a reserve 137 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: police officer for the Colin County Sheriff's Department. So it 138 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: was this crazy world where you know, my dad wore 139 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: a business suit during the week traveled and all that stuff, 140 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: but on the weekends he got on a police uniform 141 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: and was driving a patrol car. And I was. It 142 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: was always the most confusing thing to me, was like, 143 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: so you signed up to be a police officer, you 144 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: put on the uniform, you drive the car around, you 145 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: pull people over, your door stuff, and you don't get paid. 146 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: And he was like, nope, I just you know, do it. 147 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: It also meant that in high school I was I 148 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: never went to parties, in high school because my Chad 149 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: is one of the cops breaking it up. And I 150 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: was like, how embarrassing. 151 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 2: That. 152 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: Okay, siblings, we have a complicated family tree. So my 153 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: dad is not my biological father, but he's raised me 154 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: since I was two, and my mom passed away almost 155 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: four years ago. And so I have an almost four 156 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,199 Speaker 1: year old son at home and also a seventy nine 157 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 1: year old teenager that's my dad that lives with us, 158 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: and so, and it's it's it's awful watching them because 159 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: they just egg each other on to get in the 160 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: worst trouble possible. 161 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,199 Speaker 2: But who cares about the seventy five friends? 162 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: Still kids playing? Oh no, they still laugh at fart jokes. 163 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 2: They still I've read and and I don't want to 164 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 2: jump too far ahead. We'll get to how you got 165 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 2: where you are. But I've read that you once said 166 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 2: that Sundays were about this whole, eclectic group of people 167 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 2: called your family would get together, and it was around food. 168 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,959 Speaker 2: It was around eating. It was around the community your 169 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 2: family shared on Sundays, around eating. 170 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: It's where my love for food came from. Every Sunday, 171 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: my mom and dad and I would go to my grandparents' house, 172 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:06,679 Speaker 1: and all my aunts and uncles and cousins would come 173 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: over and we'd have Sunday supper. And being that for 174 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: all intents and purposes as an only child, I have 175 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: step siblings and have siblings and so forth, but grew 176 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: up by and large in a house alone. Whatever. My 177 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: cousins were like surrogate siblings, you know. And my aunts 178 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 1: and uncles were like my additional parents, and we were 179 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: all very very tight knit, and so we would get 180 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 1: together on Sundays and break bread together, and it was 181 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: it taught me of the power break and bread, the 182 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: power of food, that it was not just about eating, 183 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: it was about that camaraderie, community, community, feeding your soul. 184 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: And subsequently, my grandfather would he played the guitar, harmonica 185 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: and piano all by excuse me, all by ear. Not 186 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: something that I inherited from him, unfortunately, but I do 187 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: have his nineteen fifty nine Gibson Les Paul Junior guitar 188 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: hanging up in my living Oh that's school. Yeah. What's 189 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: really cool about it is my mom, being the meticulous 190 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: person that she was, had saved the receipt too, So 191 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: I have the receipt from where he put that guitar 192 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: on layaway and. 193 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 2: Night probably worth a lot of money. 194 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: Well, you know, it's funny because people always say that. 195 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: I'm like, it doesn't matter to me, Like that doesn't. 196 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 2: It's worth a lot more than money to you. 197 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's it's those Sunday because my 198 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: grandpa would break out the guitar and play, you know, 199 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: and and he was just a good good at the 200 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: old chicken picking the Chad Adkins, you know. And so 201 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,080 Speaker 1: that was family. That was you know, food family, All 202 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: of it was tied in together. And it's never left me. 203 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 2: So you go to high school in Dallas, right, and 204 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 2: after a high school in Dallas without any really fun 205 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 2: parties on the weekends because your dad embarrassed you for 206 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 2: busting all your buddies, you, what's the plan? What's what's 207 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:55,839 Speaker 2: next for Chad? 208 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you know, being in in the the home 209 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,680 Speaker 1: that I grew up in, you know, for me, the 210 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: expectations were always high. I was expected to be a 211 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,560 Speaker 1: good student. I was expected to get good grades. I 212 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: was expected to go to college. I was expected to 213 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: graduate college. I was expected to go into the workforce 214 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: and build a career. I was you know, all of 215 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: these like they were there, these weren't this one optional? 216 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,199 Speaker 1: So you can imagine I spent two years in college 217 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: getting good I graduate honors from high school, spent two 218 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: years in college getting good grades, and then you know, 219 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,320 Speaker 1: they have this little thing where they at a certain 220 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: point you got to declare a major. And I had 221 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: actually grown up being sports obsessed. I uh, when I 222 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: was in the eighth grade, wrote a letter to a 223 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: legendary Dallas sportscaster and asked him if I could follow 224 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: him around for a day. Yeah, it was. It was 225 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: What's Dale Hanson in the Cowboys game? He was the 226 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: color commentator for the Dallas Cowboys for years. He was 227 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: the sports anchor for the local ABC affiliate here in Dallas. 228 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: And just just true legend, just just retired a couple 229 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: of years ago. And I'll tell you anecdotally. You know, 230 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: two things happened. I show up at the studio to 231 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: follow him around. I'm sitting in the lobby with my mom. 232 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: They told us to be there at four o'clock, which 233 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: at thirteen years old, when you're like, you don't go 234 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: to work till four o'clock, was like that. Yes, So 235 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: Dale has a sharp wit and a sharp tongue, and 236 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 1: he was late. Because he was late, we sat out 237 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: in the lobby waiting, and because we were sitting out 238 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,079 Speaker 1: in the lobby, the doors opened and outwalked Walter Cronkite, 239 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: And even for thirteen year old me, that was a 240 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 1: pretty incredible moment to meet a legend, you know, like 241 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: this is a true legend. Dale finally showed up and 242 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: he told my mom how long can he stay? And 243 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:48,839 Speaker 1: my mom said, well, that's up to you, you can stay. 244 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: He said, well, he said, I got to I do 245 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: the five o'clock news, the six o'clock news, and the 246 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: ten o'clock news. And I'll tell you what, if you'll 247 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: let him stay for the ten o'clock news, I'll take 248 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 1: him to Hooters for dinner. 249 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,719 Speaker 2: So saw of a sudden, not only we see kind 250 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 2: of a local legend, he was the coolest guy on earth. 251 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: Well to me, yeah, my mom picked me up at 252 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 1: six thirty one pm, as seen as a six o'clock 253 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: newscast ended we ain't going to hurders, no, which I 254 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: think was Dale's way of getting rid of me politely. 255 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: That smart guy, I guess. 256 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 2: And now a few messages from our general sponsors but 257 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: first giving a shout out to my boy Badger. Badger 258 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 2: is a member of the Army who emailed me and 259 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 2: recommended that we set up a telephone number where you 260 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 2: can leave voicemails with feedback about our movement and podcast. 261 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 2: We've gotten a ton of emails, and we really appreciate them, 262 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 2: but some people have a hard time when they're driving 263 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 2: around or when they're engaged in something and they want 264 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 2: to leave a quick voicemail about the feedback about our 265 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 2: movement and our podcast, how an episode touched or inspired you, 266 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 2: or take action, or even story ideas, pretty much anything 267 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 2: else as long as this is not weird or creepy. 268 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 2: So we thought it was an awesome idea, So Badger, 269 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 2: this is for you and anyone else who wants to 270 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 2: reach out to us through phone rather than email. The 271 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:25,480 Speaker 2: telephone number is nine oh one three five two one 272 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: three sixty six. Call us, leave a voice smell about 273 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 2: your ideas, Leave a voice smell about anything as it 274 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 2: pertains to the Army, and we will get it and 275 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 2: we will respond nine oh one three five two one 276 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 2: three sixty six. We'll be right back. 277 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: I did what you should do in college, which is 278 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: kind of a question like what do I actually want 279 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: to do? Do I really want to do that? Do 280 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: I really want to that life? Is that something I'm 281 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: interested in? Do I want to do that? When I'm 282 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: forty five, forty six, forty seven years old, fifty seven 283 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: years old and I had to declare a major, I 284 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. 285 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: I had read the poem Under Milkwood by the Welsh 286 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: poet Dylan Thomas and was fascinated by it and made 287 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: the really sound life decision that, based on that poem, 288 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: I was going to get a degree in English literature. Yeah, 289 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: English slits. 290 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 2: First of all, I love English slit Chaucer, the Canterbury 291 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 2: Tells the I mean, the imagery and some of that 292 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 2: stuff to me is just absolutely hilarious to this But 293 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 2: English literature, I don't know the data or the percentages 294 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 2: on it. Well, I would say that seventy five percent 295 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 2: of the people that major in English literature end up 296 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 2: living on somebody scouch. 297 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: Well, that was my dad's impression. He's going to spend 298 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: the rest of that English literature. It's interesting. So I 299 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: told I told my parents that once I got my 300 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: degree in English literature, which was going to fulfill my 301 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: obligation to them that I was going to try cooking, 302 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 1: really because cooking was interesting to me. It was fun. 303 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,919 Speaker 1: There's so many things about it that I enjoyed. And 304 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: that was my dad's out right then and there. He 305 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 1: was like, no, no, no, If he works in a restaurant, 306 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: he'll have a job for the rest of his life 307 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: and he won't be sleeping on my couch. So there's 308 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: you know, there's job security in his mind for his son. 309 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 1: And also his son won't be sally on his couch, 310 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: so they you know, my parents encouraged me to go 311 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: to culinary school, and. 312 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 2: Which means no more college. You moved from college to 313 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 2: culinary school. 314 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: Well technically college. 315 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean the school you were going to 316 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 2: didn't have a culinary school, didn't. 317 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: No, it is correct, No, no, no, at the time, no no. 318 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: And I ended up going to El Centro College in 319 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,399 Speaker 1: downtown Dallas, which is now the El Central Campus of 320 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: Dallas College and spent two years there and got my 321 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: associates and food hospitality service about it. Maybe a semester 322 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:08,719 Speaker 1: or so into school, you know, they just pound over 323 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: the top of your head, get a job in a restaurant. 324 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: Get a job in a restaurant, Get a job in 325 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: a restaurant, which is like practical experience, right, Well, it's yeah. 326 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 2: You're actually practicing what you're learning. 327 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 1: I guess, well, in learning what you're practicing, right and yeah, 328 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: back and forth, and I'll never forget. I got a 329 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: job with a gentleman, a local upscale caterer who happened 330 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: to also own a cookie dough business, and we did 331 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: catering for very wealthy individuals Aroun Dallas, but we would 332 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: also make cookie does and sell these eleven pound buckets 333 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: of cookie does to Whole Foods, and then Whole Foods 334 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: would scoop them and bake them and call them house baked. Yeah. 335 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: And so my first day on the job, all I 336 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: was allowed to do was measure out ingredients for batches 337 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 1: of cookie does because I was not trusted to touch 338 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 1: the mixer, you know. And I just remember like at 339 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: the end of the day, they were like, Okay, you 340 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: can go, and I was like, I mean, I can stay, 341 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: I can. I was like, this is amazing, Like I'm 342 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 1: creating and it was just measuring cookie doo ingredients, but 343 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: it was it was a passion for it was I 344 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: knew it. I knew that. I knew that day. I 345 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:14,520 Speaker 1: was like, this is where I'm supposed to be and 346 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:15,640 Speaker 1: what I'm supposed to be doing. 347 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 2: When I hear culinary school, I think most uninformed people 348 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 2: like me, I think the same thing, which is I 349 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 2: think quotun bleu or blue or however you say it, 350 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 2: How do you say that properly? 351 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: Let quote on blue, quote on blue. 352 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:37,160 Speaker 2: Okay, so you know I think of that because I've 353 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 2: heard of it before. But in reading on the way 354 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 2: to meet you this morning about culinary school, the cooking 355 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:48,400 Speaker 2: is actually only a small part of it, a very 356 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 2: small part. And that's the interesting part to me, is 357 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:57,640 Speaker 2: culinary school, for those listening, is a business degree too. 358 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:02,199 Speaker 2: It's it's about the business of how you run a 359 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 2: restaurant and actually try to be profitable in the restaurant business, 360 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 2: which is exceedingly difficult. And talk about that a little bit. 361 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,640 Speaker 2: I mean, we're talking about, certainly learning how to. They're 362 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 2: not training you to be Julia Childs. They're training you 363 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 2: to be able to run a restaurant business in culinary school. 364 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 2: And that's mundane stuff. 365 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: Right, Oh. People think I'm kidding when I say, you know, 366 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: I had to take a restaurant equipment class in which 367 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: I had to listen to a three hour lecture on 368 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: light bulbs. That's not a joke. And Gus Catsigris, the 369 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:51,120 Speaker 1: godfather of the culinary program at el Central College. I mean, 370 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: he's famous for his light bulb lecture. 371 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 2: Because what's the big deal about light bulbs for a 372 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 2: culinary guy. I mean, is it about keeping the food 373 00:20:58,720 --> 00:20:59,440 Speaker 2: warm or something? 374 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: Well, because Gus wasn't a chef, he was a restaurant 375 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: tour and so for him, you know, a chef focuses 376 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: on the cost of food, the quality of ingredient, and 377 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: the quality of what they're putting out right, But a 378 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: restaurant tour is thinking about the cost of fixing, plumbing, 379 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: the cost of maintaining the chairs. To ask any restaurant tour, 380 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 1: and I guarantee you one of the top five things 381 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: that bothers the hell out of them NonStop is the 382 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: staff constantly turning down the air conditioning and then leaving 383 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: it down when they leave the restaurant at night, and 384 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,639 Speaker 1: you're paying for you know, cold air to keep the 385 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:34,480 Speaker 1: tables comfortable. 386 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 2: In culinary school, do you talk margins. 387 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and how margins. I mean people think that 388 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: restaurants have these ginormous margins. Are not They're really tight. 389 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 2: I understand the margins are the biggest in iced ty 390 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 2: dot coke and cocktails. 391 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 1: Yes, oh, alcohol for sure, that's where the money is. Yeah, 392 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: alcohol for sure. But it's but I say that with 393 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: it's what influence. It's me and Kafine momentum and how 394 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: we put together our. 395 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 2: All of the reasons why I'm talking about it now, 396 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 2: don't no spoiler. 397 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, no, our alcoholic beverage program. Because you know, 398 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: take like a steakhouse, right, they've got a bottle of 399 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 1: wine that they'll sell for two thousand dollars that their 400 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 1: cost on it could be anywhere between five hundred and 401 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,199 Speaker 1: a thousand dollars. So the margins are great, but it 402 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,200 Speaker 1: may take them eighteen months to sell that. Theah, they're 403 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: sitting on it for a while. Yeah. So it's it's 404 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: a cash flow, Yeah, it's cash flow. Right. So that's 405 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,200 Speaker 1: I actually that's how I focused that alcohol sales. That 406 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: Kevinman is to focus on cash flow. 407 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 2: I don't know where I heard this. I actually think 408 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 2: I read it in the maybe US News the World Report, 409 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 2: and I just now thought of it. This is not 410 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 2: prepped at all, so I'll probably butcher this and it 411 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 2: may not even be close to ride. But I'm almost 412 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 2: sure that sixty percent of the startup restaurants the United 413 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 2: States fail within the first two years. 414 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 1: And the one. 415 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 2: That and that's surprising, but it's not. Truthfully, Jad, It's 416 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 2: not that dissimilar from any startup business in the United States. 417 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,679 Speaker 2: It's hard to start a business. But the one that 418 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 2: is shocking to me is of the surviving quote successful restaurants, 419 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 2: most of them have fewer than thirty days cash flow 420 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:20,920 Speaker 2: on hand. 421 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 1: And that's why sixty percent fails. It's the same dis 422 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: that right, Yeah, it is, and it's because people will 423 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 1: spend every penny they have to get the doors open, 424 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: naively thinking that once you open the doors, the cash 425 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,239 Speaker 1: comes in and it solves everything. And that's not how 426 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 1: it works. How's it work. It works because you have 427 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: to have liquidity. You have to be able to have 428 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: the cash on hand to sustain all the things that 429 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,880 Speaker 1: are going to happen that you didn't anticipate were going 430 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: to happen when you built out this, you know you 431 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: had this. I'm just going to open a restaurant and 432 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 1: people are going to come in. You didn't budget for 433 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 1: the week that you have to close down because there's 434 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,359 Speaker 1: a gas leak and they've got to dig up the 435 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: gas lines underground, and you're closed and you've just lost 436 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 1: fifty five thousand dollars in revenue. 437 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 2: Let's talk about that too. Listeners need to understand that 438 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 2: in my business, I'm a lumberman, right, we manufacture lumber. 439 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 2: If we break down and have a five hour breakdown, 440 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 2: we lose that revenue and we have those expenses. But 441 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:31,119 Speaker 2: I can work on Saturday and make up that loss 442 00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:33,640 Speaker 2: production and recoop that revenue. I'll have a little higher 443 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 2: costs in it because I'm paying overtime, but I can 444 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,640 Speaker 2: make it up. Or I can work five days one 445 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 2: hour overtime and work my crews, and I can make 446 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 2: up that loss production, sell it, recoop that revenue, certainly 447 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 2: at a little lower margin as a result of the 448 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 2: higher cost of the labor it takes to do it, 449 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 2: but I can recoup it. In a restaurant. If on 450 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:59,440 Speaker 2: Friday you can't open, there's no more free cooping. That 451 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 2: is gone forever. It's like time that once it ticks 452 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 2: off a clock. You never get those seconds back because 453 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 2: you're already open Saturday and Sunday and Monday too. There 454 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 2: is no makeup time, and you can't work on Friday 455 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 2: from midnight to five to make it up because nobody's 456 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:20,959 Speaker 2: going to come in the door. So if you miss 457 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 2: a shift or a day that the doors open, the 458 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 2: restaurant business it is literally gone forever. But the expenses 459 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 2: of rent and utilities and everything else you have going on, 460 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,120 Speaker 2: you still incur them. So every day you're not opening, 461 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 2: the restaurant business is a net net pummeling. 462 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: It's a pummeling. You know, everybody's been talking a lot 463 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: about the newest show, The Bear, and everybody wants to 464 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: talk to me about it, and everybody wants to ask me, 465 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: you know, how real is that? How real? And everybody 466 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: in the in the restaurant industry has there like, oh, 467 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: they use the same Deli cups that we all use 468 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: to drink water out of and own. I'm like no. 469 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: The realist part of that show is that before service, 470 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: one day, an hour before service, the toilet explodes, and 471 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,640 Speaker 1: it's like, okay, who who who knows how to fix 472 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 1: the pipe? Who knows that put that on your prep list. 473 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: Who can clean up literally off the like And it's 474 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:16,920 Speaker 1: like everybody just like. 475 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 2: Because because because we can't not open. 476 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: We can't, you can't, you can't, you can't conduct a 477 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: restaurant via zoom because and everybody on staff there's no 478 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: remote restaurant. 479 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:27,880 Speaker 2: No. 480 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,720 Speaker 1: And if you're and if you're and if you're hourly 481 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: and the restaurant closes, you're not getting paid right so. 482 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 2: And if that happens, you've already the restaurant itself has 483 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 2: already bought perishable items. Yes, that you're going to sell 484 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 2: that day. Yes, that if you don't sell them, yes, 485 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 2: go on the go in the garbage. Well. 486 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: And that there's another example, right when we're talking about margins. 487 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: As a restaurant, you're going to plan and prepare food 488 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: as if you're going to be packed full of people. 489 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 1: And what happens if you're only half packed? 490 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 2: It's gone? What if you what if you were fully 491 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 2: packed and only buy for half packed, then your customers 492 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 2: are pissed off because you've got nothing to serve them, nothing. 493 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 2: And there's nothing like going into a restaurant and perusing 494 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 2: a menu of fifty different items and finding that delectable, 495 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:21,160 Speaker 2: delicious thing that you've done a great job marketing on 496 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,639 Speaker 2: the menu and explaining the cilantro and the whatever and 497 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 2: all those words that nobody ever uses on some kind 498 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 2: of remote heirloom tomato and some kind of greer cheese 499 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 2: or something, and you say that's what I want. And 500 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 2: then you sit there and you've had your cocktail and 501 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 2: you're ready to order it, and you say I'd like it, 502 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,719 Speaker 2: and the server says, oh, I'm sorry, we're out of there. 503 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,439 Speaker 2: You just want to leave. It's like getting screwed at 504 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 2: the drive through when you order, when you order mustard, Maddies, 505 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 2: pickle and lettuce and they serve it to you and 506 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 2: you're already halfway down the street and you got ketchup 507 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 2: and un in on your burger and you're just angry, 508 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 2: but there's nothing you could do about it. 509 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: Oh it listened as a chef, It eats me alive. 510 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: And the chefs that Cafe Momnium know like, we're only 511 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,439 Speaker 1: open Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner, so on Thursday 512 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: night have they're like, yeah, we're out of this. I'm like, 513 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: how does that even happen? You've had four days. You've 514 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 1: had four days to order, prep do everything like you 515 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 1: had one job, just one. It drives me. Yeah, that's that's. 516 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 2: Because you know ultimately that will lead to an upset customer. 517 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 2: And for every one happy customer, I mean, you need 518 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 2: one hundred good reviews to offset one bad one. 519 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: You really do. No, you're one hundred percent right, and 520 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 1: you can't. 521 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 2: You can't have somebody walk out your doing happy. 522 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: No, and you can't because also they just don't have 523 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: to come back, right, And why do people go to restaurants. 524 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: It's called hospitality. People go to restaurants because they get 525 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: what they ordered. That the expectation is meant, the quality 526 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: of food, the expectation has met, the quality of service, 527 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: the expectation has meant, the cleanliness, the ambiance, the expectation 528 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: has met. And if it's not, they just don't come back. Yeah, 529 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: they vote with their pocket vote. Yep. 530 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 2: So you learned all that in culinary school. You learn 531 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,880 Speaker 2: all that through hard knocks and experience, but you are 532 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 2: at least exposed to the realities of these things in 533 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 2: culinary school, yes, and you graduate. 534 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: Yep. 535 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 2: Well, cafe momentum is not your first stop. Tell me 536 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,240 Speaker 2: what you do from there, Well. 537 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 1: It's fine. Yeah. The day after I graduated from culinary school, 538 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 1: my boss sat down with me, who, by the way, 539 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 1: is an incredible human being, an incredible entrepreneur, taught me 540 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,640 Speaker 1: so much. I mean didn't have to and did that 541 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: I carry with me still to this day. But I 542 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,440 Speaker 1: graduated the very next day, I had to work and 543 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: it was a breakfast catering and did all of that. 544 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: I got it done. He said, let me take you 545 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: to lunch, sat me down and said and I was 546 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: at the time an hourly employee making I mean seven 547 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: dollars and fifty cents an hour. And he said, now 548 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 1: that you're out of school, let's move you into a 549 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: salary position. And he offered me a salary of twenty 550 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: two thousand dollars a year. I thought I was quite 551 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: possibly the richest man in America. Get at that point 552 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,240 Speaker 1: in time, I mean, it was like everything inside me 553 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: driving home to not pull over a car dealership and 554 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: go ahead and just buy a brand new car, you know, 555 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,560 Speaker 1: I was just like, this is this is it? I mean, 556 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: twenty two k are you kidding me? I got home 557 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:39,959 Speaker 1: and called my parents and was like, you're not gonna 558 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: believe what your son has done. I mean then I 559 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: got that. 560 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 3: First paycheck, and I was like taxes and like, I think, 561 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 3: like actually seven fifty an hour and working sixty five 562 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 3: hours a week, I think I was getting paid. 563 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: Like wait a minute here, wait, wait was going on, 564 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: you know, and did that for continue. I worked for 565 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:05,400 Speaker 1: him for a total of nine years and left there 566 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: and had the opportunity to work at a great restaurant 567 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,480 Speaker 1: with a rich history in Dallas called Parigi and be 568 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: the daytime chef. And that was my first for a 569 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: into restaurants. And what's it called Parigi the Italian word 570 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: for pars Yeah, yeah, okay. And that was the first 571 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:26,479 Speaker 1: time for me to work in a restaurant kitchen at all. 572 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: I'd done catering all before, and so it was kind 573 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:33,480 Speaker 1: of learning to ride a bike with uh, you know, 574 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: one wheel instead of two wheels, you know, and and 575 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: so you're learning and it was great and I loved 576 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: it and it was incredible. Ended up having chance from 577 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,800 Speaker 1: Perigy to go on to the executive chef of a 578 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: different restaurant, lasted there about six months, helped open a restaurant. 579 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:51,960 Speaker 1: I wasn't the right fit for them, and they were 580 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: they weren't the right fit for me, and left there 581 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 1: and just thought, you know, kind of what do I 582 00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: want to do here? I actually, at the encouragement of 583 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:05,400 Speaker 1: my former boss and mentor, enrolled in a class at 584 00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: SMU on entrepreneur entrepreneurialism. And it was just a certificate class, 585 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: but it was like it was so great because they 586 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: they weren't just telling you about in teaching about entrepreneurialism 587 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 1: and what are the best habits of entrepreneurs, what do 588 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs ask themselves? What keeps them up at night? But 589 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: also kind of like who are you and what do 590 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 1: you want? And at the same time, my boss, the 591 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 1: owner of pre g and I I had jumped in 592 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: and was kind of helping her, working kind of filling 593 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 1: in there, and she and I through a series of conversations, 594 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,400 Speaker 1: she had mentioned that perhaps she would be interested in 595 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: selling the restaurant and then kind of said, you know what, 596 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: I don't think I'm ready to sell, but I could 597 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: use a partner. We talked about what partnership could look like, 598 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 1: and it was beautiful because she really loved catering and 599 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: really wanted to do catering. I was so burned out 600 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,200 Speaker 1: on catering after nine plus years. Yeah, you want to 601 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 1: be and I wanted to be in the restaurant, and 602 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: so it was. It was perfect. So in the summer 603 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: of two thousand and seven, I sold my house and 604 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: took the equity out of it, took out a loan 605 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: and bought in to become a partner at Parig Restaurant. 606 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: Are you are you? I hadn't gotten to this, but 607 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: are you a father or married? Yeah? A single dad. 608 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: I have a My daughter just turned twenty six on 609 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: my now yeah now now now yeah, and so she 610 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,200 Speaker 1: I'm old, but not that old, but she uh so 611 00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: my daughter at the time was ten. 612 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 2: And your single father? 613 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, do you have custody ever joint? Yeah? I shared it. Yeah. 614 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 2: So you're literally mortgaging, up selling off everything a single 615 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 2: dad to get a piece of a business. 616 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:52,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. 617 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 2: I don't know what they taught you at s MU. 618 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 2: But you went ahead and did the risk part of 619 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 2: entrepreneurs show. 620 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,479 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, and I I did the risk part. And 621 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: here's the real risk of the risk part is I'm 622 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: going to say the year again, two thousand and seven. 623 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: There was a housing crisis that happened shortly after you 624 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 2: know what something, Chad, just so you and do you 625 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:20,000 Speaker 2: know that you and are are kindred spirits in one way. 626 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 2: I started my business with seventeen thousand dollars in September 627 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 2: first of two thousand and one. So I feel your pain, bro. 628 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:32,479 Speaker 1: We are kindred and we're going to get into even 629 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:34,560 Speaker 1: more how kindred we are when I tell you my 630 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 1: other wise business decisions. But it was I mean, I 631 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,640 Speaker 1: was in culinary school. I had one goal that was 632 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: to own a restaurant, be the chef. And this was 633 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: a shot. This presented the perfect opportunity, so I did. 634 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 1: I bought in. And then the economy tanked and literally 635 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:57,680 Speaker 1: restaurants closing around us left and right, and and I, 636 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: you know, was trying to be proactive and talk to 637 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: my business partner in saying like she started coming in 638 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,440 Speaker 1: and bartending during the week, and I started coming in 639 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,399 Speaker 1: and hosting at lunch during the daytime so we could 640 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,160 Speaker 1: cut coss. We had the kitchen team that the morning 641 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: crew that would come in because we were open lunch 642 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,959 Speaker 1: and dinner. The morning crew would come in, we would 643 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 1: make them leave an hour early, and the evening crew 644 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:20,280 Speaker 1: come in, we'd make them come in an hour later, 645 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,359 Speaker 1: and they were all really disgruntled and annoyed and frustrated, 646 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,760 Speaker 1: but you're trying to stay open until all their friends 647 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: started losing their jobs, right, and they still had a job. 648 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,440 Speaker 1: And not only did they have a job, but in 649 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: spite of the recession, in spite of all these restaurants closing, 650 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:38,280 Speaker 1: my first year of co ownership, we grew the business 651 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 1: by almost forty percent. And wait, everybody else when everybody 652 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,399 Speaker 1: else was closing. And I was right around that time 653 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:48,160 Speaker 1: nominated by a prominent local publication as best up and 654 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,879 Speaker 1: coming chef in Dallas. And you know, at that point, 655 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 1: I was like, I'll tell you what, you are a 656 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: risk taking genius. I mean, look, you did you hurt 657 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 1: your shoulder, pat yourself? Yeah, yeah, you know, it's risk genius. 658 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 2: You good cooking son of a gun. 659 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:14,400 Speaker 1: I mean I just thought, I mean, there's there's restaurants available. 660 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:18,680 Speaker 1: Let's build the empire. Here we go, you know, and 661 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,359 Speaker 1: and just and it was, it was. It was a 662 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: fun time getting to like, you know, Dallas is full 663 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: of of really great restaurants, really incredible chefs, and to 664 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 1: be a part of that community. It felt like Sunday 665 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: suppers at my grandparents' house, you know, but it did. 666 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: It was. 667 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 2: I mean, you're fortunate at this time in your life 668 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:44,920 Speaker 2: because you're able to match the discipline you love with 669 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,640 Speaker 2: something you're passionate about it that actually connects you to 670 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 2: the essence of who you are the way you grew up. 671 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:56,239 Speaker 1: Oh listen, I will live my entire life just trying 672 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 1: to be half the person that my mom was. Wow, 673 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: she was when she passed. My lifelong friend Katie referred 674 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 1: to her as all the bubbles in the champagne, and 675 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: I like, I can't think of a better way to 676 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: describe her. She lit up every room that she walked into. 677 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: She made every person that she talked to I feel 678 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: like they were the only person in the room and 679 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,399 Speaker 1: they were the most important thing. There wasn't anything that 680 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 1: you could possibly need that she didn't anticipate and was 681 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: there to support. I don't you know. I know that 682 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,279 Speaker 1: she slept because I grew up in the house. I 683 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: mean she slept, but it doesn't feel like she slept 684 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:33,279 Speaker 1: because she did all the things my parents used to 685 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,279 Speaker 1: have a routine of. You know, they would eat at 686 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,799 Speaker 1: this restaurant on Monday night, this restaurant on Tuesday night, 687 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,479 Speaker 1: This restaurant on Wednesday night, and it typically revolved around 688 00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: the wine specials, but they would go they would go 689 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 1: eat at the Olive Garden every I think it was 690 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:50,800 Speaker 1: every Monday night or Wednesday night because the wine specials. 691 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:55,760 Speaker 1: And they befriended a couple that served there, husband and wife, 692 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:02,279 Speaker 1: and they were immigrants from Eastern Europe. And my mom 693 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,640 Speaker 1: would throw them baby showers. Kid, it was the server. 694 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:08,359 Speaker 1: It was the server from the Olive Garden, and my 695 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 1: mom would throw them baby shower. That's who she was, 696 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:13,520 Speaker 1: you know, she just Is. 697 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,280 Speaker 2: There any irony that there were immigrants from Eastern Europe, 698 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:22,160 Speaker 2: where there is thousands of years of culture serving at 699 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 2: the Olive Garden in America? Is there any irony to you? 700 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 1: Well, you know it's funny too because they actually opened 701 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 1: up their own Italian restaurant. 702 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:36,800 Speaker 2: There you go, there's redemption there, it is, Thank goodness. 703 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,960 Speaker 2: I would hate for their culinary experience to stop at 704 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:40,720 Speaker 2: Olive Garden. 705 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: Yes, no, yeah, well, I mean imagine me as a 706 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 1: chef beeing like right, I'm telling that story. Like my 707 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:51,279 Speaker 1: parents hated all of that. 708 00:38:51,640 --> 00:39:00,280 Speaker 2: You know, the bottomless salad, that's a thing. So you 709 00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 2: you've reached it despite economic difficulties from a macro sense, 710 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,200 Speaker 2: just the world we lived in in two thousand, mid 711 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 2: two thousand and seven through early two thousand and nine. 712 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:17,040 Speaker 2: Obviously once again tagging on our kindred spirits own a 713 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:21,480 Speaker 2: lumber company. Lumbers go into building, so you can imagine 714 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:24,160 Speaker 2: my life in mid two thousand and seven through two 715 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,600 Speaker 2: thousand and nine as well. And I, my friend, did 716 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,479 Speaker 2: not grow anything forty percent from that period of time. 717 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 2: I hung on with every ounce of fingernail and dumb 718 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 2: tape that I could. 719 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:38,239 Speaker 1: But we made it through. If you could afford the 720 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: duct tape, oh gosh, yeah, no, we stole that. 721 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:47,399 Speaker 2: So but I get it, and you've reached. Now you're 722 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 2: getting awards, you're being recognized. It is not only I mean, 723 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,440 Speaker 2: it's really important to me that people understand the restaurant business. 724 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 2: It is very much a two prong thing. Creativity and 725 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,840 Speaker 2: the ability to cook pleasing food that people want to 726 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:07,800 Speaker 2: come back to, and do it at a cost that 727 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:12,799 Speaker 2: the restaurant can sell it and be profitable so that 728 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:15,279 Speaker 2: they can replicate it and be consistent. 729 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:16,919 Speaker 1: With it week after week after week. 730 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 2: That's the one thing. The other thing is just managing 731 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:21,720 Speaker 2: the front of the house, the back of the house, 732 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:26,839 Speaker 2: the shrinkage from your bartenders and your liquor, the shrinkage 733 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,960 Speaker 2: from the food, the whole shooting match. But here you 734 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,600 Speaker 2: are in some of the most trying times we've had 735 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:37,440 Speaker 2: in a couple of decades, and you've grown this business 736 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 2: forty percent and you're getting awards as a guy that 737 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:45,120 Speaker 2: can actually cook pretty good. I mean, you're on top 738 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:46,040 Speaker 2: of the world. 739 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:51,080 Speaker 1: It felt like it. Yeah, yes, So what happened Right 740 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,840 Speaker 1: at the one year mark of co ownership. I was 741 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:58,080 Speaker 1: on the board of directors of a very small organization 742 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 1: called the Dallas Farmer's Market Friends. Them out yep. 743 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 2: I told you we'd get to this. I was flown 744 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,439 Speaker 2: into Dallas two years ago to keynote that group. 745 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,240 Speaker 1: Wow, that is how I. 746 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:13,279 Speaker 2: Know who you are, Because some dude came up to 747 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 2: me and said, have you ever heard of the amazing 748 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:20,439 Speaker 2: work being done at Cafe Momentum And they said, he's 749 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 2: not here today. I'd love to introduce you. And I 750 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:26,520 Speaker 2: said no, but send me some stuff. And a week later, 751 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,120 Speaker 2: some guy from that organization it's called the Dallas Bowers. 752 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: What's it called Dallas Farmer's Market Friends. 753 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, that group sent me something on you. So there 754 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:40,239 Speaker 2: you have it. 755 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:44,359 Speaker 1: What a what a small world. Small world. 756 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:47,919 Speaker 2: So anyway you're you're working on this thing. 757 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:52,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'm I was a board member for Dallas 758 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:57,359 Speaker 1: Farmer's Market. Friends loved it. I've always been since you know, 759 00:41:57,840 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 1: the time that I was a child going my grandpa 760 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: in his backyard and my grandfather's growing tomatoes and cucumbers 761 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:06,239 Speaker 1: and jalapenos, and I'm doing the very childish thing of 762 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:11,080 Speaker 1: grabbing a cucumber and biting it. Yeah. But you know, 763 00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,799 Speaker 1: as as an adult, as a chef, knowing where your 764 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:17,360 Speaker 1: food came from represented integrity and represent the integrity that 765 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: you were providing to people that were coming in to 766 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:25,120 Speaker 1: eat your food. It also meant supporting local business people 767 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:28,000 Speaker 1: because you're putting money in a farmer's pocket. So I 768 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,120 Speaker 1: created these roundtables for chefs and farmers to come together 769 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:34,360 Speaker 1: and have conversation, to understand farmers to kind of understand 770 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 1: the relentlessness of the restaurant world, and for chefs to 771 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:40,239 Speaker 1: understand that, you know, a farmer has to farm. They 772 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:42,919 Speaker 1: can't just be running produce to your restaurant all day. 773 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:44,880 Speaker 2: They actually have to grow that. 774 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:48,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, they actually have to do that, you know, I love. 775 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:52,040 Speaker 1: I worked with a farmer one time before and they said, hey, 776 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:54,359 Speaker 1: we're growing cole robbie. Do you want to buy our 777 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:57,040 Speaker 1: cole Robbie? And I was like, yeah, Like how much 778 00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:00,960 Speaker 1: of you guys growing? They're like, well, once we pull 779 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:02,880 Speaker 1: it out of the ground, it's not growing anymore, so 780 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:04,400 Speaker 1: we'll have about forty pounds. 781 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,840 Speaker 2: What is what is that? What is cole. 782 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:11,920 Speaker 1: Robbie is like a Japanese root vegetable. It's delicious, similar 783 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: to a turn up. Might even be in the turn 784 00:43:13,719 --> 00:43:16,839 Speaker 1: up family. I don't know, but you do. But for me, well, 785 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:18,759 Speaker 1: for I made what do you do? I did it? Well? 786 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: So I made a lot of stuff with it because 787 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 1: I was like, well, I guess it's a one shot ingredient, right, 788 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:26,560 Speaker 1: Like I'm not going to have it next week. So 789 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 1: we pickled some of it, we put some of it 790 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:30,600 Speaker 1: in salads, We smoked some of it and turn it 791 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,839 Speaker 1: into a soup. They just had a lot of fun 792 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:34,960 Speaker 1: with it. But it was that's the. 793 00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:36,920 Speaker 2: Part of the culinary stuff that's fun. You get to 794 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:41,400 Speaker 2: be creative and stuff that most people haven't tasted before. 795 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:45,000 Speaker 1: And and you know, it was maybe a bit audacious 796 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:47,000 Speaker 1: to be like all cool Robbie all the time. But 797 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:50,319 Speaker 1: you know, we had fun with it. It was it was, 798 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,320 Speaker 1: it was great. But but but the Farmer's Market Friends 799 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:59,120 Speaker 1: was just starting a ice cream competition contest. Uh named 800 00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:02,040 Speaker 1: after the founder of Alice Farmer's Market Friends, Mama Ida Pappert. 801 00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:05,919 Speaker 1: So is Mama IDAs ice cream social And they why 802 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:06,400 Speaker 1: would it be? 803 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:07,080 Speaker 2: Uh? 804 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:10,440 Speaker 1: And the idea was to get college culinary students to 805 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:14,240 Speaker 1: participate and make ice cream and and and we would 806 00:44:14,239 --> 00:44:16,040 Speaker 1: market it and get people to come down to the 807 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:19,320 Speaker 1: Farmer's Market. It'd pay five dollars to taste a sample 808 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:20,879 Speaker 1: of each of the ice creams, and then they would 809 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:23,280 Speaker 1: vote on which one they liked the best. The winning 810 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,759 Speaker 1: student would get one hundred dollars and and we had, 811 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:28,880 Speaker 1: you know, the rest of the proceeds we would you know, 812 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: support the Farmer's Market in some way. And there was 813 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:35,319 Speaker 1: a gentleman that was on the board as well that 814 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,800 Speaker 1: was the executive director of an organization that was doing 815 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:44,880 Speaker 1: programming inside one of the Dallas County juvenile detention facilities. 816 00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:47,760 Speaker 1: And it just so happened that some of the programming 817 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,879 Speaker 1: he did was was culinary related. And so when we're 818 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:54,000 Speaker 1: talking about the ice cream social he said, well, can 819 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:58,480 Speaker 1: I bring eight kids from juvenile Attention? And everybody on 820 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:01,399 Speaker 1: the board is like, I mean, this is genius. This 821 00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:07,400 Speaker 1: is like philanthropy squared right, Like this makes us double good. Yes, absolutely, 822 00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:11,560 Speaker 1: And so his exact words in that moment were great, 823 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:13,799 Speaker 1: I just need to find someone to teach him how 824 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:16,400 Speaker 1: to make ice cream. And it was at that exact 825 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,759 Speaker 1: moment that ten other hands pointed right at me and said, 826 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:32,880 Speaker 1: he'll do it. We'll be right back. A month later, 827 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:36,080 Speaker 1: I was in juvenile Attention there to teach eight young 828 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:40,120 Speaker 1: men to make ice cream for me. The moment that 829 00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:43,279 Speaker 1: I walked into that facility I met those eight young men, 830 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,160 Speaker 1: I felt arguably the greatest sense of shame I've ever felt. 831 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:50,080 Speaker 1: Talk about that, well, the moment I met these eight, 832 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:51,080 Speaker 1: I know that failing. 833 00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:54,560 Speaker 2: By the way, Yeah, when I first showed up to 834 00:45:54,680 --> 00:46:00,920 Speaker 2: Manassas High School, the media of movies and TV and 835 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:05,000 Speaker 2: frankly the news and the sensationialism that goes a wrong 836 00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:11,279 Speaker 2: poorer people from inner city areas that end up in 837 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:16,480 Speaker 2: juvenile attention is so sensationalized that you think from all 838 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:18,960 Speaker 2: the stuff you've been fed that you know exactly what 839 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:20,040 Speaker 2: those people. 840 00:46:19,719 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: Are and who they are, how they are. 841 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:28,839 Speaker 2: They are, and the reality is the antithesis of the 842 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:34,000 Speaker 2: sensationalized pictures we are fed daily. And so I get 843 00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:38,040 Speaker 2: where you're coming from. And I did it right, Use 844 00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:42,359 Speaker 2: such a shame because I so explain what you're shame 845 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:45,239 Speaker 2: because I thought I was a better person. I thought 846 00:46:45,239 --> 00:46:48,160 Speaker 2: I was better than that. I didn't you know. 847 00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:52,120 Speaker 1: I thought I was non judgmental or you know that that. 848 00:46:52,239 --> 00:46:55,239 Speaker 1: I I grew up running around the inner city and 849 00:46:55,280 --> 00:46:57,960 Speaker 1: knowing kids from the inner city and knowing who they which. 850 00:46:57,800 --> 00:47:02,440 Speaker 2: Gave you quote credibility right, well, not necessarily can be 851 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:07,200 Speaker 2: fat in your own mind, it gives you credit ability. 852 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:08,520 Speaker 2: I thought I had credit. 853 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:14,959 Speaker 1: Undred percent. I'm real, Yeah, I mean, I I thought. 854 00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:18,600 Speaker 1: But but the I realized I wasn't. I wasn't real 855 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:21,840 Speaker 1: because I I had, I had stereotyped them, I had 856 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:24,440 Speaker 1: labeled them. I was wrong. I thought I knew better. 857 00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:25,880 Speaker 1: I thought I was a better person. But I did it. 858 00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:29,640 Speaker 1: I succumbed to exactly what you talked about, the sensationalism, 859 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:31,960 Speaker 1: the things that you're fed. And the moment that I 860 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,040 Speaker 1: met him and I was confronted with that reality literally 861 00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:41,440 Speaker 1: face to face until described to our listeners what you found. 862 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:47,000 Speaker 1: I found eight young men who were excited to meet me, 863 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:57,719 Speaker 1: who were brilliant, who were thoughtful, who were curious, who 864 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,200 Speaker 1: didn't judge me, and they probably had more reason to 865 00:48:01,280 --> 00:48:05,320 Speaker 1: judge me than I did them. And they were also teachers. 866 00:48:05,719 --> 00:48:08,880 Speaker 1: You know what you just described a normal fourteen fifteen 867 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:11,080 Speaker 1: year old kid, A normal fourteen or fifteen year old kid. 868 00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:15,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. So here's the thing. It's interesting what you said, 869 00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:18,600 Speaker 2: because again I don't want to evoke too much of 870 00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:23,520 Speaker 2: my own stuff here, but you are bringing out stuff 871 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,520 Speaker 2: in me through this conversation that I feel and remember 872 00:48:27,040 --> 00:48:30,040 Speaker 2: I have often said the kids that manassas accepted me 873 00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:33,520 Speaker 2: into their world much more readily than my world would 874 00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:36,160 Speaker 2: have accepted them in. And when you said they were 875 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:39,680 Speaker 2: curious and interested to meet you and kind to you, 876 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:42,920 Speaker 2: that's what creates shame for me? 877 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:45,440 Speaker 1: Is that? Wow? 878 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:48,960 Speaker 2: You know? And is that what you felt was like 879 00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,160 Speaker 2: the sense of holy Moley, these are just kids. 880 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:58,520 Speaker 1: They're just kids, and you know, like I spent three 881 00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:03,600 Speaker 1: and a half hours making ice cream with them, one 882 00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:06,640 Speaker 1: of the best cooking times I've ever had. Like we 883 00:49:06,680 --> 00:49:10,520 Speaker 1: were we had a local produce company that was kind 884 00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:13,480 Speaker 1: enough to donate just I mean cases of pineapples and 885 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:17,360 Speaker 1: mangoes and strawberries and blackberries and raspberries and jalapenos and 886 00:49:17,440 --> 00:49:20,440 Speaker 1: tarragon and basil and you know, all this stuff. And 887 00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:23,480 Speaker 1: we had a party. I mean we were I was 888 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:26,960 Speaker 1: cutting up watermelon and slicing jalapenos and give them them like, well, 889 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:30,640 Speaker 1: slice watermelon. Oh, you know, they're trying everything, and we're 890 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:32,640 Speaker 1: having a great time. And I came up with a rule. 891 00:49:32,719 --> 00:49:34,640 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, so every one of your ice 892 00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:36,239 Speaker 1: creams has to use at least two fruits and at 893 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:38,600 Speaker 1: least one herb, and jalapeno can be an herb, you know, like, 894 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,920 Speaker 1: and we had a blast. And two days later, these 895 00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:46,200 Speaker 1: same eight young men were brought by the Jewel apartment 896 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:53,400 Speaker 1: to the farmer's market. And yet not there yet, you said, curious, 897 00:49:53,719 --> 00:49:56,799 Speaker 1: Yeah is it. 898 00:49:56,800 --> 00:49:58,560 Speaker 2: It had to have been the first time these kids 899 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:02,120 Speaker 2: ever thought about for and herbs and ice cream in 900 00:50:02,160 --> 00:50:02,880 Speaker 2: the same size. 901 00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:07,920 Speaker 1: I remember distinctly that there was a young man of 902 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:12,640 Speaker 1: Mexican heritage who had never had a fresh mango before. 903 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:16,960 Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying. Yeah, And it was like, I mean, 904 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:22,600 Speaker 1: I mean, fifteen years later that still is like permanently 905 00:50:22,640 --> 00:50:24,640 Speaker 1: stuck in my head and watching it, and I was 906 00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:27,319 Speaker 1: just thinking, like and me working in kitchens with with 907 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:32,840 Speaker 1: predominantly people from Mexico and understanding, you know, mango was 908 00:50:32,880 --> 00:50:35,640 Speaker 1: everything they put a mango and everything, you know, and but. 909 00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:41,400 Speaker 2: This kid came from such a disenfranchised, poor background that 910 00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:43,600 Speaker 2: he'd never even had a fresh mango as well. 911 00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:46,360 Speaker 1: It's it's the seed planting for me of things that 912 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:49,080 Speaker 1: you begin to learn later on as you get deeper 913 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:51,200 Speaker 1: and deeper into it, right, Like the concept of a 914 00:50:51,239 --> 00:50:54,719 Speaker 1: food desert, the idea, you know, the idea that our 915 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:58,239 Speaker 1: city today. I can't even begin to guess how many 916 00:50:58,239 --> 00:51:00,920 Speaker 1: grocery stores there are north of downtown down in the 917 00:51:01,040 --> 00:51:04,360 Speaker 1: hundreds probably, and there are three south of downtown Dallas, 918 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:06,600 Speaker 1: but the same number of people, but the same number 919 00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:06,960 Speaker 1: of people. 920 00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:11,480 Speaker 2: So I do have a quick question. You said, jalapeno. Yeah, 921 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,319 Speaker 2: and ice cream. Yeah, it is fire and ice that 922 00:51:14,480 --> 00:51:18,520 Speaker 2: is there. Boy, I don't put barbecue and ice cream here. 923 00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:19,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. 924 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 2: Well oh well hold on now I'm prement this. We 925 00:51:21,800 --> 00:51:26,200 Speaker 2: can argue barbecue, you grill beef, you barbecue pork, but 926 00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:30,600 Speaker 2: we can have that argument later, Okay, so. 927 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:33,520 Speaker 1: Now we're getting into fighting words. Oh yeah, we're gonna 928 00:51:33,560 --> 00:51:34,560 Speaker 1: get into it about that. 929 00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:39,600 Speaker 2: Uh so, yeah the way, but you know, barbeque beef, 930 00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:42,880 Speaker 2: this whole Texas barbecue thing is a complete misnomer. 931 00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:46,640 Speaker 1: But I'll digress. We can argue about that later. 932 00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:50,720 Speaker 2: So you have this enlightening experience with this eight gets 933 00:51:51,080 --> 00:51:53,319 Speaker 2: that actually humbled. 934 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:56,520 Speaker 1: You and taught me and taught humbled in the truest 935 00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:59,000 Speaker 1: sense of the word humbled. Right. I think we use 936 00:51:59,040 --> 00:52:02,239 Speaker 1: the word humbled wrong. When we went an award, we 937 00:52:02,280 --> 00:52:04,640 Speaker 1: say we're humbled. You weren't humbled when you get punched 938 00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:05,840 Speaker 1: in the face and knocked down. 939 00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:07,120 Speaker 2: Your I was going to say it brought you to 940 00:52:07,160 --> 00:52:08,400 Speaker 2: your knees metaphors. 941 00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:11,360 Speaker 1: It knocked me. It knocked me flat on my rear. Yeah. 942 00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:14,719 Speaker 2: And so these eight kids are going to enter the 943 00:52:14,880 --> 00:52:15,839 Speaker 2: ice cream. 944 00:52:15,680 --> 00:52:19,239 Speaker 1: Contests against college culinary students. Love it, tell us about it. 945 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:22,480 Speaker 1: So they show up at the farmer's market and these 946 00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:25,279 Speaker 1: college culinary students had the salt and pepper chuckered chef 947 00:52:25,320 --> 00:52:28,399 Speaker 1: pants on, they had chef coats on. I still joke 948 00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:30,200 Speaker 1: to the stage. Some of them had those stupid tall 949 00:52:30,239 --> 00:52:32,080 Speaker 1: hats on. I mean, it was like a real thing, 950 00:52:32,120 --> 00:52:32,319 Speaker 1: you know. 951 00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:33,160 Speaker 2: Uh. 952 00:52:33,200 --> 00:52:35,640 Speaker 1: And then here's these eight young men and they've got 953 00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:41,240 Speaker 1: on like khaki jail issued pants and white T shirts 954 00:52:41,280 --> 00:52:45,520 Speaker 1: and these jail issued flip flop slides that looked like 955 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:47,839 Speaker 1: they were going to fall apart, you know, just kind 956 00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:51,359 Speaker 1: of crocs. Well at the time, back then, crocs wasn't 957 00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:51,920 Speaker 1: a thing, so. 958 00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:56,560 Speaker 2: Okay, but that's open toad croc looking things is unfortunately 959 00:52:56,600 --> 00:52:57,880 Speaker 2: what the footwear is. 960 00:52:58,040 --> 00:52:58,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, and so. 961 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:03,080 Speaker 2: And they show up to this culinary thing, yeah. 962 00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:05,560 Speaker 1: And and and then and they showed Look and I 963 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:07,319 Speaker 1: told a group reasons. I was like, if you just 964 00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:10,239 Speaker 1: close your eyes and imagine that scene and just just 965 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:15,399 Speaker 1: imagine the college students and in these young men coming 966 00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:19,920 Speaker 1: from detention, and you see pride. Who are you seeing 967 00:53:19,960 --> 00:53:23,799 Speaker 1: pride coming from because if if you're like anybody else, 968 00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:26,520 Speaker 1: you're probably thinking these college students pride with their chef 969 00:53:26,520 --> 00:53:28,279 Speaker 1: cous all stuff. No, it was the eight young men. 970 00:53:28,960 --> 00:53:31,560 Speaker 1: They were the proud ones. They were the ones standing 971 00:53:31,600 --> 00:53:35,000 Speaker 1: so tall, so proud, so excited, and and and they're 972 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:39,239 Speaker 1: competing in At the end of the competition, one of 973 00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:41,480 Speaker 1: the young men won the whole thing. You beat the 974 00:53:41,480 --> 00:53:44,640 Speaker 1: college just beat everybody. By the way, his flavor was 975 00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:46,200 Speaker 1: cantalope strawberry and basil. 976 00:53:46,440 --> 00:53:49,719 Speaker 2: I was just about to ask you, what a canilope 977 00:53:49,800 --> 00:53:54,000 Speaker 2: strawberry and basil ice cream? What's the ice cream itself? 978 00:53:54,120 --> 00:53:56,399 Speaker 2: Like vanilla ish ice cream? No? 979 00:53:56,400 --> 00:53:59,560 Speaker 1: No, no, it was more of like a sorbet. Uh 980 00:53:59,680 --> 00:54:00,960 Speaker 1: got yeah? Yeah? 981 00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:06,520 Speaker 2: And it was canalo basil and strawberries and he made it. 982 00:54:06,719 --> 00:54:07,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. 983 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:09,760 Speaker 2: How cool is that? Well? 984 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:13,239 Speaker 1: What was cool was to watch him and the look 985 00:54:13,280 --> 00:54:18,120 Speaker 1: on his face. And I mean he just took off 986 00:54:18,239 --> 00:54:21,880 Speaker 1: running at me and just gets right in my face, 987 00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:26,000 Speaker 1: arms cocked and knees bent, and he's just screaming at 988 00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:27,719 Speaker 1: the top of his lungs as if we're across the 989 00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:32,120 Speaker 1: room from one another. Sir, I just love to cook. 990 00:54:33,320 --> 00:54:33,640 Speaker 2: Wow. 991 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:35,680 Speaker 1: And I just bent my knees, cocked my arms and 992 00:54:35,719 --> 00:54:37,440 Speaker 1: screamed right back in his face. 993 00:54:37,239 --> 00:54:46,200 Speaker 2: Sir me, dude, can I think I think it's important 994 00:54:46,560 --> 00:54:52,120 Speaker 2: that we make sure we're bringing folks along with something 995 00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:55,160 Speaker 2: I know that you now understand, which is. 996 00:54:56,560 --> 00:54:59,560 Speaker 1: Kyld Was that kid sixteen sixty sixteen? 997 00:54:59,600 --> 00:55:06,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're in a youth detention facility, there are 998 00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:12,720 Speaker 2: the very small amount of people who have born mental 999 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:20,239 Speaker 2: illness bipolar schizophrenia. That you know, that's sorting out a 1000 00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:23,719 Speaker 2: whole different set of problems. But in truth, it is 1001 00:55:23,760 --> 00:55:27,480 Speaker 2: a very very small number of what we would say 1002 00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:33,520 Speaker 2: has psychosomatic illness. Ninety five percent of those kids, I 1003 00:55:33,560 --> 00:55:38,440 Speaker 2: don't know that number, but it's close are there because 1004 00:55:38,719 --> 00:55:41,160 Speaker 2: they were kicked out of school, or they got in 1005 00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:46,280 Speaker 2: trouble repeatedly or whatever. But they are not psychosomatically ill. 1006 00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:50,880 Speaker 2: They are socially ill. And the reason the vast majority 1007 00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:54,040 Speaker 2: of them are socially ill is because they come from 1008 00:55:54,120 --> 00:56:02,720 Speaker 2: some background that is wrought with one or more of trauma, 1009 00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:13,840 Speaker 2: physical abuse, sexual abuse, social abuse, parentlessness, homelessness, or such 1010 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:20,120 Speaker 2: abject poverty that they literally had to fight just to eat. 1011 00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:24,640 Speaker 2: That is what the population of these kids locked up 1012 00:56:24,840 --> 00:56:29,120 Speaker 2: are the vast majority of. So if you remember that 1013 00:56:29,239 --> 00:56:33,680 Speaker 2: this kid they just won an ice cream contest, came 1014 00:56:33,840 --> 00:56:38,240 Speaker 2: screaming to you, sir, I just love to cook. That 1015 00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:45,360 Speaker 2: very likely was the nicest setting the competition itself was 1016 00:56:45,360 --> 00:56:48,319 Speaker 2: being held, very very likely was the nicest setting he'd 1017 00:56:48,320 --> 00:56:53,080 Speaker 2: ever been in his life. And very possibly that was 1018 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:56,120 Speaker 2: the most positive, amazing thing to have ever happened to 1019 00:56:56,280 --> 00:56:58,920 Speaker 2: him in his life. This was a super Bowl for 1020 00:56:58,960 --> 00:56:59,359 Speaker 2: this kid. 1021 00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:07,520 Speaker 1: Well, you're just going right into The very next thing 1022 00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:11,319 Speaker 1: that he said to me was and I knew his 1023 00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:14,280 Speaker 1: story he taught me, was my story close? 1024 00:57:14,719 --> 00:57:17,760 Speaker 2: Yes, I mean sorry, it was his story close to 1025 00:57:17,800 --> 00:57:18,400 Speaker 2: what I discussed. 1026 00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:25,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no, yeah. And the district attorney, speaking of barbecue, 1027 00:57:25,520 --> 00:57:28,480 Speaker 1: the district attorney for Wine Doot County, Kansas City, Kansas, 1028 00:57:29,160 --> 00:57:32,200 Speaker 1: told me one time, you know, it's not the choices 1029 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:36,360 Speaker 1: people make, it's the choices they're given. So true, It 1030 00:57:36,400 --> 00:57:37,000 Speaker 1: is so true. 1031 00:57:37,480 --> 00:57:41,960 Speaker 2: If you were given three choices and all of them 1032 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:46,920 Speaker 2: have bad outcomes, it's not that you can't make a choice. 1033 00:57:46,920 --> 00:57:50,280 Speaker 2: You just try to choose the least worst. And unfortunately, 1034 00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:54,120 Speaker 2: there's a large segment in our population of children who 1035 00:57:54,600 --> 00:57:57,080 Speaker 2: are forced to make those choices every day, the least worst. 1036 00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:01,360 Speaker 2: And so to know his story, to understand in that circumstance, 1037 00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:05,120 Speaker 2: to hear him say. The very next thing he said 1038 00:58:05,160 --> 00:58:08,720 Speaker 2: to me was I just love to make food and 1039 00:58:08,720 --> 00:58:09,600 Speaker 2: give it to people and. 1040 00:58:09,560 --> 00:58:13,320 Speaker 1: Put a smile on their face. Now, I know a 1041 00:58:13,360 --> 00:58:15,400 Speaker 1: lot of people that love to make food and sell 1042 00:58:15,440 --> 00:58:19,160 Speaker 1: it to people and pay rent. And that's noble whis 1043 00:58:19,160 --> 00:58:23,080 Speaker 1: which we're with that nothing that's business. That's absolutely nothing wrong. 1044 00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:26,080 Speaker 1: And I know a young man that deserved in every 1045 00:58:26,080 --> 00:58:28,640 Speaker 1: way to make food and sell it and make money, 1046 00:58:28,720 --> 00:58:32,480 Speaker 1: to help with rent, to help with food, to help 1047 00:58:32,600 --> 00:58:35,400 Speaker 1: with all those things. But he said, I just love 1048 00:58:35,480 --> 00:58:36,920 Speaker 1: to make food and give it to people and put 1049 00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:38,479 Speaker 1: a smile on their face. I've never heard of human 1050 00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:40,680 Speaker 1: being describe their heart in a more beautiful way at 1051 00:58:40,680 --> 00:58:42,000 Speaker 1: a more perfect time. 1052 00:58:42,920 --> 00:58:46,440 Speaker 2: Who, by the way, came from the type of background 1053 00:58:46,440 --> 00:58:50,280 Speaker 2: we're talking about. And if the vast majority of the 1054 00:58:50,320 --> 00:58:53,320 Speaker 2: people listening to us saw him walking down the street, 1055 00:58:53,800 --> 00:58:57,680 Speaker 2: would because of the sensationalism they've been fed about this kid, 1056 00:58:57,800 --> 00:58:59,960 Speaker 2: they would sum them up and cross the other side. 1057 00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:01,240 Speaker 1: Yep, yep. 1058 00:59:01,440 --> 00:59:04,280 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, there's a soul in there that just wants to 1059 00:59:04,320 --> 00:59:05,560 Speaker 2: cook and give away food. 1060 00:59:06,080 --> 00:59:11,400 Speaker 1: Well, and you think about he has to take that. 1061 00:59:11,880 --> 00:59:16,600 Speaker 1: What they just did was they talked to him, and 1062 00:59:16,640 --> 00:59:19,520 Speaker 1: they told him who they thought he was. And he 1063 00:59:19,560 --> 00:59:23,320 Speaker 1: has to walk with that and walk in a world 1064 00:59:23,400 --> 00:59:28,880 Speaker 1: that says, this is not who I want to be. 1065 00:59:29,080 --> 00:59:32,320 Speaker 1: But everybody's just told me I am I'm fulfilling their prophecy, 1066 00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:35,040 Speaker 1: not mine. So he says when I get when he says, 1067 00:59:35,080 --> 00:59:36,920 Speaker 1: when I get released, I'm going to get a job 1068 00:59:36,960 --> 00:59:41,480 Speaker 1: in a restaurant, and I in my mind am thinking, wow, 1069 00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:48,080 Speaker 1: I mean this, this is incredible. Then asked me on 1070 00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:50,160 Speaker 1: whether I think he should work at Wendy's or Chili's. 1071 00:59:52,480 --> 00:59:54,479 Speaker 1: Heeding the advice of my father, I told him whoever 1072 00:59:54,600 --> 00:59:56,760 Speaker 1: hires you first and whoever pays you the most money second, 1073 00:59:59,280 --> 01:00:03,760 Speaker 1: and that was it. He was under custody of the 1074 01:00:03,800 --> 01:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Dallas kind of Juwel Department, so I was not allowed 1075 01:00:07,920 --> 01:00:10,200 Speaker 1: to get any of his information. Uh And at the 1076 01:00:10,240 --> 01:00:13,480 Speaker 1: time was so scared to death to give him my 1077 01:00:13,560 --> 01:00:15,760 Speaker 1: information because I thought that was not allowed either, And 1078 01:00:15,800 --> 01:00:17,320 Speaker 1: I didn't want to get in any trouble because I 1079 01:00:17,520 --> 01:00:22,160 Speaker 1: wanted to be able to do more. And so I 1080 01:00:22,480 --> 01:00:25,400 Speaker 1: drove home that day realizing I'd never see him again, 1081 01:00:28,400 --> 01:00:30,440 Speaker 1: but also realizing that he was never going to make 1082 01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:31,520 Speaker 1: it to a Wendy's or Chili's. 1083 01:00:33,320 --> 01:00:34,480 Speaker 2: God, so deflating. 1084 01:00:34,960 --> 01:00:37,400 Speaker 1: Oh man, you go from you go from the highest 1085 01:00:37,440 --> 01:00:42,000 Speaker 1: high right, being so excited, to angry, being so inspired, 1086 01:00:42,040 --> 01:00:47,800 Speaker 1: too sad, And it goes back to you know what 1087 01:00:47,840 --> 01:00:52,160 Speaker 1: you were bringing up earlier is there's this It was 1088 01:00:52,240 --> 01:00:55,720 Speaker 1: this moment of all these things happening right my childhood 1089 01:00:55,760 --> 01:00:57,479 Speaker 1: in the in the in the things that I saw 1090 01:00:57,560 --> 01:01:00,520 Speaker 1: and didn't see in the different communities, and and the 1091 01:01:00,560 --> 01:01:04,560 Speaker 1: experiences I had, and and my my personal you know, 1092 01:01:04,640 --> 01:01:08,880 Speaker 1: upbringing and home life, and comparing and contrasting it to 1093 01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:11,600 Speaker 1: what I knew of his, and thinking through and you know, 1094 01:01:11,760 --> 01:01:16,200 Speaker 1: just coming for me, it was this this just you know, 1095 01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:18,840 Speaker 1: like running into a brick wall, a reality of just 1096 01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:24,600 Speaker 1: understanding that it wasn't It wasn't just that he's going 1097 01:01:24,680 --> 01:01:26,680 Speaker 1: to go back to the same house, in the same street, 1098 01:01:26,720 --> 01:01:30,840 Speaker 1: in the same neighborhood, and the same you know, lack 1099 01:01:31,000 --> 01:01:36,720 Speaker 1: of resource and education, food, healthcare, et cetera. It was 1100 01:01:36,760 --> 01:01:41,720 Speaker 1: the fact that, like for he and I, our lives 1101 01:01:41,720 --> 01:01:43,720 Speaker 1: were dictated by choices that were made for us who 1102 01:01:43,760 --> 01:01:47,000 Speaker 1: were born because of the color of our skin, because 1103 01:01:47,040 --> 01:01:49,120 Speaker 1: of socioeconomic class, we were born in the part of 1104 01:01:49,160 --> 01:01:52,640 Speaker 1: town that we were born in. All those resources access 1105 01:01:52,720 --> 01:01:55,040 Speaker 1: or inaccess to, and I was given abundant of resources 1106 01:01:55,080 --> 01:01:58,400 Speaker 1: growing up. I was given so many resources. I didn't 1107 01:01:58,440 --> 01:01:59,760 Speaker 1: have to think about it. I was given so many 1108 01:01:59,760 --> 01:02:03,680 Speaker 1: opportunities to succeed. I was given so many opportunities to 1109 01:02:03,760 --> 01:02:04,800 Speaker 1: fail and try again. 1110 01:02:05,200 --> 01:02:08,200 Speaker 2: Actually, that one's the most important one. 1111 01:02:09,880 --> 01:02:11,080 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. 1112 01:02:20,960 --> 01:02:25,600 Speaker 2: The opportunity to fail, but I have a safety net 1113 01:02:25,640 --> 01:02:28,440 Speaker 2: to catch you so that you can go yet again, 1114 01:02:28,720 --> 01:02:31,280 Speaker 2: go yet again. It's the big one because so many 1115 01:02:31,360 --> 01:02:34,200 Speaker 2: of these kids, if they fail, there's nothing. 1116 01:02:34,560 --> 01:02:39,240 Speaker 1: Nothing, Well you just look actually jail. Yeah, that's what's 1117 01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:41,600 Speaker 1: blow them. And then it's done. Right, I mean, we 1118 01:02:41,640 --> 01:02:42,720 Speaker 1: can look at all the data. 1119 01:02:42,960 --> 01:02:46,720 Speaker 2: Now you're institutionalized. Now you're in the system, and breaking 1120 01:02:46,760 --> 01:02:48,800 Speaker 2: out of that is rough. 1121 01:02:49,080 --> 01:02:52,080 Speaker 1: I was in Denver recently and we were doing some 1122 01:02:52,360 --> 01:02:55,400 Speaker 1: research and stuff like that, and it's it is something 1123 01:02:55,880 --> 01:03:00,000 Speaker 1: like eighty percent of all prisoners in the state of Colorado, 1124 01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:03,840 Speaker 1: adult prisoners, adult prisoners. Yes, eighty percent of all adult 1125 01:03:03,880 --> 01:03:05,920 Speaker 1: prisoners in the state of Colorado had a juvenile record. 1126 01:03:06,120 --> 01:03:10,880 Speaker 2: Right, that's that's in every way. We're having a mayor's 1127 01:03:10,920 --> 01:03:15,080 Speaker 2: election in Memphis as we speak, and there's ten top 1128 01:03:15,120 --> 01:03:18,760 Speaker 2: ten issues in Memphis and they are crime, crime, crime, crime, crime, crime, crime, 1129 01:03:18,840 --> 01:03:19,360 Speaker 2: and crime. 1130 01:03:19,640 --> 01:03:19,880 Speaker 1: Yep. 1131 01:03:21,120 --> 01:03:25,000 Speaker 2: And so now everybody's getting out all their their data, 1132 01:03:25,160 --> 01:03:30,720 Speaker 2: their metrics, their analytics. But that was one. It's interesting 1133 01:03:30,760 --> 01:03:34,880 Speaker 2: shed Denver, I guess it's probably every city in the country. 1134 01:03:34,920 --> 01:03:37,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I'm just quoting Colorado, because I had research. 1135 01:03:37,720 --> 01:03:42,360 Speaker 2: It's like eighty seven percent of adults in the prison 1136 01:03:42,440 --> 01:03:46,480 Speaker 2: system in and around Shelby County, we're all in the 1137 01:03:46,640 --> 01:03:47,480 Speaker 2: juvenile system. 1138 01:03:47,600 --> 01:03:50,640 Speaker 1: Yes, it's it's it's a. It's a. 1139 01:03:51,600 --> 01:03:54,200 Speaker 2: So if we're starting at eighteen to try to fix this, 1140 01:03:54,880 --> 01:03:55,400 Speaker 2: we're late. 1141 01:03:55,840 --> 01:03:58,520 Speaker 1: No, we're super late. And I think, and this is 1142 01:03:58,560 --> 01:04:01,080 Speaker 1: the other thing that not to go off on a 1143 01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:04,720 Speaker 1: tangier or clim up a soapbox. But if I had 1144 01:04:05,760 --> 01:04:08,120 Speaker 1: a nickel for every time I've heard somebody say the 1145 01:04:08,120 --> 01:04:12,120 Speaker 1: system is broken, I'd be a very wealthy person. But 1146 01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:14,240 Speaker 1: I challenge people of the time, it is not broken. 1147 01:04:15,280 --> 01:04:19,120 Speaker 1: Broken systems just don't work. The system is doing exactly 1148 01:04:19,200 --> 01:04:22,440 Speaker 1: what it's designed to do. It starts when they're ten, eleven, twelve, 1149 01:04:22,600 --> 01:04:25,720 Speaker 1: thirteen years old, and it just keeps them going. I 1150 01:04:25,760 --> 01:04:29,280 Speaker 1: had a friend that was a former public defender that 1151 01:04:29,400 --> 01:04:32,440 Speaker 1: said the saddest thing for him was was being a 1152 01:04:32,440 --> 01:04:34,880 Speaker 1: public defender for an eleven year old because you knew 1153 01:04:35,080 --> 01:04:38,360 Speaker 1: you had job security for six more years. Wow. Because 1154 01:04:38,400 --> 01:04:41,160 Speaker 1: you would continue to represent that child every time they 1155 01:04:41,160 --> 01:04:42,760 Speaker 1: went to court until they became an adult. 1156 01:04:44,120 --> 01:04:47,080 Speaker 2: And then and then the adult public defender now had 1157 01:04:47,120 --> 01:04:48,040 Speaker 2: a client for life. 1158 01:04:48,200 --> 01:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, eleven bro eleven eleven eleven. I can't I 1159 01:04:54,800 --> 01:04:58,960 Speaker 1: get such? What fourth fifth third eight nine? It's fourth 1160 01:04:59,040 --> 01:05:03,720 Speaker 1: fifth grade? Yes, yes, this is when you're supposed to. 1161 01:05:03,720 --> 01:05:05,640 Speaker 2: Be hanging out with your buddies and playing hide and 1162 01:05:05,720 --> 01:05:10,680 Speaker 2: seek and playing on your church or youth sports teams 1163 01:05:10,800 --> 01:05:15,400 Speaker 2: and watching cartoons or video games or whatever the heck. 1164 01:05:15,440 --> 01:05:15,880 Speaker 2: It is good. 1165 01:05:15,960 --> 01:05:16,600 Speaker 1: This is a let. 1166 01:05:16,640 --> 01:05:18,360 Speaker 2: You're not supposed to be in jail. 1167 01:05:19,120 --> 01:05:20,960 Speaker 1: You're not supposed to be in jail, and you're not 1168 01:05:21,000 --> 01:05:25,320 Speaker 1: supposed to be having to make not to make choices 1169 01:05:25,360 --> 01:05:26,800 Speaker 1: based on the choices you're given. 1170 01:05:26,640 --> 01:05:29,240 Speaker 2: The least worst available to you, which is also bad. 1171 01:05:29,480 --> 01:05:35,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. And that's the thing that I feel like is 1172 01:05:35,080 --> 01:05:39,480 Speaker 1: the most important thing that people hear is a child 1173 01:05:39,880 --> 01:05:45,640 Speaker 1: that goes to jail is not their fault. We have 1174 01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:48,880 Speaker 1: failed them somewhere along the lines. So we can complain 1175 01:05:49,240 --> 01:05:54,640 Speaker 1: all day long about jails and overpopulation and the cost 1176 01:05:54,720 --> 01:05:57,360 Speaker 1: and how much money we spend on incarcerating people and 1177 01:05:57,360 --> 01:06:00,280 Speaker 1: all this stuff. But until we as a society the 1178 01:06:00,360 --> 01:06:03,040 Speaker 1: decision that we're going to invest in their lives early on, 1179 01:06:03,520 --> 01:06:04,880 Speaker 1: then we're never going to change. 1180 01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:08,680 Speaker 2: One of my mantras is the greatest success. No, the 1181 01:06:08,680 --> 01:06:12,720 Speaker 2: greatest measure of the success of a leader is the 1182 01:06:12,760 --> 01:06:15,480 Speaker 2: actions of the followers. Yep, okay, So let's be a 1183 01:06:15,560 --> 01:06:19,760 Speaker 2: chef in a kitchen. If the food's coming out cooked, properly, 1184 01:06:19,880 --> 01:06:23,160 Speaker 2: tasting good, on time, and delivered, you've probably got a 1185 01:06:23,280 --> 01:06:27,160 Speaker 2: chef handling it. If the food's late, it tastes like crap, 1186 01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:31,880 Speaker 2: it's burnt, it's watery, it's probably not all the people 1187 01:06:31,880 --> 01:06:36,640 Speaker 2: in the kitchen prepping. It's probably the chef. The greatest 1188 01:06:36,760 --> 01:06:39,280 Speaker 2: measure of the success of the leaders the actions of 1189 01:06:39,280 --> 01:06:43,200 Speaker 2: the followers. Let's take that to a micro view. Whose 1190 01:06:43,280 --> 01:06:45,040 Speaker 2: fault is at the ten or eleven year olds are 1191 01:06:45,080 --> 01:06:50,840 Speaker 2: in jail. If the greatest success, if the greatest measure 1192 01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:53,560 Speaker 2: of the success of leadership is the actions of the followers, 1193 01:06:53,560 --> 01:06:56,000 Speaker 2: that we got nine ten eleven year old kids going 1194 01:06:56,000 --> 01:07:01,400 Speaker 2: into jail. I would argue sess of the leadership of 1195 01:07:01,440 --> 01:07:06,080 Speaker 2: those kids. And that includes the parents, that includes the 1196 01:07:06,120 --> 01:07:14,680 Speaker 2: school system, that includes society, that includes the the the 1197 01:07:14,880 --> 01:07:19,840 Speaker 2: political and social systems that allow this continue to happen. 1198 01:07:20,080 --> 01:07:25,520 Speaker 2: I would suggest that these kids have absolutely no leadership 1199 01:07:25,600 --> 01:07:28,400 Speaker 2: in their life and as a result or off the rails. 1200 01:07:29,320 --> 01:07:33,080 Speaker 1: Well, and I think it's worth noting because, like we 1201 01:07:33,080 --> 01:07:37,360 Speaker 1: were talking about earlier, three grocery stores south of downtown Dallas, right, 1202 01:07:37,400 --> 01:07:39,120 Speaker 1: and forty five percent of the population of the city 1203 01:07:39,160 --> 01:07:43,720 Speaker 1: living south of downtown Dallas. These these children come from 1204 01:07:43,720 --> 01:07:45,720 Speaker 1: families that come from families that come from families that 1205 01:07:45,760 --> 01:07:49,280 Speaker 1: come from families that have gone through these same generation. Yeah, 1206 01:07:49,640 --> 01:07:54,440 Speaker 1: and so we're in we but and leadership tells them 1207 01:07:54,480 --> 01:07:58,000 Speaker 1: figure it out, right, that's the point. But I'm not 1208 01:07:58,040 --> 01:07:59,760 Speaker 1: going to give you any tools. I'm not going to 1209 01:07:59,760 --> 01:08:02,920 Speaker 1: give you any resources. I'm not gonna do anything to help. 1210 01:08:03,360 --> 01:08:04,400 Speaker 1: So just figure it out. 1211 01:08:04,440 --> 01:08:06,440 Speaker 2: Hey, we're the freeze country in the world. Pull your 1212 01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:09,040 Speaker 2: boots up by your straps and go get them kid. 1213 01:08:09,280 --> 01:08:13,640 Speaker 1: Right, but but how but how? But how? I gave 1214 01:08:13,640 --> 01:08:16,200 Speaker 1: a kid a ride one time from his house to 1215 01:08:16,720 --> 01:08:20,000 Speaker 1: a restaurant, and it was a twelve minute car ride, 1216 01:08:20,240 --> 01:08:25,200 Speaker 1: twelve minutes, hopped on a highway, hopped off whenever. While 1217 01:08:25,200 --> 01:08:28,960 Speaker 1: he was interviewing for the job, I looked up public transportation. 1218 01:08:29,600 --> 01:08:31,800 Speaker 1: It was four bus transfers an hour and a half 1219 01:08:31,840 --> 01:08:36,920 Speaker 1: each way. Now, explain to me how we're telling a 1220 01:08:37,000 --> 01:08:41,920 Speaker 1: kid go get a job. I wouldn't do it. I 1221 01:08:41,960 --> 01:08:46,160 Speaker 1: wouldn't go I wouldn't go work somewhere that took me 1222 01:08:46,200 --> 01:08:50,680 Speaker 1: a three hour commute for a twelve minute car ride. 1223 01:08:50,960 --> 01:08:52,880 Speaker 1: We're asking somebody to do something that we wouldn't even 1224 01:08:52,920 --> 01:08:57,360 Speaker 1: do ourselves, right, that's a fallacy of leadership. So do 1225 01:08:57,439 --> 01:08:58,519 Speaker 1: as I say, not as I do. 1226 01:08:58,920 --> 01:09:03,240 Speaker 2: Here you have this restaurant, these accolades, and now this 1227 01:09:03,439 --> 01:09:08,679 Speaker 2: experience of the ice cream kids. You're driving home going. 1228 01:09:10,200 --> 01:09:13,559 Speaker 2: It's sad that Wendy's or Chili's is what he sees 1229 01:09:13,680 --> 01:09:16,800 Speaker 2: is culinary. But what's even more sad that even as 1230 01:09:16,840 --> 01:09:19,240 Speaker 2: lower bar as that is, he won't even make it there. 1231 01:09:20,479 --> 01:09:26,560 Speaker 2: And you're feeling these range of bipolar motions of excitement 1232 01:09:26,640 --> 01:09:32,320 Speaker 2: and sadness and and feel good but also shame and 1233 01:09:32,640 --> 01:09:35,400 Speaker 2: all of it. But now you've got to go back 1234 01:09:35,400 --> 01:09:38,840 Speaker 2: to work, ru in your restaurant or do you Well? 1235 01:09:38,840 --> 01:09:43,880 Speaker 1: At the time, yeah, but I wanted to. It was 1236 01:09:44,320 --> 01:09:48,200 Speaker 1: in that moment I drive home where I just thought, 1237 01:09:48,680 --> 01:09:52,280 Speaker 1: this is so okay. You know, this is the way 1238 01:09:52,280 --> 01:09:54,280 Speaker 1: the world works. So what are you going to do? 1239 01:09:56,200 --> 01:09:59,840 Speaker 1: And you know, option A was to just go back 1240 01:09:59,840 --> 01:10:04,080 Speaker 1: to my restaurant, pretend that other part just kind of 1241 01:10:04,080 --> 01:10:07,840 Speaker 1: didn't exist, and build my empire. The other part was 1242 01:10:08,000 --> 01:10:11,719 Speaker 1: to lean in, to listen and learn more. I chose 1243 01:10:11,760 --> 01:10:15,320 Speaker 1: to listen, lean in, and learn more, and I spent 1244 01:10:15,479 --> 01:10:21,400 Speaker 1: time inside the juvenile facility, and I was would would 1245 01:10:21,439 --> 01:10:24,600 Speaker 1: would teach cooking classes every so often and working with 1246 01:10:24,680 --> 01:10:29,760 Speaker 1: the kids. I found out some years later that a 1247 01:10:29,800 --> 01:10:31,600 Speaker 1: gentleman that worked in the juvenile apartment, that was a 1248 01:10:31,640 --> 01:10:35,240 Speaker 1: supervisor in the facility at the time, told my entire 1249 01:10:35,240 --> 01:10:38,720 Speaker 1: staff that he thought I was the craziest so ob 1250 01:10:38,840 --> 01:10:41,360 Speaker 1: he'd ever met, because I walked into juvie and gave 1251 01:10:41,439 --> 01:10:46,760 Speaker 1: kids knives. And he said, but it taught him a 1252 01:10:46,880 --> 01:10:51,400 Speaker 1: very valuable lesson, which is the kids responded to my 1253 01:10:52,240 --> 01:10:57,120 Speaker 1: belief in them and expectation that they could succeed, and 1254 01:10:57,160 --> 01:11:00,599 Speaker 1: they responded to that, and it was a lesson to him. 1255 01:11:00,920 --> 01:11:04,040 Speaker 1: But I spent time teaching cooking classes. We made a 1256 01:11:04,080 --> 01:11:06,439 Speaker 1: lot of fried rice. It was inexpensive and the kids 1257 01:11:06,479 --> 01:11:11,280 Speaker 1: loved it. And so I spent most of that time 1258 01:11:11,280 --> 01:11:15,919 Speaker 1: though listening, you know, I was earning trust and listening. 1259 01:11:16,600 --> 01:11:18,040 Speaker 1: I listened to the staff, I listened to the kids. 1260 01:11:18,080 --> 01:11:21,760 Speaker 1: The staff talked a lot about consistency and stability in 1261 01:11:22,080 --> 01:11:24,519 Speaker 1: every way. Right if you say you're going to do something. 1262 01:11:24,560 --> 01:11:25,760 Speaker 1: If you say you're going to show up a two 1263 01:11:25,760 --> 01:11:27,720 Speaker 1: o'clock on Friday to teach class, you better be here 1264 01:11:27,720 --> 01:11:32,400 Speaker 1: at one fine ready to teach class. But also I 1265 01:11:32,439 --> 01:11:34,439 Speaker 1: want to interject something about that. Yep. 1266 01:11:36,280 --> 01:11:39,439 Speaker 2: One of the kids that I coached years ago from 1267 01:11:39,479 --> 01:11:43,320 Speaker 2: the Inner City talked about that very thing, and he said, 1268 01:11:43,360 --> 01:11:45,400 Speaker 2: all you have to do is not show up, and 1269 01:11:45,400 --> 01:11:49,719 Speaker 2: then you're common yep. And if you want our attention 1270 01:11:49,920 --> 01:11:54,640 Speaker 2: be uncommon. And what he was saying was everybody in 1271 01:11:54,680 --> 01:11:56,800 Speaker 2: their life says they're going to do something done Yep, 1272 01:11:56,960 --> 01:12:00,280 Speaker 2: it's just this is you, blah blah blah, this is me. 1273 01:12:00,560 --> 01:12:01,240 Speaker 1: I don't care. 1274 01:12:02,280 --> 01:12:09,920 Speaker 2: And when you're someone it's so odd, it's so unfortunate 1275 01:12:10,000 --> 01:12:11,960 Speaker 2: that by simply doing what you say you're going to 1276 01:12:12,040 --> 01:12:14,280 Speaker 2: do and being consistent showing up every time you say 1277 01:12:14,840 --> 01:12:19,160 Speaker 2: makes you uncommon and makes you someone worth an Aelid 1278 01:12:19,280 --> 01:12:23,680 Speaker 2: race worth. Maybe I might give this sky look. But 1279 01:12:24,240 --> 01:12:26,200 Speaker 2: that kid told me, he said, look, if you don't 1280 01:12:26,200 --> 01:12:28,600 Speaker 2: show up, it just makes you common. But if you 1281 01:12:28,640 --> 01:12:31,960 Speaker 2: want our attention be uncommon, I will never forget that. 1282 01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:33,360 Speaker 2: But that's exactly what I got said. 1283 01:12:33,560 --> 01:12:37,080 Speaker 1: Always the wisest people I know. I mean I always 1284 01:12:37,160 --> 01:12:41,840 Speaker 1: tell people like our young people have the best BS 1285 01:12:41,840 --> 01:12:44,599 Speaker 1: indicator ever ever sniff out. 1286 01:12:44,680 --> 01:12:47,960 Speaker 2: They're like Geiger counters for BS. Oh, those kids know 1287 01:12:48,080 --> 01:12:50,600 Speaker 2: it because they've lived it and they see it and 1288 01:12:50,640 --> 01:12:53,360 Speaker 2: they can pick it out in fifteen seconds so fast. 1289 01:12:55,000 --> 01:12:58,600 Speaker 1: And then you know, cooking with the kids in understanding 1290 01:12:58,600 --> 01:13:01,520 Speaker 1: their lives and their lived experience and their stories and 1291 01:13:01,640 --> 01:13:05,160 Speaker 1: what consistency and stability has played into why they're in 1292 01:13:05,240 --> 01:13:11,960 Speaker 1: attention lack of Yeah, And that's where the initial framework 1293 01:13:12,320 --> 01:13:16,519 Speaker 1: for Cafe Momentum came about. Is. I literally was on 1294 01:13:16,560 --> 01:13:18,519 Speaker 1: the phone with my business partner one night and I 1295 01:13:18,560 --> 01:13:20,320 Speaker 1: was complaining that I had been working with the kids 1296 01:13:20,360 --> 01:13:22,040 Speaker 1: for about a year and I hadn't done anything, and 1297 01:13:22,080 --> 01:13:24,120 Speaker 1: I felt kind of like a fraud, like, I mean, 1298 01:13:24,160 --> 01:13:25,960 Speaker 1: you're showing up in the classes, but you're just you're 1299 01:13:26,000 --> 01:13:28,000 Speaker 1: supposed to do something else. You're supposed to do something else. 1300 01:13:28,040 --> 01:13:30,880 Speaker 1: And she just kind of snapped me to it and said, 1301 01:13:30,880 --> 01:13:33,080 Speaker 1: then what do you want to do? And I said, 1302 01:13:33,120 --> 01:13:34,640 Speaker 1: I just want to open a restaurant and let the 1303 01:13:34,680 --> 01:13:39,400 Speaker 1: kids run it. She said, it's kind of cool. It's 1304 01:13:39,439 --> 01:13:41,200 Speaker 1: like I think we've both been drinking, but. 1305 01:13:45,840 --> 01:13:46,760 Speaker 2: We'll be right back. 1306 01:14:00,479 --> 01:14:03,080 Speaker 1: I went to the gentleman who ran the programs in 1307 01:14:03,080 --> 01:14:06,760 Speaker 1: the facility, who you know, might be the opportunities to 1308 01:14:06,840 --> 01:14:10,000 Speaker 1: have access to working with youth and so forth, and 1309 01:14:10,040 --> 01:14:12,880 Speaker 1: I just said, you know, this is kind of what 1310 01:14:12,920 --> 01:14:15,400 Speaker 1: I want to do. And I expected him to say, 1311 01:14:16,240 --> 01:14:18,960 Speaker 1: you're out of your tree, Yeah, what is wrong with you? 1312 01:14:20,000 --> 01:14:22,360 Speaker 1: And he literally just looked at me and said okay. 1313 01:14:23,600 --> 01:14:27,680 Speaker 1: And I was like, there's a problem around myself with 1314 01:14:27,720 --> 01:14:29,599 Speaker 1: some real crazy people here, but there's. 1315 01:14:29,439 --> 01:14:33,360 Speaker 2: A problem with him saying okay, now you actually got 1316 01:14:33,400 --> 01:14:36,799 Speaker 2: to do it. He didn't. He didn't put a barrier 1317 01:14:36,880 --> 01:14:40,400 Speaker 2: up that stopped your crazy self. You're like, uh oh, yeah, 1318 01:14:40,479 --> 01:14:41,200 Speaker 2: now it's on. 1319 01:14:41,360 --> 01:14:44,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, And the and the false arrogance that everybody I 1320 01:14:44,360 --> 01:14:49,240 Speaker 1: thought she was going to say, okay, you know, because 1321 01:14:49,240 --> 01:14:52,720 Speaker 1: that didn't happen. Yeah, No, I started. 1322 01:14:52,320 --> 01:14:55,719 Speaker 2: Because the stigma around these kids still exists. 1323 01:14:56,120 --> 01:14:59,120 Speaker 1: I was I was asked by a gentleman within the 1324 01:14:59,160 --> 01:15:02,200 Speaker 1: first fifteen secon into the conversation, Okay, let's just cut 1325 01:15:02,240 --> 01:15:04,519 Speaker 1: to it. You and I both know what are you 1326 01:15:04,520 --> 01:15:06,000 Speaker 1: going to do when those kids stab each other in 1327 01:15:06,040 --> 01:15:12,840 Speaker 1: the kitchen? So I'm more scared about you stabbing me 1328 01:15:12,880 --> 01:15:18,280 Speaker 1: in the back, it's any of these kids. Unbelievably, I 1329 01:15:18,360 --> 01:15:23,400 Speaker 1: was told repeatedly, you know, those kids don't want to work, 1330 01:15:23,439 --> 01:15:27,640 Speaker 1: they just want to collect a check. I was told repeatedly, 1331 01:15:27,840 --> 01:15:28,960 Speaker 1: can we can? We can? 1332 01:15:29,000 --> 01:15:31,559 Speaker 2: We go ahead and go ahead and put this out 1333 01:15:31,600 --> 01:15:36,320 Speaker 2: there that the welfare queen stories be us also, okay, continue. 1334 01:15:35,920 --> 01:15:38,960 Speaker 1: Oh, such such a hair. 1335 01:15:39,160 --> 01:15:43,759 Speaker 2: But it's but the problem with it is it leads 1336 01:15:43,920 --> 01:15:49,439 Speaker 2: to more objectification. Yes, and and it leads to more 1337 01:15:49,600 --> 01:15:56,360 Speaker 2: of this generational bs about poor kids. 1338 01:15:56,520 --> 01:16:00,800 Speaker 1: Just objectification and justification. Just it justation for the way 1339 01:16:00,800 --> 01:16:01,200 Speaker 1: you feel. 1340 01:16:01,280 --> 01:16:06,200 Speaker 2: Yes, because we make up these ridiculous narratives that become 1341 01:16:07,880 --> 01:16:13,200 Speaker 2: they become somehow fat that have no basis. 1342 01:16:13,200 --> 01:16:16,040 Speaker 1: In fact, I'm going to butcher this and totally get 1343 01:16:16,080 --> 01:16:16,479 Speaker 1: it wrong. 1344 01:16:17,160 --> 01:16:19,200 Speaker 2: Sorry, I get most of my stuff wrong. But it 1345 01:16:19,280 --> 01:16:20,200 Speaker 2: was so much show. 1346 01:16:20,600 --> 01:16:22,800 Speaker 1: I read something a couple of years ago where like 1347 01:16:22,840 --> 01:16:26,160 Speaker 1: the state of Florida introduced this legislation that in order 1348 01:16:26,200 --> 01:16:29,800 Speaker 1: to receive, you know, welfare dollars, you had to pass 1349 01:16:30,040 --> 01:16:31,960 Speaker 1: a drug test and all this stuff. And they spent 1350 01:16:32,080 --> 01:16:34,840 Speaker 1: tens of millions of dollars rolling out this program and 1351 01:16:34,920 --> 01:16:39,560 Speaker 1: saved like fifteen thousand dollars. Like it was something absurdly ridiculous. 1352 01:16:39,640 --> 01:16:41,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, but it made everybody feel good. 1353 01:16:41,280 --> 01:16:45,519 Speaker 1: But everybody thought, oh, we're doing here, and it's it's yeah, 1354 01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:47,440 Speaker 1: it's the problem because. 1355 01:16:51,280 --> 01:16:56,519 Speaker 2: You have to understand the truth about kids, and the 1356 01:16:56,600 --> 01:17:00,320 Speaker 2: truth about kids is zip code at the time your 1357 01:17:00,360 --> 01:17:02,640 Speaker 2: birth should have nothing to do with whether or not 1358 01:17:02,680 --> 01:17:04,920 Speaker 2: you end up in jail at eleven year olds or not. 1359 01:17:05,080 --> 01:17:09,560 Speaker 1: But the truth is that it does. And the other truth. 1360 01:17:09,280 --> 01:17:17,479 Speaker 2: Is that infant, that child, that that that kid, given 1361 01:17:17,640 --> 01:17:21,000 Speaker 2: a level playing field, is very. 1362 01:17:20,880 --> 01:17:23,120 Speaker 1: Likely to spatch your own children if they only had 1363 01:17:23,160 --> 01:17:26,240 Speaker 1: that one, and most likely to. 1364 01:17:26,439 --> 01:17:30,320 Speaker 2: And I actually believe that all of this, all of 1365 01:17:30,360 --> 01:17:35,120 Speaker 2: these stories and the sensacialism and everything around it actually 1366 01:17:35,280 --> 01:17:43,160 Speaker 2: gives us license to not feel guilty about the way 1367 01:17:43,200 --> 01:17:45,480 Speaker 2: we think of this segment of our society. 1368 01:17:45,680 --> 01:17:50,519 Speaker 1: And it is so patently wrong we can just end 1369 01:17:50,520 --> 01:17:52,360 Speaker 1: the whole thing right here on that statement. I mean, 1370 01:17:52,400 --> 01:17:56,080 Speaker 1: that is the truth. Is the truth that I hope 1371 01:17:56,080 --> 01:17:59,040 Speaker 1: people get out of this today. It is patently wrong. 1372 01:17:59,560 --> 01:18:03,599 Speaker 1: It is. And that was my problem in going around 1373 01:18:03,640 --> 01:18:05,920 Speaker 1: trying to open this restaurant was this is what I 1374 01:18:05,960 --> 01:18:08,000 Speaker 1: was up against, and it didn't matter that I was 1375 01:18:08,120 --> 01:18:10,800 Speaker 1: up against it. It's what these young people were up 1376 01:18:10,800 --> 01:18:14,439 Speaker 1: against every single day of their life. And I just 1377 01:18:14,520 --> 01:18:19,160 Speaker 1: remember thinking to myself, if you actually met them, if 1378 01:18:19,200 --> 01:18:21,479 Speaker 1: you actually stood face to face with them, if you 1379 01:18:21,520 --> 01:18:25,160 Speaker 1: actually talk to them, you would never, not in a 1380 01:18:25,280 --> 01:18:29,000 Speaker 1: million years, would you ever ever say that about them. 1381 01:18:29,280 --> 01:18:32,599 Speaker 1: In fact, you would do the opposite. And so based 1382 01:18:32,640 --> 01:18:35,880 Speaker 1: on that, how do I get in front of you? 1383 01:18:35,920 --> 01:18:37,360 Speaker 1: How do I do it? How do I do it? 1384 01:18:37,400 --> 01:18:39,760 Speaker 1: And I know food? So I came up with this 1385 01:18:39,920 --> 01:18:43,800 Speaker 1: idea I am and this is this is you know, 1386 01:18:43,840 --> 01:18:48,360 Speaker 1: two thousand, late two thousand and early twenty eleven, and 1387 01:18:48,479 --> 01:18:52,519 Speaker 1: there was this new kind of it thing going on 1388 01:18:52,520 --> 01:18:55,120 Speaker 1: the food world, these underground dinners and pop up dinners 1389 01:18:55,120 --> 01:18:57,479 Speaker 1: and all this stuff, and I was like, I'm gonna 1390 01:18:57,479 --> 01:19:01,960 Speaker 1: take it. Yes, So I first pop up dinner I 1391 01:19:01,960 --> 01:19:05,320 Speaker 1: did was June twenty eleven, and the idea was to 1392 01:19:05,360 --> 01:19:07,240 Speaker 1: go in one of the top restaurants in Dallas. And 1393 01:19:07,240 --> 01:19:09,360 Speaker 1: it had to be one of the top restaurants in Dallas, 1394 01:19:09,640 --> 01:19:11,080 Speaker 1: because when I'm going to show you that the kids 1395 01:19:11,080 --> 01:19:12,680 Speaker 1: are capable of, I'm going to show you at the 1396 01:19:12,760 --> 01:19:16,120 Speaker 1: highest echelon of what they're capable of. So go in 1397 01:19:16,160 --> 01:19:18,120 Speaker 1: one of the top restaurants in Dallas and a sun saw. 1398 01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:20,679 Speaker 2: So a little bit of a shocking picture for people. Yeah, 1399 01:19:20,720 --> 01:19:22,320 Speaker 2: they don't expect to see them. 1400 01:19:22,479 --> 01:19:26,479 Speaker 1: Well, if you're saying that they can't they can't cook 1401 01:19:26,520 --> 01:19:28,360 Speaker 1: my food, I'm going to show you that they can 1402 01:19:28,400 --> 01:19:30,720 Speaker 1: cook the best food in the city and do it 1403 01:19:31,400 --> 01:19:36,640 Speaker 1: on your turf. Yes, And so the idea go in 1404 01:19:36,680 --> 01:19:38,960 Speaker 1: one of the top restaurants in Dallas Sunday night, when 1405 01:19:38,960 --> 01:19:41,880 Speaker 1: the restaurants closed, sell tickets to a private dinner. Chef 1406 01:19:41,880 --> 01:19:44,599 Speaker 1: writes a four course menu. The staff not only helping 1407 01:19:44,600 --> 01:19:47,120 Speaker 1: the chef and working alongside the chef team in the kitchen, 1408 01:19:47,160 --> 01:19:49,160 Speaker 1: but serving to the level and quality of service of 1409 01:19:49,200 --> 01:19:51,679 Speaker 1: that restaurant. Were eight young men that we would bring 1410 01:19:51,720 --> 01:19:53,320 Speaker 1: in from a juvenile detention. 1411 01:19:53,400 --> 01:19:57,360 Speaker 2: And these kids are servers, dishwashers that there were all 1412 01:19:57,400 --> 01:20:00,840 Speaker 2: the parts of the kitchen and the. 1413 01:20:00,280 --> 01:20:02,479 Speaker 1: The design was that four of them would work in 1414 01:20:02,520 --> 01:20:04,600 Speaker 1: the kitchen for the first two courses while four of 1415 01:20:04,600 --> 01:20:07,679 Speaker 1: them served, and then we would flip flop them halfway 1416 01:20:07,680 --> 01:20:10,759 Speaker 1: through so that they would get a little experience on both. Now, 1417 01:20:11,640 --> 01:20:14,800 Speaker 1: the first dinner, the goal was to get fifty people 1418 01:20:14,840 --> 01:20:17,200 Speaker 1: to pay fifty dollars to come to the dinner. I 1419 01:20:17,240 --> 01:20:21,760 Speaker 1: had absolutely no belief that any human being, but just 1420 01:20:21,800 --> 01:20:23,960 Speaker 1: based on lived experience of what people would say about 1421 01:20:23,960 --> 01:20:26,640 Speaker 1: the kids, that anybody would show up, so much so 1422 01:20:27,200 --> 01:20:30,000 Speaker 1: that I would devise the plan to call my mom 1423 01:20:30,040 --> 01:20:32,000 Speaker 1: and have her guilty ladies in her Bible study class. 1424 01:20:33,240 --> 01:20:37,240 Speaker 2: This was we'll get somebody there for these Chris, for 1425 01:20:37,479 --> 01:20:38,360 Speaker 2: these ladies. 1426 01:20:38,439 --> 01:20:41,320 Speaker 1: I'm like, you know, ladies, you're the clock is ticking here. 1427 01:20:41,439 --> 01:20:43,639 Speaker 1: You really need to do some good things in your life. 1428 01:20:44,040 --> 01:20:47,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and this may be a little better than Olive Guarden. 1429 01:20:47,479 --> 01:20:55,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the goal. And so but myself and in 1430 01:20:55,040 --> 01:20:57,360 Speaker 1: another gentleman. There were five of us organizing this dinner, 1431 01:20:57,439 --> 01:20:59,160 Speaker 1: and myself and one of the gentlemen organized the dinner. 1432 01:20:59,160 --> 01:21:01,479 Speaker 1: We posted a little rite up about the dinner on 1433 01:21:02,120 --> 01:21:05,559 Speaker 1: our Facebook pages and put a link to PayPal, and 1434 01:21:05,760 --> 01:21:07,800 Speaker 1: the dinner sold out, and before we could shut the 1435 01:21:07,800 --> 01:21:09,880 Speaker 1: PayPal off, the dinner had sold out. In less than 1436 01:21:09,920 --> 01:21:13,559 Speaker 1: twenty four hours. Sixty three people showed up at that dinner, 1437 01:21:14,000 --> 01:21:16,400 Speaker 1: and sixty three people gave these young men a standing 1438 01:21:16,439 --> 01:21:18,439 Speaker 1: ovation at the end of night, and sixty three people 1439 01:21:18,439 --> 01:21:20,200 Speaker 1: walked out of that restaurant and looked at me right 1440 01:21:20,200 --> 01:21:21,880 Speaker 1: in the eye and said, you know, this could be 1441 01:21:21,880 --> 01:21:27,880 Speaker 1: my son. Wow, bingo. So we went on and we started, 1442 01:21:28,280 --> 01:21:28,840 Speaker 1: Now you. 1443 01:21:28,800 --> 01:21:29,559 Speaker 2: Know the kids. 1444 01:21:29,680 --> 01:21:33,439 Speaker 1: Now, you know, once you know them, you'll never say 1445 01:21:33,439 --> 01:21:36,040 Speaker 1: that about them, and you need to know them. So 1446 01:21:36,120 --> 01:21:40,120 Speaker 1: fast forward, the dinner has become very, very popular. They're 1447 01:21:40,160 --> 01:21:42,960 Speaker 1: selling out by like the end of twenty eleven. Beginning 1448 01:21:42,960 --> 01:21:45,320 Speaker 1: twenty twelve, they're selling out like fifteen seconds. 1449 01:21:45,600 --> 01:21:50,040 Speaker 2: Fifteen seconds literally, And did you not learn at SMU 1450 01:21:50,120 --> 01:21:52,200 Speaker 2: or in culinary school raise the price? 1451 01:21:55,040 --> 01:21:59,000 Speaker 1: Well, there's a give and take to that, right, because 1452 01:22:00,920 --> 01:22:04,200 Speaker 1: what I knew was it was going to take us 1453 01:22:04,560 --> 01:22:07,960 Speaker 1: twenty five years of pop up dinners to raise enough 1454 01:22:08,000 --> 01:22:11,800 Speaker 1: net profit off of each profit dinner to open a restaurant, right, 1455 01:22:12,360 --> 01:22:15,800 Speaker 1: So it was it was right. So it was it 1456 01:22:15,840 --> 01:22:19,559 Speaker 1: was keeping the buzz and leveraging that into bigger. 1457 01:22:19,640 --> 01:22:21,400 Speaker 2: So you didn't want to chase people off I raising 1458 01:22:21,439 --> 01:22:23,000 Speaker 2: the price. It was more important to get them in, 1459 01:22:23,120 --> 01:22:24,559 Speaker 2: know the kids so that you could go. 1460 01:22:24,560 --> 01:22:27,240 Speaker 1: I wanted to. I wanted to tell the mayor, I'm sorry, sir, 1461 01:22:27,280 --> 01:22:31,600 Speaker 1: we're sold out. And so about a year into those dinners, 1462 01:22:31,840 --> 01:22:33,559 Speaker 1: I just had another one of those moments and I 1463 01:22:33,600 --> 01:22:36,080 Speaker 1: sat down and talked to my business partner and just said, 1464 01:22:36,080 --> 01:22:40,240 Speaker 1: you know, I need to walk the talk to exactly 1465 01:22:40,280 --> 01:22:43,400 Speaker 1: what you said earlier. I didn't want to be common, 1466 01:22:44,520 --> 01:22:47,200 Speaker 1: and I knew those kids had been fed lines their 1467 01:22:47,360 --> 01:22:50,720 Speaker 1: entire lives, and I didn't want to be one of them, 1468 01:22:50,840 --> 01:22:52,439 Speaker 1: and I wanted to show them that I was willing 1469 01:22:52,439 --> 01:22:56,680 Speaker 1: to walk talk. So I walked away from Parigi to 1470 01:22:56,760 --> 01:22:59,960 Speaker 1: focus my full time and attention on getting a permanent 1471 01:23:00,120 --> 01:23:03,360 Speaker 1: brick and mortar Caffee Momentum open, And it took us 1472 01:23:03,360 --> 01:23:05,639 Speaker 1: three and a half years total and forty one pop 1473 01:23:05,720 --> 01:23:10,040 Speaker 1: up dinners over that time before Caffee Momentum finally opened 1474 01:23:10,080 --> 01:23:12,960 Speaker 1: its doors on January twenty ninth, twenty fifteen. 1475 01:23:12,920 --> 01:23:18,120 Speaker 2: Which means you walked away from what you thought was 1476 01:23:18,160 --> 01:23:18,879 Speaker 2: your pinnacle. 1477 01:23:19,320 --> 01:23:21,080 Speaker 1: I thought it was the empire. 1478 01:23:21,200 --> 01:23:24,680 Speaker 2: You borgage, your house, you owned the restaurant. People are 1479 01:23:24,680 --> 01:23:28,840 Speaker 2: writing articles about you. You are the man. You grew 1480 01:23:28,920 --> 01:23:31,960 Speaker 2: this restaurant's revenue forty percent in the middle of the 1481 01:23:32,000 --> 01:23:34,640 Speaker 2: housing crisis, one of the most difficult times. People are 1482 01:23:34,640 --> 01:23:38,559 Speaker 2: shutting down. You're growing. People are writing about you. You've 1483 01:23:38,560 --> 01:23:42,479 Speaker 2: reached your pinnacle, and the truth is it was still 1484 01:23:42,560 --> 01:23:46,599 Speaker 2: only a step to what is now the real pennim. 1485 01:23:47,400 --> 01:23:55,599 Speaker 1: Well, it's it's funny because I've had conversation about this 1486 01:23:55,680 --> 01:23:58,720 Speaker 1: before and people really hone in on that, and I'm like, 1487 01:23:58,720 --> 01:24:04,320 Speaker 1: but I don't think that you understand. There weren't choices 1488 01:24:04,360 --> 01:24:07,400 Speaker 1: I was making. It wasn't options. I wasn't. There was 1489 01:24:07,439 --> 01:24:13,599 Speaker 1: only one thing to do. That was it. It was my impaire. 1490 01:24:13,640 --> 01:24:15,840 Speaker 1: It was all like all those It was greater than 1491 01:24:15,840 --> 01:24:18,680 Speaker 1: anything it was. It was the thing like there was 1492 01:24:18,760 --> 01:24:21,760 Speaker 1: no called do you were driven? Yeah? I wasn't. It 1493 01:24:21,800 --> 01:24:23,519 Speaker 1: wasn't as if I was like, okay, let me wagh 1494 01:24:23,560 --> 01:24:25,479 Speaker 1: my options and my more interest. I was like, okay, 1495 01:24:25,520 --> 01:24:27,800 Speaker 1: this is it. This is like I'm I will never 1496 01:24:27,960 --> 01:24:31,880 Speaker 1: ever like forget, like never forgive myself forget anything. 1497 01:24:31,920 --> 01:24:32,000 Speaker 3: Like. 1498 01:24:32,080 --> 01:24:34,720 Speaker 1: There was not a conversation. It was just like, you're 1499 01:24:34,760 --> 01:24:55,400 Speaker 1: doing this, We'll be right back. I never anticipated it 1500 01:24:55,520 --> 01:25:01,120 Speaker 1: being what it is today, which is well, uh so 1501 01:25:01,120 --> 01:25:07,519 Speaker 1: sound business decision number two. I uh with the success 1502 01:25:07,560 --> 01:25:10,640 Speaker 1: that we've seen in Dallas in the program and the 1503 01:25:10,720 --> 01:25:14,719 Speaker 1: interest of folks and opening, you know, building Caffee Winhum 1504 01:25:14,800 --> 01:25:17,880 Speaker 1: restaurants and programs around the country, I started a new 1505 01:25:18,000 --> 01:25:22,400 Speaker 1: organization called Momentum Advisory Collective to oversee the expansion of 1506 01:25:22,400 --> 01:25:25,760 Speaker 1: the Caffee mo Minium model across the country in the 1507 01:25:25,800 --> 01:25:29,960 Speaker 1: first week of March twenty twenty two, weeks before every 1508 01:25:30,000 --> 01:25:33,559 Speaker 1: restaurant the country shut downright covid. I mean it was 1509 01:25:34,360 --> 01:25:37,760 Speaker 1: you know, hey, we're coming to your city eventually. 1510 01:25:38,160 --> 01:25:41,719 Speaker 2: You know, great chef, great business guy, but your timing sucks. 1511 01:25:41,720 --> 01:25:45,080 Speaker 1: Brou Well. I always always tell people the next time 1512 01:25:45,120 --> 01:25:47,240 Speaker 1: I tell you that, So my next idea is like 1513 01:25:47,320 --> 01:25:48,519 Speaker 1: the locusts are coming. 1514 01:25:48,680 --> 01:25:50,720 Speaker 2: You know what, the next I want you to call 1515 01:25:50,760 --> 01:25:53,519 Speaker 2: me the next time you have the big idea, because 1516 01:25:53,560 --> 01:25:56,479 Speaker 2: I'm going to short something a week after you start, 1517 01:25:56,800 --> 01:25:58,680 Speaker 2: because I know I'm going to hit that square in 1518 01:25:58,720 --> 01:25:59,120 Speaker 2: the teeth. 1519 01:25:59,160 --> 01:26:03,360 Speaker 1: Okay, truth true. 1520 01:26:03,520 --> 01:26:10,200 Speaker 2: So Cafe Momentum We Don't need to skip too far 1521 01:26:10,240 --> 01:26:16,200 Speaker 2: by is one hundred percent staffed by kids out of 1522 01:26:16,280 --> 01:26:23,000 Speaker 2: juvenile and we're talking servers, prep cooks, dishwashers, hosts, all 1523 01:26:23,040 --> 01:26:23,280 Speaker 2: of it. 1524 01:26:23,479 --> 01:26:27,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. So the program itself provides a twelve month curriculum, 1525 01:26:27,439 --> 01:26:31,120 Speaker 1: and the curriculum focuses on like kind of four key 1526 01:26:31,920 --> 01:26:37,679 Speaker 1: areas for our organization focuses on four key areas workforce development, 1527 01:26:37,760 --> 01:26:40,880 Speaker 1: which is obvious in the restaurant twenty four to seven 1528 01:26:40,960 --> 01:26:44,759 Speaker 1: case management, mental health services, and education. 1529 01:26:45,240 --> 01:26:49,200 Speaker 2: Okay, I want that it's so important that people understand 1530 01:26:49,280 --> 01:26:53,439 Speaker 2: why those things are important. Yes, tell me about an 1531 01:26:53,479 --> 01:26:57,600 Speaker 2: example of what case management means and has resulted in. 1532 01:26:57,840 --> 01:26:58,599 Speaker 2: Give me just one. 1533 01:26:58,720 --> 01:27:01,479 Speaker 1: Yeah. So when I think of case management, the first 1534 01:27:01,520 --> 01:27:05,439 Speaker 1: word I think of is stabilization. We've worked with over 1535 01:27:05,479 --> 01:27:08,599 Speaker 1: one thousand youth in Dallas, and forty two percent are 1536 01:27:08,920 --> 01:27:12,040 Speaker 1: experiencing significant housing instability. They don't know where they're sleeping 1537 01:27:12,040 --> 01:27:16,800 Speaker 1: at night. I think that people commonly think I have 1538 01:27:17,280 --> 01:27:20,800 Speaker 1: a perception of what homeless means. But when I tell 1539 01:27:20,840 --> 01:27:25,800 Speaker 1: you that forty two percent of our youth are homeless, 1540 01:27:26,479 --> 01:27:30,000 Speaker 1: it means that they don't have a permanent place to sleep, 1541 01:27:30,120 --> 01:27:33,080 Speaker 1: so they find a different floor to sleep on or 1542 01:27:33,120 --> 01:27:37,920 Speaker 1: a different hallway to sleep. Like you know, there's and 1543 01:27:37,960 --> 01:27:40,800 Speaker 1: it's not just the trauma of not knowing where you're 1544 01:27:40,840 --> 01:27:46,840 Speaker 1: resting your head at night. It's the trauma of not 1545 01:27:46,880 --> 01:27:50,360 Speaker 1: feeling like you're in control of your own destiny, the 1546 01:27:50,400 --> 01:27:53,360 Speaker 1: trauma of trying to figure out what can you barter 1547 01:27:53,520 --> 01:27:54,800 Speaker 1: with to sleep on this floor. 1548 01:27:54,920 --> 01:27:57,800 Speaker 2: Well, if you want to understand the vernacular, when someone 1549 01:27:57,840 --> 01:28:01,320 Speaker 2: asks me where I live, I will tell them there's 1550 01:28:01,360 --> 01:28:03,920 Speaker 2: also vernacular in dinner city is where do you stay? 1551 01:28:04,000 --> 01:28:04,639 Speaker 1: Where do you stay? 1552 01:28:05,040 --> 01:28:07,679 Speaker 2: Well, A lot of people think that's really poor English, 1553 01:28:07,680 --> 01:28:09,400 Speaker 2: but actually it's dead nuts. 1554 01:28:09,560 --> 01:28:11,320 Speaker 1: It's it's it's spot on. 1555 01:28:11,479 --> 01:28:13,880 Speaker 2: Because you don't live anywhere. It's just where you stay. 1556 01:28:13,960 --> 01:28:17,760 Speaker 1: You don't have an address, right, you have an area? Yeah, yeah, 1557 01:28:17,800 --> 01:28:20,719 Speaker 1: that's that's one hundred percent correct. So for us, case 1558 01:28:20,760 --> 01:28:24,400 Speaker 1: management is creating that stability. It's you know, it's making 1559 01:28:24,479 --> 01:28:27,400 Speaker 1: sure that they're no longer food and secure. It's making 1560 01:28:27,439 --> 01:28:31,080 Speaker 1: sure that they have a consistent place to sleep at night, 1561 01:28:31,439 --> 01:28:34,599 Speaker 1: a safe place to sleep at night. It's making sure 1562 01:28:34,760 --> 01:28:37,520 Speaker 1: to help them with things like a government issued ID. 1563 01:28:37,720 --> 01:28:41,400 Speaker 1: It's making sure to help get them a physical at 1564 01:28:41,400 --> 01:28:44,360 Speaker 1: the doctor's office to see, you know, if there's any 1565 01:28:44,520 --> 01:28:48,519 Speaker 1: medical issue, vision exams so that they can have glasses 1566 01:28:48,520 --> 01:28:52,360 Speaker 1: and see so they can read and learn. Yes, it's literally, 1567 01:28:52,400 --> 01:28:55,200 Speaker 1: I mean at the core, like case management, so sihort, 1568 01:28:55,200 --> 01:28:59,559 Speaker 1: it's stabilization. It's also advocacy, I should say, because what 1569 01:28:59,680 --> 01:29:02,320 Speaker 1: you find and with our youth is and this is 1570 01:29:02,360 --> 01:29:04,760 Speaker 1: a real time example that I wish could say was 1571 01:29:04,760 --> 01:29:12,120 Speaker 1: a one off, and it's not. Our youth are embedded 1572 01:29:12,200 --> 01:29:16,400 Speaker 1: in multiple systems that they're not allowed to advocate for 1573 01:29:16,439 --> 01:29:20,400 Speaker 1: themselves in and that don't communicate to one another. So 1574 01:29:20,479 --> 01:29:23,720 Speaker 1: it's routine for a young person to be left with 1575 01:29:23,760 --> 01:29:29,559 Speaker 1: a choice. My probation officer has put me down to 1576 01:29:29,680 --> 01:29:33,000 Speaker 1: check in with him in the office at two pm. 1577 01:29:33,280 --> 01:29:34,960 Speaker 1: This has happened in my world. 1578 01:29:35,120 --> 01:29:37,559 Speaker 2: Go ahead, I know this one. It's real. 1579 01:29:38,640 --> 01:29:39,960 Speaker 1: That's why I said I wish it was a one off. 1580 01:29:40,160 --> 01:29:42,439 Speaker 2: You got to go to your probation officer too, because 1581 01:29:42,439 --> 01:29:44,880 Speaker 2: if you and if you don't show up, you've arrested. 1582 01:29:45,200 --> 01:29:46,200 Speaker 2: Don't back in the clink. 1583 01:29:46,280 --> 01:29:49,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, but if you are supposed to be off to 1584 01:29:49,640 --> 01:29:53,320 Speaker 1: school and now you're truant, yeah, and if you're true it, 1585 01:29:54,000 --> 01:29:56,920 Speaker 1: then that gets reported to your probation officer, and you violated. 1586 01:29:56,479 --> 01:29:59,760 Speaker 2: Probation, reported to the very probation officer that made the 1587 01:30:00,040 --> 01:30:02,160 Speaker 2: wait an appointment, that made you through it, that made 1588 01:30:02,200 --> 01:30:02,719 Speaker 2: the appointment. 1589 01:30:02,880 --> 01:30:06,120 Speaker 1: And a lot of times what happens is the case 1590 01:30:06,160 --> 01:30:08,880 Speaker 1: manager will sit along. It's not you got this. You're 1591 01:30:08,920 --> 01:30:12,080 Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna call them together, We're gonna have this conversation. 1592 01:30:12,479 --> 01:30:14,519 Speaker 1: You call the probation officer and you say, hey, listen, 1593 01:30:15,280 --> 01:30:20,000 Speaker 1: you know Chad's supposed to be in school at two o'clock, 1594 01:30:20,000 --> 01:30:22,880 Speaker 1: and the probation I will say, you know what I thought. 1595 01:30:23,040 --> 01:30:24,880 Speaker 1: I thought he was on the morning schedule. I didn't 1596 01:30:24,880 --> 01:30:27,040 Speaker 1: know he was in the afternoon schedule. That's great, but 1597 01:30:27,080 --> 01:30:29,240 Speaker 1: the young person doesn't know how to advocate. They don't 1598 01:30:29,240 --> 01:30:31,559 Speaker 1: believe the probation officer cares if they all of these 1599 01:30:31,600 --> 01:30:33,680 Speaker 1: things happen, and so then it's here we go, here 1600 01:30:33,720 --> 01:30:34,519 Speaker 1: goes This's likely. 1601 01:30:34,479 --> 01:30:38,840 Speaker 2: Well, civil, non threatening conversations are also not typically reality 1602 01:30:38,920 --> 01:30:44,280 Speaker 2: in their world. So asking them you would think, we'll 1603 01:30:44,400 --> 01:30:47,000 Speaker 2: just call your probation officer and explain it. You have 1604 01:30:47,360 --> 01:30:54,479 Speaker 2: no idea how much anxiety one of these kids would 1605 01:30:54,479 --> 01:30:57,120 Speaker 2: have being asked to do something like that. They'd probably 1606 01:30:57,160 --> 01:30:59,639 Speaker 2: rather just get in trouble than actually have to make 1607 01:30:59,640 --> 01:31:01,240 Speaker 2: that call because they've never been trained. 1608 01:31:01,240 --> 01:31:05,920 Speaker 1: How I know you've heard this before because I hear 1609 01:31:05,920 --> 01:31:09,320 Speaker 1: it all the time. Kids that are up on charges 1610 01:31:09,439 --> 01:31:12,880 Speaker 1: that will say they would rather just spend a year 1611 01:31:12,920 --> 01:31:17,679 Speaker 1: in jail than five years on probation because they think 1612 01:31:17,720 --> 01:31:21,080 Speaker 1: a year in jail, I'm off probation, I'm done, I 1613 01:31:21,120 --> 01:31:23,760 Speaker 1: can move on. But I mean a year in jail, 1614 01:31:23,840 --> 01:31:26,400 Speaker 1: but five years probation is I'm going to spend ten 1615 01:31:26,439 --> 01:31:28,520 Speaker 1: years in jail because they're going to get me for something. 1616 01:31:28,439 --> 01:31:31,720 Speaker 2: Right, and it requires me to have an interaction with 1617 01:31:31,760 --> 01:31:32,880 Speaker 2: people that I don't trust. 1618 01:31:32,920 --> 01:31:38,440 Speaker 1: I don't trust. Yeah. So so case management is simply stabilization, advocacy, 1619 01:31:38,560 --> 01:31:43,360 Speaker 1: right communication, making sure that everyone that is has some 1620 01:31:43,520 --> 01:31:46,679 Speaker 1: type of significant impact or potential for impact is aligned. 1621 01:31:47,479 --> 01:31:49,639 Speaker 1: And then mental health because of the traumas. 1622 01:31:50,600 --> 01:31:53,680 Speaker 2: You know, it's pretty self explanatory if you've listened to 1623 01:31:53,680 --> 01:31:54,479 Speaker 2: anything today. 1624 01:31:54,600 --> 01:31:58,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, and education, you know, and it's I think education 1625 01:31:58,760 --> 01:32:01,560 Speaker 1: for me is one of the things that one of 1626 01:32:01,600 --> 01:32:04,800 Speaker 1: two things that I'm most proud of because it exemplifies 1627 01:32:05,439 --> 01:32:07,360 Speaker 1: at the core who we are as an organization, which 1628 01:32:07,439 --> 01:32:09,960 Speaker 1: is an organization that was built by the very people 1629 01:32:09,960 --> 01:32:14,120 Speaker 1: that we serve. We know education is important, we know 1630 01:32:14,200 --> 01:32:17,160 Speaker 1: for a multitude of reasons, from the data reasons but 1631 01:32:17,240 --> 01:32:19,960 Speaker 1: also the lived reasons of our young people. We understand 1632 01:32:20,320 --> 01:32:25,960 Speaker 1: that at basic a high school diploma is something that 1633 01:32:26,000 --> 01:32:28,240 Speaker 1: our young people can say, I did it myself and 1634 01:32:28,240 --> 01:32:30,960 Speaker 1: no one can ever take it away from me. It's 1635 01:32:31,000 --> 01:32:32,760 Speaker 1: also the thing that they say I never thought I 1636 01:32:32,760 --> 01:32:34,600 Speaker 1: would do that. Now, what are the other things I 1637 01:32:34,600 --> 01:32:35,840 Speaker 1: want to do? In life that I never thought I 1638 01:32:35,880 --> 01:32:40,320 Speaker 1: could do. But high school wonderful schools in Dallas that 1639 01:32:40,439 --> 01:32:42,880 Speaker 1: really really meet our young people where they're at and 1640 01:32:42,920 --> 01:32:47,160 Speaker 1: work so great with them. But two things prevented our 1641 01:32:47,200 --> 01:32:51,960 Speaker 1: young people from going. Number one is it's you can 1642 01:32:52,080 --> 01:32:54,360 Speaker 1: paint it however you want. It's still school. It's still 1643 01:32:54,400 --> 01:32:56,760 Speaker 1: the same institution that it was. That made me feel 1644 01:32:56,760 --> 01:33:00,679 Speaker 1: like crap in kindergarten, I ain't going. Two is I'm 1645 01:33:00,720 --> 01:33:04,080 Speaker 1: so far behind that I don't want to get caught up, 1646 01:33:04,120 --> 01:33:06,760 Speaker 1: you know. And then and then the last was public transportation. 1647 01:33:07,600 --> 01:33:10,599 Speaker 1: This school's across town. It's gonna take me an hour 1648 01:33:10,600 --> 01:33:13,920 Speaker 1: and a half to get there. And so we worked 1649 01:33:13,920 --> 01:33:15,320 Speaker 1: so hard to get our kids to go to school. 1650 01:33:15,320 --> 01:33:17,360 Speaker 1: It wasn't working. We really want them to be in school. 1651 01:33:18,360 --> 01:33:20,840 Speaker 1: Had a young man was supposed to be in school, 1652 01:33:20,920 --> 01:33:23,000 Speaker 1: his case manager, and I sat down with him and said, 1653 01:33:23,080 --> 01:33:25,599 Speaker 1: you know what, you know, you weren't at school today. 1654 01:33:25,640 --> 01:33:29,639 Speaker 1: Yeah I was, No, you weren't. Oh the counselor didn't. No, no, no, 1655 01:33:29,640 --> 01:33:32,000 Speaker 1: when't the counselor. They didn't see you. It was your 1656 01:33:32,000 --> 01:33:35,639 Speaker 1: case manager that was at school today. I didn't see you. Well, 1657 01:33:36,160 --> 01:33:38,519 Speaker 1: you know, I just said, look, man, I said, you know, 1658 01:33:38,560 --> 01:33:39,800 Speaker 1: I love you and I'm going to love you for 1659 01:33:39,840 --> 01:33:42,240 Speaker 1: the rest of my life. But I just I need 1660 01:33:42,280 --> 01:33:45,599 Speaker 1: you in this moment to teach me two things. Let's 1661 01:33:45,600 --> 01:33:49,559 Speaker 1: start with the first. Do you want to graduate high school? 1662 01:33:50,120 --> 01:33:53,720 Speaker 1: He goes yeah, said okay. Then the second question is 1663 01:33:55,320 --> 01:33:58,120 Speaker 1: why don't you want to go to school? And he 1664 01:33:58,200 --> 01:34:01,000 Speaker 1: was honest me. He said, teach me. And he was 1665 01:34:01,040 --> 01:34:03,120 Speaker 1: honest with me and told me. I said, okay, I 1666 01:34:03,160 --> 01:34:04,960 Speaker 1: have one more question for you. I said, if we 1667 01:34:05,000 --> 01:34:07,640 Speaker 1: built a school, would you go He said, yeah, So 1668 01:34:07,680 --> 01:34:08,599 Speaker 1: we built our own school. 1669 01:34:12,840 --> 01:34:15,920 Speaker 2: This dude's name should be over a room somewhere. 1670 01:34:16,280 --> 01:34:19,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, and I mean, but one hundred percent of 1671 01:34:19,800 --> 01:34:23,320 Speaker 1: the youth and the program we're in school, but in 1672 01:34:23,360 --> 01:34:25,240 Speaker 1: our school. Yeah, and some of them are in in 1673 01:34:25,439 --> 01:34:28,640 Speaker 1: in other schools. But you know, what we've found was 1674 01:34:29,600 --> 01:34:33,040 Speaker 1: again goes back to our young people know what they 1675 01:34:33,120 --> 01:34:35,320 Speaker 1: need and they know how they need it. It's our 1676 01:34:35,400 --> 01:34:39,040 Speaker 1: job to listen and act, you know. So we focus 1677 01:34:39,120 --> 01:34:42,760 Speaker 1: on those four things. In the restaurant itself. To what 1678 01:34:42,800 --> 01:34:44,759 Speaker 1: you you kind of mentioned earlier and we talked about 1679 01:34:44,800 --> 01:34:47,479 Speaker 1: a little bit, is we do require them to work 1680 01:34:47,479 --> 01:34:50,160 Speaker 1: in every station in the restaurant, So they'll spend time 1681 01:34:50,320 --> 01:34:53,639 Speaker 1: washing dishes, they'll spend time bussing tables, they'll spend time 1682 01:34:53,680 --> 01:34:55,839 Speaker 1: working on a couple of the lines in the kitchen, 1683 01:34:56,160 --> 01:34:59,000 Speaker 1: they'll spend time hosting, they'll spend time serving. And we 1684 01:34:59,080 --> 01:35:02,200 Speaker 1: do that for a couple of reasons. Number one is 1685 01:35:02,439 --> 01:35:05,680 Speaker 1: that they're learning new life skills and social skills, and 1686 01:35:06,000 --> 01:35:09,720 Speaker 1: they're getting to apply them to the different environment that 1687 01:35:09,800 --> 01:35:13,040 Speaker 1: each of those stations presents. My favorite example was always 1688 01:35:13,080 --> 01:35:16,280 Speaker 1: like learning to disagree appropriately. And the way you disagree 1689 01:35:16,280 --> 01:35:19,160 Speaker 1: appropriately in the kitchen with a fellow cook while you're 1690 01:35:19,200 --> 01:35:21,679 Speaker 1: trying to get food out for fifteen tables is different 1691 01:35:21,720 --> 01:35:24,040 Speaker 1: than the way you disagree appropriately with a customer that 1692 01:35:24,120 --> 01:35:26,920 Speaker 1: sat down ten minutes ago, ordered three minutes ago, and 1693 01:35:26,960 --> 01:35:29,120 Speaker 1: has already complaining that they've waited forty five minutes for 1694 01:35:29,120 --> 01:35:30,439 Speaker 1: their food, want to speak to the manager. 1695 01:35:30,680 --> 01:35:34,360 Speaker 2: Our jails today are full of people who did not 1696 01:35:34,560 --> 01:35:38,639 Speaker 2: know how to handle a disagreement. Yes, you think about 1697 01:35:39,400 --> 01:35:43,559 Speaker 2: you think about that for a second. About how most 1698 01:35:43,920 --> 01:35:50,160 Speaker 2: assault in our country is by someone that the assaulted knows. Yes, 1699 01:35:51,080 --> 01:35:57,519 Speaker 2: it's very little crime, especially violent crime perpetrated on people 1700 01:35:57,600 --> 01:36:00,599 Speaker 2: who don't know the perpetrator, very rare. 1701 01:36:00,720 --> 01:36:03,559 Speaker 1: It's another one of those misnomers. It's another one of 1702 01:36:03,600 --> 01:36:04,680 Speaker 1: those things. 1703 01:36:05,479 --> 01:36:06,800 Speaker 2: The boogeyman out to get you. 1704 01:36:06,880 --> 01:36:09,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's yeah. 1705 01:36:09,560 --> 01:36:12,240 Speaker 2: And so the point is, I'm sitting here hearing you, 1706 01:36:12,320 --> 01:36:14,519 Speaker 2: and I can't think of a better lesson to the 1707 01:36:14,600 --> 01:36:19,920 Speaker 2: learn than how to disagree appropriately. That's a fantastic lesson. 1708 01:36:19,680 --> 01:36:20,799 Speaker 1: That adults need to listen. 1709 01:36:21,280 --> 01:36:24,519 Speaker 2: Everybody needs to learned, but especially at risk youth. Yes, 1710 01:36:24,760 --> 01:36:29,080 Speaker 2: it's a beautiful example. And you're right. Some jerk that 1711 01:36:29,160 --> 01:36:32,040 Speaker 2: sits down at a table and starts griping about something 1712 01:36:32,080 --> 01:36:36,240 Speaker 2: they have no reason to gripe at. Everybody's first reaction 1713 01:36:36,479 --> 01:36:39,439 Speaker 2: is to want to punch him in the nose. Well, 1714 01:36:39,479 --> 01:36:43,599 Speaker 2: it is, I mean, it's mine. I mean, but I've 1715 01:36:43,720 --> 01:36:48,480 Speaker 2: learned the appropriate reaction to that stimulus, and I've understood 1716 01:36:48,560 --> 01:36:51,760 Speaker 2: that punching them knows is not appropriate action and as 1717 01:36:51,760 --> 01:36:54,080 Speaker 2: a result, don't go to jail or end up in 1718 01:36:54,080 --> 01:36:58,240 Speaker 2: a lawsuit. That is a really interesting thing that you're 1719 01:36:58,280 --> 01:37:03,920 Speaker 2: talking about, is so do they come to you and say, 1720 01:37:04,240 --> 01:37:06,200 Speaker 2: this jerk yelling at me the table, how do I 1721 01:37:06,280 --> 01:37:07,720 Speaker 2: handle it? How do you. 1722 01:37:07,720 --> 01:37:14,679 Speaker 1: Teach that through model behavior, through positive reinforcement, through talking 1723 01:37:14,720 --> 01:37:18,160 Speaker 1: through a situation. I mean, it's you ever those situations out? 1724 01:37:18,280 --> 01:37:21,920 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah. When we'll talk about role playing, we'll 1725 01:37:21,920 --> 01:37:22,759 Speaker 1: do some role playing. 1726 01:37:22,960 --> 01:37:23,240 Speaker 2: We do. 1727 01:37:23,400 --> 01:37:24,920 Speaker 1: We do a lot of like kind of training and 1728 01:37:25,160 --> 01:37:29,360 Speaker 1: we'll actually it's fun because we'll do role playing with interns. Right, 1729 01:37:29,400 --> 01:37:31,160 Speaker 1: So we'll have interns sitting at a table and another 1730 01:37:31,160 --> 01:37:33,840 Speaker 1: one we'll be serving them talk about like, you know, 1731 01:37:34,680 --> 01:37:37,679 Speaker 1: don't be polite or don't be whatever. And it's fun. 1732 01:37:37,720 --> 01:37:40,640 Speaker 1: But but what I've found most times than not is 1733 01:37:40,680 --> 01:37:43,439 Speaker 1: of a person's kind of being a jerk. And I'm 1734 01:37:43,720 --> 01:37:46,559 Speaker 1: grateful for this that the kids feel it's a safe 1735 01:37:46,560 --> 01:37:48,200 Speaker 1: place and they're going to the manager and saying, this 1736 01:37:48,240 --> 01:37:51,040 Speaker 1: person's not being right, and a manager will walk over 1737 01:37:51,240 --> 01:37:52,880 Speaker 1: and have a convert with the young person. 1738 01:37:53,280 --> 01:37:56,400 Speaker 2: If you're ever doing role playing and you need the 1739 01:37:56,520 --> 01:38:00,000 Speaker 2: guy to be the really good jerk. I tend to 1740 01:38:00,200 --> 01:38:02,840 Speaker 2: bar and read at tables for five years to get 1741 01:38:02,840 --> 01:38:06,320 Speaker 2: through college. Man, I could play that role great. I 1742 01:38:06,400 --> 01:38:09,160 Speaker 2: just could remember one of thirty different times I wanted 1743 01:38:09,160 --> 01:38:11,160 Speaker 2: to kill somebody that was in one of the restaurants 1744 01:38:11,200 --> 01:38:13,160 Speaker 2: I was working in, And I could just be that 1745 01:38:13,200 --> 01:38:15,320 Speaker 2: person and help train your people. I could be one 1746 01:38:15,320 --> 01:38:16,240 Speaker 2: of the greatest jirks. 1747 01:38:16,280 --> 01:38:19,840 Speaker 1: Eve. I got to tell you one funny story is 1748 01:38:20,000 --> 01:38:23,479 Speaker 1: we had a guy come in the restaurant and from 1749 01:38:23,760 --> 01:38:27,640 Speaker 1: literally the moment that he walked in, he was absolutely 1750 01:38:27,720 --> 01:38:30,000 Speaker 1: unhappy and there was nothing that was going to change 1751 01:38:30,000 --> 01:38:34,000 Speaker 1: his unhappiness because we didn't serve liquor. That's what he 1752 01:38:34,040 --> 01:38:37,040 Speaker 1: was unhappy about. Oh boy, it ruined his entire night. 1753 01:38:37,680 --> 01:38:40,320 Speaker 1: So he was barking at the kids he was barking 1754 01:38:40,360 --> 01:38:42,559 Speaker 1: at and I was staying at the managers. I was 1755 01:38:42,600 --> 01:38:44,559 Speaker 1: standing in the middle of the restaurant and he came 1756 01:38:44,640 --> 01:38:48,439 Speaker 1: over to me and we served beer wine. He came 1757 01:38:48,520 --> 01:38:50,800 Speaker 1: over to me and he said, excuse me, do I 1758 01:38:50,840 --> 01:38:52,759 Speaker 1: have to do something to get my friends want beverages? 1759 01:38:52,800 --> 01:38:55,600 Speaker 1: And he's going on and I said, I'm absolutely, you know, 1760 01:38:55,760 --> 01:38:59,320 Speaker 1: happy to take care of you. I said, I understand 1761 01:38:59,320 --> 01:39:02,240 Speaker 1: that there's been some issue and stuff this evening. And 1762 01:39:02,240 --> 01:39:06,840 Speaker 1: he goes, who said that? And I said, well, He goes, 1763 01:39:06,920 --> 01:39:08,719 Speaker 1: was it that lady over there? And I said, well, 1764 01:39:09,120 --> 01:39:12,120 Speaker 1: I just looked at him. I said, it's very clear 1765 01:39:12,160 --> 01:39:15,000 Speaker 1: to everyone in this restaurant that you're not impressed with 1766 01:39:15,040 --> 01:39:20,680 Speaker 1: anything that's going on here. So what I'm yes, So 1767 01:39:20,760 --> 01:39:23,559 Speaker 1: what I'm going to do is help to get you 1768 01:39:23,600 --> 01:39:26,439 Speaker 1: through this night in the best way I possibly can. 1769 01:39:27,000 --> 01:39:29,640 Speaker 1: So let me get through that. This man leaves the 1770 01:39:29,680 --> 01:39:34,360 Speaker 1: restaurant and he goes on Facebook and he gives us 1771 01:39:34,800 --> 01:39:40,040 Speaker 1: a one star review and says, horrible food, horrible service, 1772 01:39:40,840 --> 01:39:47,439 Speaker 1: horrible management, horrible parking, horrible on and on, and about 1773 01:39:47,560 --> 01:39:53,439 Speaker 1: six months later, somebody commented on his review and said, 1774 01:39:53,479 --> 01:40:02,280 Speaker 1: I don't understand they have complimentary valet parking, Like all 1775 01:40:02,320 --> 01:40:04,040 Speaker 1: you have to do is open the car door and 1776 01:40:04,080 --> 01:40:05,360 Speaker 1: step out. That's it. 1777 01:40:05,600 --> 01:40:07,800 Speaker 2: Because one of the things a rush up business will 1778 01:40:07,840 --> 01:40:09,920 Speaker 2: teach you is there are people in this world that 1779 01:40:10,000 --> 01:40:11,840 Speaker 2: no matter what you do, you'll never make them happy. 1780 01:40:11,840 --> 01:40:12,639 Speaker 1: They never make them happy. 1781 01:40:12,680 --> 01:40:15,240 Speaker 2: And you know what, that's a really good lesson for. 1782 01:40:15,360 --> 01:40:17,720 Speaker 1: A great lesson to learn. It's a great lesson to learn. 1783 01:40:18,240 --> 01:40:20,280 Speaker 1: The second thing that we that they're learning in the 1784 01:40:20,320 --> 01:40:26,000 Speaker 1: restaurant is to embrace and take pride in their strengths. 1785 01:40:26,479 --> 01:40:29,519 Speaker 1: And the strength is something that our young people have 1786 01:40:29,640 --> 01:40:32,720 Speaker 1: used to survive, to get by, to get through day 1787 01:40:32,720 --> 01:40:35,760 Speaker 1: to day. But yet the hustle, it's the hustle. But 1788 01:40:35,760 --> 01:40:37,559 Speaker 1: then they wind up in a system that says you're 1789 01:40:37,600 --> 01:40:40,679 Speaker 1: bad for doing that, and so they look at it holistic. 1790 01:40:40,720 --> 01:40:41,920 Speaker 1: I was like, well, I guess that's not you know, 1791 01:40:41,960 --> 01:40:43,680 Speaker 1: I guess being a good sales whatever is not a 1792 01:40:44,000 --> 01:40:47,040 Speaker 1: great strength. And we want them to take pride in 1793 01:40:47,040 --> 01:40:50,200 Speaker 1: and understand that it's it's it's an asset, it's not 1794 01:40:50,240 --> 01:40:53,000 Speaker 1: a you know, it's not a deficit. And I still 1795 01:40:53,000 --> 01:40:55,080 Speaker 1: think to this day like the greatest example, and it 1796 01:40:55,120 --> 01:40:58,120 Speaker 1: happens over and over again. But the first time I 1797 01:40:58,120 --> 01:41:02,240 Speaker 1: saw it happen was we had a young man who 1798 01:41:02,439 --> 01:41:05,000 Speaker 1: we ran a special on a Saturday night and said, 1799 01:41:05,000 --> 01:41:07,439 Speaker 1: whoever sells the most specials gets a free entree. We 1800 01:41:07,520 --> 01:41:10,320 Speaker 1: do it all the time. This young man sold us 1801 01:41:10,320 --> 01:41:11,960 Speaker 1: out of every single special we had in the first 1802 01:41:12,000 --> 01:41:14,360 Speaker 1: forty five minutes we were opened. And he wasn't even 1803 01:41:14,360 --> 01:41:17,600 Speaker 1: a waiter. He was a busser. And he realized that 1804 01:41:17,640 --> 01:41:19,639 Speaker 1: I'm the first point of contact at the table because 1805 01:41:19,640 --> 01:41:23,360 Speaker 1: I'm pouring water, and so he is saying, Hey, have 1806 01:41:23,360 --> 01:41:25,880 Speaker 1: you heard about our spec special? Yeah, and then says, 1807 01:41:25,920 --> 01:41:27,920 Speaker 1: so just let the server, Just let the server. No, 1808 01:41:28,000 --> 01:41:29,720 Speaker 1: I told you to order the special, And forty five 1809 01:41:29,720 --> 01:41:33,040 Speaker 1: minutes later he was eating a steak. I love it. 1810 01:41:33,120 --> 01:41:34,040 Speaker 1: That's just the hustle. 1811 01:41:34,240 --> 01:41:36,800 Speaker 4: And I always tell people because there's such a there's 1812 01:41:36,840 --> 01:41:42,080 Speaker 4: such a misperception that we are a training facility for 1813 01:41:42,479 --> 01:41:44,519 Speaker 4: restaurant workers, and that's not what. 1814 01:41:44,880 --> 01:41:48,240 Speaker 1: You're using the restaurant to train these kids for life. Life, 1815 01:41:48,439 --> 01:41:52,320 Speaker 1: and that that skill, that is a skill that that 1816 01:41:52,439 --> 01:41:55,920 Speaker 1: young man can take with him to start his own 1817 01:41:56,000 --> 01:42:02,000 Speaker 1: number company, to open a barber shop, to car be 1818 01:42:02,040 --> 01:42:06,200 Speaker 1: a lawyer, be self car like, it doesn't matter. It's 1819 01:42:06,200 --> 01:42:09,600 Speaker 1: an invaluable skill and to see him embracing it and 1820 01:42:10,360 --> 01:42:13,240 Speaker 1: being proud of it is important. And the third thing 1821 01:42:13,280 --> 01:42:15,960 Speaker 1: I think that they're learning in the restaurant and what 1822 01:42:15,960 --> 01:42:19,200 Speaker 1: the organization as a whole is what it means to 1823 01:42:19,560 --> 01:42:21,680 Speaker 1: be a part of a team. And you know, I 1824 01:42:21,720 --> 01:42:24,960 Speaker 1: think when we think of team and team player, we 1825 01:42:25,040 --> 01:42:27,400 Speaker 1: think of like the kind of the clinical sports definition 1826 01:42:27,479 --> 01:42:30,240 Speaker 1: of you know, I'm one of eleven on offense, or 1827 01:42:30,280 --> 01:42:32,559 Speaker 1: I'm one of five on the court, or you know, 1828 01:42:32,760 --> 01:42:35,679 Speaker 1: and I have to And you do learn in the restaurant, 1829 01:42:35,760 --> 01:42:37,960 Speaker 1: right like as a dishwasher, you learn pretty quickly that 1830 01:42:38,040 --> 01:42:41,519 Speaker 1: if you don't do your job, you literally set up 1831 01:42:41,520 --> 01:42:45,200 Speaker 1: everyone in the restaurant to fail. Like everyone everyone, That's 1832 01:42:45,240 --> 01:42:47,160 Speaker 1: all the way through a restaurant, oh yeah, all the 1833 01:42:47,200 --> 01:42:50,320 Speaker 1: way through the chaos, the chaos kitchen. But what our 1834 01:42:50,720 --> 01:42:52,800 Speaker 1: interns are learning as well is what it means to 1835 01:42:52,840 --> 01:42:54,000 Speaker 1: be a part of a team that says we're going 1836 01:42:54,040 --> 01:42:55,400 Speaker 1: to show up and do our best to put you 1837 01:42:55,439 --> 01:42:58,479 Speaker 1: in position to be yours, which is why beyond the restaurant, 1838 01:42:58,520 --> 01:43:00,160 Speaker 1: we have the twenty four to seven case management, the 1839 01:43:00,200 --> 01:43:01,759 Speaker 1: mental health services, and education. 1840 01:43:02,800 --> 01:43:08,960 Speaker 2: So now Cafe momentimums in Pittsburgh. 1841 01:43:09,160 --> 01:43:12,559 Speaker 1: We opened in Pittsburgh earlier this year. We're doing a 1842 01:43:12,600 --> 01:43:16,680 Speaker 1: lot of exploration and building in Nashville fundraising, and then 1843 01:43:16,720 --> 01:43:20,839 Speaker 1: we're doing some exploration and fundraising in Atlanta, Denver, and Houston. 1844 01:43:21,240 --> 01:43:22,920 Speaker 2: And your goal is to have how many of these. 1845 01:43:22,880 --> 01:43:27,120 Speaker 1: Things, Oh as many as it takes. I mean, I 1846 01:43:27,200 --> 01:43:30,360 Speaker 1: think we kind of audaciously at the beginning said we 1847 01:43:30,400 --> 01:43:32,400 Speaker 1: wanted to open up thirty of them in the next 1848 01:43:32,400 --> 01:43:36,040 Speaker 1: ten years. But if I'm going to be completely honest 1849 01:43:36,520 --> 01:43:40,200 Speaker 1: with anyone, man, I would love to open five and 1850 01:43:40,280 --> 01:43:43,120 Speaker 1: then be worked out of a job. I would love. 1851 01:43:43,760 --> 01:43:48,360 Speaker 1: What we've done in Dallas truly is shown what a 1852 01:43:48,400 --> 01:43:50,840 Speaker 1: new model for juvenile justice cannon should look like in 1853 01:43:50,880 --> 01:43:54,439 Speaker 1: this country. And I would love nothing more than for 1854 01:43:54,720 --> 01:43:59,040 Speaker 1: the model to be adopted and be out of a job. 1855 01:43:59,080 --> 01:44:10,760 Speaker 1: I'll just go back to washing dishes. What what what 1856 01:44:10,800 --> 01:44:19,320 Speaker 1: do you need me personally? Or Well, here's the thing. 1857 01:44:19,400 --> 01:44:21,040 Speaker 2: We always talk about what we're going to do to 1858 01:44:21,040 --> 01:44:21,920 Speaker 2: break the cycle. 1859 01:44:22,160 --> 01:44:23,040 Speaker 1: We're going to do break in. 1860 01:44:23,479 --> 01:44:28,080 Speaker 2: Well, here it is your mentor you your case, you 1861 01:44:28,600 --> 01:44:35,519 Speaker 2: cover all of that. Yeah, And it's an unbelievable model. 1862 01:44:35,840 --> 01:44:39,320 Speaker 2: And we're an army of normal folks and you're just 1863 01:44:39,360 --> 01:44:43,360 Speaker 2: a guy from a blue collar, hardworking family who went 1864 01:44:43,400 --> 01:44:46,320 Speaker 2: to two years of college guys associates and culinary and 1865 01:44:46,520 --> 01:44:48,760 Speaker 2: found a place and a need and you master your 1866 01:44:48,760 --> 01:44:53,120 Speaker 2: skill with your passion, and you're changing kids' lives and 1867 01:44:53,160 --> 01:44:58,960 Speaker 2: you're also opening up ideas about how to maybe break 1868 01:44:59,080 --> 01:45:03,440 Speaker 2: into the site that leads to our adult prison systems. 1869 01:45:03,800 --> 01:45:05,600 Speaker 2: I think it's beautiful, and I think our listener is 1870 01:45:05,640 --> 01:45:08,080 Speaker 2: going to beautiful, and I think people will be maybe 1871 01:45:08,200 --> 01:45:09,679 Speaker 2: passionate about what you're doing. 1872 01:45:10,000 --> 01:45:14,240 Speaker 1: What do you need? You know, what do you need 1873 01:45:14,280 --> 01:45:15,040 Speaker 1: to make it go? 1874 01:45:15,360 --> 01:45:15,559 Speaker 4: Yeah? 1875 01:45:16,320 --> 01:45:22,880 Speaker 1: I think so we get a lot of inquiry and 1876 01:45:23,600 --> 01:45:27,000 Speaker 1: you know, people saying, are you hiring, how can I 1877 01:45:27,000 --> 01:45:29,920 Speaker 1: get involved? How can I do this in my my 1878 01:45:29,920 --> 01:45:34,720 Speaker 1: my city? Of my town and I I just kind 1879 01:45:34,720 --> 01:45:37,840 Speaker 1: of had this epiphany recently of like, you know, I 1880 01:45:37,880 --> 01:45:42,200 Speaker 1: feel like people think I walked into that juvenile detention 1881 01:45:42,320 --> 01:45:45,240 Speaker 1: facility with a business plan. No, you walked in there 1882 01:45:45,280 --> 01:45:48,400 Speaker 1: to make ice cream. Yeah, something as simple as that. 1883 01:45:48,600 --> 01:45:50,160 Speaker 1: So when I when I think about what I need, 1884 01:45:50,600 --> 01:45:53,679 Speaker 1: I need people to show up. Yeah. I mean, anybody 1885 01:45:53,720 --> 01:45:57,240 Speaker 1: that's listening to this can contact their local jewel apartment 1886 01:45:57,240 --> 01:45:58,440 Speaker 1: and say, hey, I want to volunteer. 1887 01:45:58,880 --> 01:46:03,280 Speaker 2: How do they contact you to find out how it works? 1888 01:46:03,320 --> 01:46:05,160 Speaker 1: Actually, the easiest way to do it is to go 1889 01:46:05,240 --> 01:46:08,680 Speaker 1: to the Momentum Advisory collective website, which is Momentum Advisory 1890 01:46:08,840 --> 01:46:15,160 Speaker 1: dot Comentumadvisory dot co. In on that website as an 1891 01:46:15,160 --> 01:46:18,080 Speaker 1: inquiry form. Perfect, And that's the easiest way to do it. 1892 01:46:18,120 --> 01:46:21,000 Speaker 2: All right, sign us off with this. Give me your 1893 01:46:21,040 --> 01:46:22,400 Speaker 2: favorite story of a kid. 1894 01:46:25,000 --> 01:46:26,519 Speaker 1: That's the most loaded question. 1895 01:46:27,360 --> 01:46:29,800 Speaker 2: I hate the question to me because I've got like 1896 01:46:29,920 --> 01:46:32,519 Speaker 2: a thousand. Let me say a different way. Give me 1897 01:46:32,560 --> 01:46:36,720 Speaker 2: one of your favorite stories of what Cafe Momentum has 1898 01:46:36,800 --> 01:46:39,559 Speaker 2: done for a kid who is now an adult. 1899 01:46:40,560 --> 01:46:43,559 Speaker 1: So one of my you know again, we could spend 1900 01:46:43,600 --> 01:46:46,120 Speaker 1: seventeen hours and I wouldn't cover half of them get it. 1901 01:46:46,240 --> 01:46:47,839 Speaker 2: There's a story every helmet. 1902 01:46:47,880 --> 01:46:49,639 Speaker 1: One that sticks out to me because I don't think 1903 01:46:49,680 --> 01:46:53,160 Speaker 1: it was just me. It's the community, it's the village 1904 01:46:53,160 --> 01:46:55,920 Speaker 1: as a whole. Right. So we had a young lady 1905 01:46:56,080 --> 01:47:00,200 Speaker 1: who was born as English as a second language, and 1906 01:47:00,320 --> 01:47:03,960 Speaker 1: she grew up being kind of made fun of and 1907 01:47:04,000 --> 01:47:06,400 Speaker 1: being very self conscious of the fact that English was 1908 01:47:06,400 --> 01:47:09,320 Speaker 1: a second language to her. It was a deficit to her. 1909 01:47:10,200 --> 01:47:12,639 Speaker 1: She showed up at Cafe Momentum and her first day 1910 01:47:12,680 --> 01:47:15,000 Speaker 1: of work, she told her case manager, I'm here to 1911 01:47:15,040 --> 01:47:21,880 Speaker 1: make money, not friends, and she'd yes. And she sat 1912 01:47:21,920 --> 01:47:25,799 Speaker 1: on stage one day at a conference, you know, speaking, 1913 01:47:26,439 --> 01:47:29,640 Speaker 1: and she talked. She was talking about that, and she 1914 01:47:29,800 --> 01:47:34,719 Speaker 1: talked about how at Cafe Momentum she learned from people 1915 01:47:34,760 --> 01:47:37,120 Speaker 1: that cared more about her and believed in her more 1916 01:47:37,160 --> 01:47:44,880 Speaker 1: than sometimes even her own family did. And and and 1917 01:47:45,040 --> 01:47:48,720 Speaker 1: I saw her smile. It took me three or four 1918 01:47:48,760 --> 01:47:50,519 Speaker 1: months to get her to smile at me, like you know, 1919 01:47:50,720 --> 01:47:54,960 Speaker 1: I mean, she's And so she finished the program and 1920 01:47:55,000 --> 01:48:00,160 Speaker 1: she got a single mom, an incredible mom. Her sent 1921 01:48:00,280 --> 01:48:03,919 Speaker 1: is her life. She is now a concierge at Children's 1922 01:48:03,960 --> 01:48:09,160 Speaker 1: Hospital in Dallas, and they hired her because she's bilingual. 1923 01:48:09,880 --> 01:48:10,799 Speaker 1: It was her strength. 1924 01:48:11,120 --> 01:48:14,960 Speaker 2: So she turned the most difficult part of what embarrassed 1925 01:48:15,000 --> 01:48:17,880 Speaker 2: her a deficit into a strength to a strength and 1926 01:48:17,960 --> 01:48:20,080 Speaker 2: learned how to gather that up through her work at 1927 01:48:20,160 --> 01:48:21,040 Speaker 2: Cafe Momentum. 1928 01:48:21,040 --> 01:48:25,559 Speaker 1: And a month ago, her supervisor emailed us and said, 1929 01:48:25,600 --> 01:48:28,120 Speaker 1: I just wanted to let you know she had been 1930 01:48:28,200 --> 01:48:32,920 Speaker 1: given the Award of Employee. Every month they pick an 1931 01:48:32,920 --> 01:48:36,720 Speaker 1: employee at Children's hospital that best exhibits and displays the 1932 01:48:36,800 --> 01:48:39,559 Speaker 1: values of the organization, and she had won that award. 1933 01:48:40,000 --> 01:48:43,000 Speaker 2: And let's remember this is a kid who was in 1934 01:48:43,120 --> 01:48:47,880 Speaker 2: juvenile detention. Yes, people have actually said would get in 1935 01:48:47,920 --> 01:48:49,680 Speaker 2: a kitchen and stab another person. 1936 01:48:49,479 --> 01:48:51,519 Speaker 1: Who people would across the street if they saw her coming. 1937 01:48:52,720 --> 01:48:55,439 Speaker 2: But that's the beauty of Cafe Momentum. It's chasing laughs, Bro. 1938 01:48:58,280 --> 01:49:02,160 Speaker 1: It's yeah. I'm I'm incredibly grateful to be a part 1939 01:49:02,160 --> 01:49:02,400 Speaker 1: of it. 1940 01:49:02,640 --> 01:49:04,840 Speaker 2: I'm incredibly grateful to have spend this time with you 1941 01:49:04,880 --> 01:49:07,880 Speaker 2: and shared your story Chad one more time. If people 1942 01:49:08,040 --> 01:49:12,639 Speaker 2: want to donate, get involved, to find out more, talk 1943 01:49:12,680 --> 01:49:16,160 Speaker 2: to you about maybe starting a Cafe Momentum in their 1944 01:49:16,200 --> 01:49:18,240 Speaker 2: neighborhood they go to. 1945 01:49:19,080 --> 01:49:21,960 Speaker 1: I highly encourage people to go to both kafemomentum dot 1946 01:49:22,080 --> 01:49:25,240 Speaker 1: org you can read about the story of Cafe Momentum 1947 01:49:25,280 --> 01:49:30,280 Speaker 1: and Cafeminim in Dallas, Nashville, Pittsburgh, what we're up to, 1948 01:49:30,720 --> 01:49:32,240 Speaker 1: but also if you want to look at more of 1949 01:49:32,280 --> 01:49:35,280 Speaker 1: like the national work that we're doing, because you know, 1950 01:49:35,320 --> 01:49:39,000 Speaker 1: we built Momentum Advisory Collective not just to build programs, 1951 01:49:39,040 --> 01:49:43,599 Speaker 1: but to build conversation. That's uh and that's Momentumadvisory dot co. 1952 01:49:45,200 --> 01:49:48,160 Speaker 2: Chad Howser a god grew up in Dallas with a 1953 01:49:48,200 --> 01:49:54,160 Speaker 2: grandfather in a diverse neighborhood and a secretary and a 1954 01:49:54,920 --> 01:50:01,080 Speaker 2: dad who sold some office supply and was a weekend cop. 1955 01:50:01,280 --> 01:50:05,120 Speaker 2: Just a blue collar guy a good, average mental income 1956 01:50:05,200 --> 01:50:09,000 Speaker 2: family who grew to love food through the community that 1957 01:50:09,120 --> 01:50:13,240 Speaker 2: his family shared over it made it a profession. Reached 1958 01:50:13,240 --> 01:50:18,040 Speaker 2: the height of that profession both from respect from his 1959 01:50:18,160 --> 01:50:21,639 Speaker 2: abilities as a chef, but also from actually running the 1960 01:50:21,680 --> 01:50:25,560 Speaker 2: business that is a restaurant, switched his live around and 1961 01:50:25,640 --> 01:50:30,080 Speaker 2: started sharing all that experience with the most at risk 1962 01:50:30,160 --> 01:50:33,200 Speaker 2: kids in Dallas, and in doing so is changing lives. 1963 01:50:34,640 --> 01:50:37,600 Speaker 2: I cannot think of a more worthy person to be 1964 01:50:37,720 --> 01:50:41,479 Speaker 2: considered just a member of an army of normal folks 1965 01:50:41,520 --> 01:50:44,439 Speaker 2: seeing a place of need, employing your discipline and your 1966 01:50:44,439 --> 01:50:46,880 Speaker 2: passion and changing lives and chat it has been my 1967 01:50:47,000 --> 01:50:47,960 Speaker 2: honor to me. 1968 01:50:48,960 --> 01:50:54,600 Speaker 1: Well, it's my honor and I'm very grateful, and it 1969 01:50:54,760 --> 01:50:57,880 Speaker 1: just means the world to all of us in our youth, 1970 01:50:57,920 --> 01:51:01,400 Speaker 1: you know, to go from a position of being told 1971 01:51:01,439 --> 01:51:05,599 Speaker 1: they can't, they won't, to being here with you today 1972 01:51:05,640 --> 01:51:07,560 Speaker 1: and being able to go at the restaurant tonight and 1973 01:51:07,600 --> 01:51:11,000 Speaker 1: they're gonna ask me about the podcast and one of 1974 01:51:11,040 --> 01:51:13,679 Speaker 1: the questions will eventually. I thought it was pretty cool. 1975 01:51:13,720 --> 01:51:18,000 Speaker 1: Huh yeah, probably wants to meet me. Huh yeah, all right, cool. 1976 01:51:18,640 --> 01:51:21,160 Speaker 1: That's so empowering to them. So thank you very much. 1977 01:51:21,439 --> 01:51:23,320 Speaker 2: One day, maybe you'll let me be the guy that 1978 01:51:23,439 --> 01:51:25,240 Speaker 2: role plays and I'll meet him and they all hate me. 1979 01:51:25,439 --> 01:51:28,160 Speaker 1: You name the day, we will we will. We have 1980 01:51:28,200 --> 01:51:30,759 Speaker 1: family meal every day at three o'clock. Sounds great. 1981 01:51:30,880 --> 01:51:37,840 Speaker 2: Chad, Thank you, my friend, Thank you very much, and 1982 01:51:37,920 --> 01:51:41,760 Speaker 2: thank you for joining us this week. If Chad or 1983 01:51:41,800 --> 01:51:44,960 Speaker 2: another guest has inspired you in general, or better yet, 1984 01:51:45,000 --> 01:51:48,280 Speaker 2: to take action by helping start a cafe momentum in 1985 01:51:48,320 --> 01:51:52,360 Speaker 2: your city by donating to them or something else entirely, 1986 01:51:53,040 --> 01:51:53,920 Speaker 2: please let me know. 1987 01:51:54,240 --> 01:51:55,680 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear about it. 1988 01:51:55,920 --> 01:51:59,519 Speaker 2: You can write me anytime at Bill at normal folks 1989 01:51:59,560 --> 01:52:03,000 Speaker 2: dot or now you can call us at nine oh 1990 01:52:03,040 --> 01:52:07,120 Speaker 2: one three five two one three six ' six. I 1991 01:52:07,240 --> 01:52:11,400 Speaker 2: promise you we will respond. And if you enjoyed this episode, 1992 01:52:11,520 --> 01:52:14,360 Speaker 2: please share it with friends that on social, subscribe to 1993 01:52:14,400 --> 01:52:18,240 Speaker 2: the podcast, rate and review it, Become a premium member 1994 01:52:18,560 --> 01:52:21,719 Speaker 2: at normalfolks dot us. All these things that will help 1995 01:52:21,840 --> 01:52:26,519 Speaker 2: us grow an army of normal folks thanks to our producer, 1996 01:52:26,560 --> 01:52:27,519 Speaker 2: Ironlight Labs. 1997 01:52:27,640 --> 01:52:28,639 Speaker 1: I'm Bill Courtney. 1998 01:52:28,960 --> 01:52:36,600 Speaker 2: I'll see you next week.