FareStart expansion

Most people know that FareStart empowers people who are homeless or living in poverty to gain life skills, job training, and employment in the food service industry. They have also served 9.8 million meals to Seattle-area schools, homeless shelters, and healthcare facilities. And there's much more. But this is about Amazon and how they have decided to help people through FareStart by donating 25,000 square feet of space for more food service outlets. While FareStart has always helped people find work, these new spaces will be a training ground for its new Foodservice Apprenticeship Program, which will help people take the next step: earning a living wage. With the expansion, FareStart will almost double its reach over the next 10 years, serving 7000 people via all of its job-training programs.

FareStart's Corporate Executive Chef, Wayne Johnson, is overseeing the food philosophies, concepts, and menus, which will bring more food variety and opportunity to the community. Five new eateries will be open to the public by the end of July, all on Amazon's South Lake Union campus. A rundown:

Maslow's by FareStart

• Location: 380 Boren Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

• Hours: Monday-Saturday - lunch, happy hour and dinner
• Executive Chef: Skyler Gemar
• Offerings:
• A full-service casual restaurant and bar.
• Small and large plates made fresh daily with classic and regionally-sourced ingredients.
• About the Name: The restaurant takes its name from Abraham Maslow who developed the well-known theory of motivation called the hierarchy of needs. This aligns with the FareStart mission of empowerment and demonstrates the reason for the new restaurant - to provide the next level of needs to help move people toward a living wage on their journey to security and self-sufficiency.

Community Table by FareStart

• Location: Amazon's Houdini North, 399 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
• Hours: Monday-Friday - lunch
• Offerings at three fast-casual outlets:
• BBQ - Meats, including a vegan alternative, will be lightly smoked on-site and paired with a variety of international sauces as sandwiches, over baked potatoes, greens or as platters.
• Bowls - Seasonal vegetables will be the star of the show atop a variety of grain bases with clean-produced proteins, diverse sauces, and various add-ins.
• Salads - Salads will be tossed to order and can be paired with a variety of compatible pickled and fermented items.
• About the Name: The name Community Table pays homage to the popular, reclaimed wooden table that sits in the center of FareStart's flagship restaurant at 7^th and Virginia. It symbolizes the transformation of the program participants and the importance of being part of a community.

Rise by FareStart

• Location: Amazon's Houdini North, 399 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
• Hours: Monday-Friday - early morning to late afternoon
• Offerings:
• A variety of handcrafted coffees, teas, kombucha and cold brew on tap.
• Fresh pastries, sandwiches, soups and salads.

FareStart will continue to run its flagship restaurant in downtown Seattle along with its cafes in Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill.

For more information about FareStart, please click here: farestart.org.

July 2017