I rush into Cafe 458, late for work and hoping they’ll have me back. At least, they can’t dock my pay. I’m a volunteer.
To try and write this article, my plan is to dive deep into dishwater. I’ll be joining a group of nearly a dozen fellow volunteers for a shift at the Old Fourth Ward restaurant. In a town where discerning eateries reign, Cafe 458 stands out from the rest, and it’s not just because it only opens to the public for Sunday brunch.
Cafe 458 is part of the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, which benefits from all of the restaurant’s proceeds. The nonprofit, its offices located next to the restaurant, operates several programs designed to help homeless individuals find jobs, secure housing and more.
Dana Johnson, the CEO of ACSS, greets me as I arrive. She explains each shift begins with a 30-minute training session, which I just missed. Most of us are first-timers, including a group of eight from Bridge Pointe Church in Marietta.
The front-of-house manager, K.C. Myers, assigns positions. Someone will wash dishes, others bus tables. Two ladies act as hostesses, greeting and seating guests, as well as handling reservations. A pair of folks focus on pouring coffee and other beverages, and passing them on to the servers. In addition to taking orders from customers, servers do double duty with face-to-face public relations, sharing the ACSS mission with diners, one table at a time.
“We really appreciate the work that they do to try to get the message across that this isn’t just a restaurant,” Johnson said, “that it does have a social impact, and we’re doing good for the community. So, we treat our servers as ambassadors to tell the story.”
Cafe 458’s story began in 1988 as Community of Hospitality’s concept of a soup kitchen that didn’t look like a soup kitchen. Those in need would make a reservation, typically arranged through shelters and labor pools, which gave them access to lunch for one month. They could dine in dignity, order off a menu, and interact with fellow guests and the volunteer staff.
By the mid-1990s, Cafe 458 had become a part of Samaritan House, a nonprofit serving the homeless. Cafe 458 began offering Sunday brunch to the paying public in 2003. This social enterprise would raise funds for Samaritan House. In a 2010 move to bolster efforts, Samaritan House merged with another nonprofit, Atlanta Enterprise Center, and became ACSS. During the week, homeless men and women actively seeking jobs through ACSS’ workforce development programs dine for free at Cafe 458.
At 10 a.m. on brunch day, the doors open to hungry visitors. I’m ready, thanks to fellow volunteer Walt Leonard. I’ll work alongside him doing something called expo, and he shows me the ropes.
Leonard explains we’re the last set of eyes on a dish before it hits the table. We’ll make sure the plate contents correspond with the ticket order, examine the presentation and warmth of the food, and deliver it to the table in a timely manner.
“One of the cool things about volunteering here is, it allows you to get experience at something you’ve never done before,” Leonard tells me. “If there’s someone who’s never done a particular job, we just give them encouragement and provide them with the knowledge of how to do their job effectively.”
The orders of the day roll out of chef Shane Devereux’s kitchen. Devereux, a culinary veteran, helped open Peasant Bistro and the Sound Table and has worked at an array of other eateries, including Top Flr, Empire State South and Barcelona. Today, he helms the kitchen as Cafe 458’s sole salaried chef. Chicken and waffles with Devereux’s own pecan-infused maple syrup; shrimp and grits; and breakfast poutine are among the dishes he and his team create.
Devereux said he came on board to help out Myers, with whom he had worked in the past. A little more than a year ago, Myers, a former restaurant owner, was burnt out with the service industry and said she felt a lack of purpose. She walked away, and two weeks later found a position open at Cafe 458. She took the job.
“I get to do what I do naturally,” Myers said, “and feel good and do good at the same time. This job refills my heart, because of all the volunteers. They have full-time jobs, and they come in on their days off and help us. It’s a community service job, and I love it.”
Leonard agrees. As we prepare to deliver plates to our first table of the day, he says Cafe 458 fosters a family-like bond among its staff, interns and volunteers.
“I really love the cause,” he says, “but also the people who work for the cause.”
Our customers seem happy, too. Their smiles beam as we deliver plates piled with smoked salmon, breakfast sandwiches, French toast and other delicacies. The grins belong to Douglas and Debbie King, visiting from Ohio, their daughter Charlotte, and soon-to-be son-in-law Billy Gibson. Before walking into the restaurant, none of the four was aware of Cafe 458’s mission. Charlotte had simply seen the restaurant’s high marks on the Yelp app. So, we chat about ACSS and Cafe 458.
“That’s wonderful,” Debbie says. “I think an organization that tries to help people become independent is the best we can be.”
Later, I return to see how they’re enjoying their meal. The clean plates give me the answer before I ask.
“I’m pretty picky about my French toast,” Charlotte says, “and it was the best I’ve had in a while.”
I soon find myself stepping back into the kitchen, where Devereux and others stay busy. It’s there I meet intern Debbie McGee. She explains she’s a recent graduate of the culinary program at City of Refuge, which trains homeless, formerly homeless or underemployed people for the food service industry.
“I like helping other people who are less fortunate than me,” McGee says. “I’ve been in their shoes. I was homeless for about three months. I tell them that it might (feel) helpless, but it’s not hopeless.”
Soon, I roll up my sleeves and begin washing dishes. After a quick rundown of procedure, I’m scrubbing, soaping and rinsing. Laughter erupts in the kitchen when I spray myself with water. Others jump in to help me out, and someone utters the phrase of the day: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It’s then I realize I’ve never had this much fun cleaning dirty plates.
“We love being here,” says Leonard, who, along with friend Shantae Boyce, has missed only one volunteer shift in three months. “We go through our daily struggles throughout the week, but Sunday is our happy day.”
Cafe 458. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. 458 Edgewood Ave., Atlanta. 404-525-3276, atlantacss.org/cafe-458.
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