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The Credit Union National Association visited New Orleans this week for a National Conference and spent their Wednesday at Cafe Reconcile. Over breakfast, they discussed the “word of the day” with our students and then moved across the street to our office building for an all-day marketing plan competition.

The CUNA members were split into three teams and asked to produce a marketing plan for Reconcile’s catering services that would be presented and voted upon at the end of the day. Set-up to mimic the popular TV show, The Apprentice, judges were to assess the three plans and “hire” a winning team. Reconcile’s very own Dave Emond (Director of Development) and James Zelaya (General Manager) were joined by Temple Ruff of Mudbug Media to act as our Donald Trump.

All three presentations were full of innovative ideas but, in the end, Team Three was the only one to hear the precious words, “you’re hired!” In actuality, none of the teams were given the full, Trump-style firing, as ideas from all three of the teams will be incorporated in Reconcile’s future Marketing plans. Thank you to all the CUNA participants!

"Word of the Day" discussion

Sharing ideas over breakfast

Shakendra speaks to a table full of CUNA members

Learn how to make Smothered Pork Chops!
A Cafe Reconcile favorite, this recipe makes 8-10 servings.

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The Loews Hotel is one of Reconcile’s most dedicated partners. Over the years, they have taken on dozens of our interns and they have hired nearly twenty of our graduates.

Today our students were treated with a special visit from Ray Bruce, the Director of Human Resources at the Loews, and Chef Chris Barbato, executive chef of Cafe Adelaide. Chef Chris never stopped working as he demonstrated how to make hand-pulled mozzarella cheese and he answered questions about his own experiences as he grilled the pork chops. With the precision and speed of a true expert, Chef Chris plated three giant servings of his Tasso Brine Pork with Hand-pulled Mozzarella and Chili-lime Tomatoes for the students to sample. The dish will be served as today’s Chef’s special, so it’s important that the students to know exactly how it tastes. It certainly didn’t take long for them to clear those three giant sample plates!

Chef Chris works with the fresh mozzarella

Perfectly cooked pork chops ready to be served

Markeita absolutely loves the sample!

Chef Chris demonstrates how to perfectly present the dish

First-week "life skills" students enjoy their first demonstration!

Xavier Laurentino is not your typical chef. Born in Barcelona, he was a body guard, an actor, a metal sculptor, and a contractor before he fell in love with the art of cooking. He now owns Barcelona Tapas, an authentic tapas restaurant that mixes the rich flavors of Catalonian cooking with the spice and flair of New Orleans.

Chef Xavier visited our students this morning to introduce them to fideua, a Spanish dish he compared to jambalaya. Much like a paella, his fideua is made with peppers, onions, sausage, shrimp, and squid. The distinguishing ingredient, however, is pasta instead of rice. The noodles, cooked with chicken stock and the other ingredients, soak in the delicious flavors and make for an incredibly rich and savory dish.

The samples disappeared in no time and as the students licked their plates clean, Chef Xavier spoke briefly about his own difficult past. A high school drop out at the age of fourteen, Chef left his home at fifteen and spent two years getting into trouble on the streets before landing a job as a bodyguard. Our students listened quietly as Chef Xavier told them that they, too, could turn their lives around. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve been, a hardworking and successful chef will always be well-respected in New Orleans. Take this opportunity and run with it!

Chef's special spice

Students move up to get a closer look

Beautiful colors and savory flavors!

Wilnika smiles with her sample!

Chef Brad McGehee of Ye Olde College Inn and Rock ‘n’ Bowl spent the day serving a very special Chef’s Special in the Reconcile kitchen. Arriving right after breakfast, Chef Brad kicked off the morning with a demonstration of his BBQ Shrimp on Papa Tom’s Grits. Using ingredients grown in the garden next to Ye Olde College Inn, Chef whipped up an incredible BBQ sauce to pour over the giant shrimp. The samples were a smash hit with the students who asked for seconds as Chef Brad handed out bags of his Creole spice. Once the students settled back down, Chef Brad’s sous chef, Chef Alex, prepared a shrimp remoulade served with fried green tomatoes. The students got a first taste of that savory treat as well before helping execute the dish to distribute as a free sample during the day.

Chefs Brad and Alex remained through the lunch rush, serving up their special as well as the usual Reconcile fare. The Cafe was packed and it didn’t take long for the BBQ shrimp and grits to sell out.  Our students were excited to work side-by-side with one of the best in the business and our customers were clearly thrilled by the results!

Chef Brad has been a friend to Cafe Reconcile for many years.  This was not his first time in the Reconcile kitchen and we certainly hope that it will not be his last!

Chef Brad explains how to add a "kick" to shrimp

Duane shows his satisfaction with the shrimp sample!

Better move fast to get a taste!

Mikeal keeps calm in the chaos

YUM!

Brandy balances her plates with style

Cafe Reconcile celebrated the first graduation of the new year on Tuesday night, welcoming seventeen new students to our community of over 700 graduates.

Family, friends, and grads gathered on the first floor of the Reconcile office building for the ceremony. Business Manager Judy Wallace welcomed the guests and introduced the Board Chair, Alice Wright, who kicked off the service with a prayer of hope and gratitude. Dave Emond, Director of Development, followed with a history of Reconcile and its role in the revitalization of the O.C. Haley neighborhood.

Arrianne Keelen, wife of case manager Tyrone Keelen, then sang a beautiful song about perseverance that brought the crowd to its feet. Her song was the perfect transition to introduce guest speaker, Warren Riley. Once the Chief of police, Riley is now a professor at the Southern University of Louisiana and the uncle of one of the night’s graduates. Everyone in the room, not just the students, benefited from his fifteen commandments of success and words of encouragement.

Next came the most anticipated part of the evening: the distribution of certificates. Family members clapped and cheered as each student’s name was called and graduates showed off their beautiful smiles as their pictures were snapped. When the audience quieted and the students returned to their seats, graduate Kentrell took the podium to reflect on his time as a student in the Cafe. His speech was brief but poignant and he left hardly a dry eye in the room. No one can speak to the power of the Reconcile mission like a graduate of the program.

Our interim Executive Director, Glen Armantrout, closed the evening and invited everyone across the street for refreshments where graduates, family members, staff, and current students laughed and hugged over gumbo and cake. Reconcile is not an easy program to complete and the accomplishment should be a point of great pride for our students. Congratulations, graduates! We look forward to your future successes!

Arrianne singing for strength

The camera catches Gerard smiling!

Warren Riley speaks of the fifteen commandments for success

Charne receives her diploma!

Kentrell's reflection gave the audience chills

Jovonta, Wilnisha, and Jeremy smile with their new boss, Ray Bruce of the Loews Hotel!

Chef Jean-Marc Sens knows how to capture a crowd: demonstrate the process and then put your audience to work! The French chef with his very thick French accent demonstrated how to prepare an apple clafouti by engaging our students throughout the entire process. An assembly line of apple peelers and cutters formed as Chef taught the students how to flambé the fruit. Though the calfouti needed an hour in the oven, Chef Jean-Marc didn’t want the students to go without a tasting, so he finished his demonstration by letting the students cook, flip, and eat their own crêpes. As it turns out, “yum” means the same thing in French as it does in English!

Chef explains that in France, crepes are served on Candlemas (La Chandeleur)

Eddison carefully pours the batter as Chef stirs

Everyone helps prepare the apples!

Students stand back as Dedrick learns to flambe

Eager students watch as the batter and apples are poured into the pan

Yummy!!!!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras, learn how to make Shrimp with Cheese Grits courtesy of Devie Friedman! Cheese grits recipe courtesy of The Plantation Cookbook.  Makes 8 servings.

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Cafe Reconcile students got a sweet treat from an old friend this morning when Julie Barreda demonstrated how to prepare a classic Cuban dessert. Ms. Julie is a familiar face in our Cafe and this morning we learned a bit about our long-time volunteer’s life.

Born into a Cuban family, Julie recounted stories of her mother making flan as she demonstrated the very simple and yet beautifully elegant dessert. Several of the students helped her mix the eggs and sugar and cook the caramel, but Mikeal took on the challenge of flipping the pan to transfer the yummy dessert to the plate. Though he flipped the flan perfectly, it didn’t stay on the dish for long: staff and students alike devoured their samples in no time at all!

Victoria makes caramel as Julie mixes eggs

Alfred smiles in anticipation!

Mikeal transfers the flan with perfect form

Beautiful!

That's a satisfied sampler!

It’s not every day that we see a full-grown pig in our Cafe, but thanks to Reconcile graduate Michael Lewis, our students were able to watch the pig-roast process from start to finish.

Mike graduated from Reconcile’s program last year and is already moving up the ranks in John Besh’s Restaurant August. On Friday, Mike returned to the Cafe with a whole Mangalista pig that he had purchased to donate to Reconcile. He then spent the morning masterfully demonstrating how to appropriately butcher the meat and prepare it for roasting. He returned this week to finish preparations and, after six hours in the oven, Mike removed a beautiful golden-brown, Jambalaya-stuffed Cochon de Lait with Sweet Mae Sauce.

Not only were our guests treated to a delicious special, but our students were able to witness a graduate in action. With both masterful knife skills and a generous heart, Mike is certainly someone for current Reconcile students to emulate!

On a related note, before Mike purchased the pig, he was unaware that he had already been chosen by Chef John Besh to accompany him to the Super Bowl. It’s amazing how kindness is repaid in kindness. Congrats, Mike!!

Some students are more squeemish than others. Laquante and Victoria dive right in!

Graduate Michael Lewis poses with Chefs Joe and Curtis before the first cut!

Michael works with great precision

success!

The final product!