Profile: Angel Osbey

A soft-spoken, humble young woman, Angel lifts the spirit of everyone she encounters. She is blessed with a positive attitude and a strong determination to succeed. Though she has encountered many obstacles in life, she remains focused on the opportunities that lie ahead.

Angel (19) grew up in the Calliope Projects of New Orleans, an infamously violent and crime-ridden housing development in Mid-City. When she was still a young child, Angel’s family moved to the 3rd Ward, where she experienced the close-knit community of her neighborhood. Nonetheless, daily violence still infected her street. She was determined not to let it get in her way.

As a young student, Angel thrived in the classroom and looked forward to going to school everyday. She cried on days when her mother kept her home. At just nine years old, Angel experienced her first personal tragedy, losing her father to Lupus. Immediately, she began to shoulder a heavier load of responsibility for herself and her three siblings. As she started high school, Angel began to regain her stride, thriving in English and throwing herself into her work. Within a few months, her mother became sick, and Angel once again found herself cast into the role of primary caretaker.

Like so many New Orleans youth, Angel’s high school experience was irreparably broken by Hurricane Katrina. Angel evacuated with her family to Baytown, Texas, and for the next two years moved constantly throughout the South, with longer stays in Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana. During her entire absence from New Orleans, Angel was not enrolled in school.

When Angel and her family finally returned to New Orleans in 2007, she enrolled at John McDonogh High School, but she was frustrated by the environment she found there. Post-Katrina, students from throughout the city were often placed in the same high school, and neighborhood rivalries often led to senseless violence. This violence made it impossible for Angel to focus on her school work, and she decided to drop out of school at age 17.

One of Angel’s best friends told her about Café Reconcile’s job training program and she enrolled in November of 2009. Angel said “I loved everything about Café Reconcile because there were so many opportunities to learn. I learned what I need to do to be successful in the workplace.”

During her time in Café Reconcile’s program, Angel attended a cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica. She earned a two-week internship in Domenica’s kitchen, and she has never looked back. Now a chef at Domenica, Angel makes all of the lasagna and gnocchi for the restaurant. She’s gone from being an “extra hand” to an important part of the kitchen staff. Angel plans to attend the Culinary Arts Program at Delgado Community College to expand her culinary knowledge and gain the skills necessary for continued professional advancement.