FareStart – A Restaurant with a Cause

FareStart is one of those restaurants where you can eat without feeling guilty that the money you spend on food can feed a small district in Africa. Why? Because every penny you spend here helps someone start a new life.  They are a non-profit organization that teaches homeless and other disadvantaged the necessary job and life skills to find a job in the food service industry.

The FareStart adult program is an intensive training program combining over 16-weeks of hands-on food-service training with classroom instruction, individual case management and job placement services. With over 18 additional months of job retention, wage progression and other follow-up services, this program prepares homeless and disadvantaged men and women for jobs in the foodservice industry and helps them to keep those jobs. 

Read more about their program here: http://www.farestart.org/programoverview.asp

FareStart recently moved to a larger newly renovated building at Seventh & Virginia in downtown Seattle with expanded training, kitchen and dining facilities. As part of the move and renovation, there’s been a lot of press in the recent months thankfully, that’s how I came to know about this place, even though they have been doing this over 14 years.  They now have weekly Guest Chef nights, where every Thursday night a top Seattle Chef works with the FareStart students to produce a three course prix-fix gourmet meal for $25. The program gets filled in so quickly, you need to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance to get in. A fine meal for a fraction of the prize you would spend at the regular restaurants, and you are helping the community, what could be better? Read all about the Guest Chef program here: http://www.farestart.org/guestchef.asp 

Last Thursday, we were fortunate enough to grab a table for the Guest Chef night featuring Chef Jeremy Bund from Chez Shea. We didn’t go with any expectation about the food, since how good can mass produced food cooked by students without much prior culinary experience be, even under the supervision of an excellent chef.  But, we were wrong, the food was out of this world, better than most 25 for $25 deals going on around Seattle this month.

1. Vine ripened tomato salad with arugula, beecher’s cheese, sherried red onions and extra virgin olive oil. 
2. Sweet chile rubbed roasted kurobuta pork lion with tamarind glazed fingerling potatoes, roasted grape, cilantro & shallot chutney and vegetables
3. Blood orange napolean with Chevre and marscapone mousse with blood orange compote and fresh mint.
    
   

If you are a Seattlite, help out a great cause and enjoy some wonderful food by signing up for one of the guest chef nights at FareStart. You won’t be disappointed.  Check out the chef line up here : http://www.farestart.org/Calendar.asp.

Or you can go for their regular lunch, or cater your next event from FareStart. Check out all the ways you can help at http://www.farestart.org

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