Chad Houser of Cafe Momentum in Dallas is the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year | Eater Dallas
"Founded in 2015 by Chad Houser in Downtown Dallas, this award-winning New American restaurant operates as a social-impact program that hires and trains formerly incarcerated youth from the juvenile justice system, providing paid internships and teaching life skills such as basic needs and resource navigation, conflict management, and financial literacy. More than 1,000 young people have participated, gaining hospitality education through pop-up dinners at top restaurants, national storytelling events, and placements at locations in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Denver; the program has even served food at five of the last six Super Bowls and built partnerships with organizations including the NFL and the Players’ Coalition. Recognized with the 2025 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award, the organization emphasizes changing narratives about marginalized youth, reducing recidivism through hands-on growth, and using marketing and communications to amplify participants’ voices. The original Downtown space is minimal yet colorful, and a new flagship—sited on donated land and designed with human-centered, trauma-informed principles—is being developed to welcome visitors, train others to replicate the model, and deepen the restaurant’s role as more than a place to eat but as a bridge between segregated communities." - Courtney E. Smith
