At Kula Café, youth trained for restaurant biz
Schlossbach, Interfaith Neighbors team up in Springwood Center
A new café is on its way to the west side — and it’s not just any eatery. Kula Café will function as a training ground for the city’s youth and a healthy eating hub in the Springwood Center [above].
The restaurant will train area young adults who want to work in the restaurant industry, said Marilyn Schlossbach, who originally proposed the idea. Schlossbach owns a string of Shore restaurants, including Langosta Lounge, Trinity and the Pope, Dauphin Grille and Pop’s Garage in Asbury Park.
Schlossbach canvassed the community to create the menu, she said. The café is slated to open in early November and its name comes from a Hawaiian phrase meaning “community of the heart,” she said.
“I thought they’d laugh at me, but they thought it was a great idea,” Schlossbach said of her initial discussions with Interfaith Neighbors, the nonprofit group that’s teaming up with Schlossbach to see Kula Café through.
The restaurant will provide 16-week training programs for young adults ranging in age from 17 to 22, said Schlossbach. It will be an extension of the business incubator Interfaith is running at the Springwood Center. A board of trustees, including Schlossbach and representatives from Interfaith, will oversee the café.
Front-of-house workers — servers, bussers and hosts — will receive formal training from Kula Café. This should help fill the need for qualified staff in the area’s many restaurants, as well as provide jobs to area youth, Schlossbach said.
She also hopes the program, which includes a two-week externship in a restaurant, will provide the participants with job skills applicable beyond the restaurant industry.
“Our goal isn’t to just fill jobs in our industry,” she said. “If they’re trained in the hospitality format they can sell anything.”
At first, the Kula Café will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, Schlossbach said. The cafe will depend on revenue from private and corporate donations, as well as food and beverage sales. Hours will be expanded if the financial support is there, she said.
“Ultimately, we want it to be self-sustaining,” Schlossbach said.
The program’s first group will have five paid participants, Schlossbach said. She anticipates the age range of participants will also widen as the program goes on.
Schlossbach encourages all restaurant owners in the Asbury area and those working in related industries to get involved in the Kula Café. Help can include providing the two-week externships to participants, making financial contributions, working at the cafe itself and teaching the trainees. Those interested can contact Interfaith Neighbors.
