Café Momentum founder named to Time's inaugural Visionaries list

Café Momentum just opened a few years ago in Downtown Pittsburgh, and it's already been rated one of the best in western Pennsylvania by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now, founder and CEO Chad Houser is getting more recognition, not just for the food, but for the special young people working there.

Houser has made Time's inaugural Visionaries list. TIME says this list is "recognizing leaders driving meaningful impact in the lives of children across education, mental health, housing, economic opprotunity, and more."

"Going back 16, 17 years ago, and talking to people here in Dallas about the idea of opening Café Momentum and working with justice-involved youth, and being asked what I was gonna do when the kids stabbed each other in the kitchen — just wrapping my brain around it is still quite surreal to me," says Houser.

Houser says the selection process involved an interview, which he says he managed to keep a secret. 

"I had a lot of great conversations with my dog," says Houser. "I don't think she told anybody."

Café Momentum provides paid, year-long internships in the restaurant as well as social services to young adults leaving the justice system. Houser says they are now expanding into Denver and are opening a new national training facility in Dallas, the same place where the first Café Momentum location opened. Their website says they're hoping to establish eight physical locations across the country by 2030, and 10 by 2035.

Houser says even with all of his team's successes, the mission is still greater than the accomplishments themselves.

"The stereotypes that people have about kids in the justice system — as egregious as they are, perception is reality," says Houser. "Once you see our kids in the dining room, in the kitchen, walking in their greatness, you begin to question why did you think that way in the first place, and you think differently moving forward."

"If we continue to focus on impact, and we continue to focus on serving our young people to the best of our abilities and pushing ourselves to do more and better for them, then I think the future is really bright for the organization, the mission and ultimately the kids," Houser adds. 

Café Momentum is located at 282 Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh. They are open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and for dinner Thursday through Saturday.