Sacramento's Black-owned Universoul Cafe transforms lives through food recovery and workforce training

Improving access to food and lifting a community — that's been the mission of a Black-owned Sacramento food recovery organization since 2019.

In honor of Black History Month, we bring you the story of how Universoul Cafe is transforming lives.

In Old Sacramento, young chefs in training are sharpening their skills. The group is part of a new cohort led by Tonya Mack, CEO and founder of Universoul Cafe. Her passion and purpose come from within.

"I know what it feels like to go to bed hungry. I know what it feels like to not have a choice in what you eat, and I know what it feels like to be othered," Mack said. "I did not want that for other young people."

What began as an organization recovering high-quality surplus food from the community transformed into a place for second chances.

"The part of what we do that is centered in workforce development, we're tremendously proud of, because we hire and work with those who are most deeply impacted by food insecurity," Mack said.

The young men and women in the program come from marginalized communities. They're getting culinary lessons from master chef Derris Mosley.

They're also learning to trust as they discover new foods.

"So having our young people taste things, touch things, prepare things that they had not seen before is another really fun part of what we do with the young people that come through our program," Mack said.

Mack said the program guides each individual, no matter what they choose to do in life.

"If culinary is what they're interested in, we can help them expand that," she said. "But if it's not, we help them grow and continue their journey in a way that's more meaningful for them."

The joyful mood in this kitchen is in stark contrast to last summer's break-in at their Del Paso Heights warehouse. Over $100,000 worth of equipment essential to their work was stolen.

"That day, I started making phone calls to people who were expecting food from me the next three days, and I had to say I'm not coming," Mack said.

She powered through, and to her surprise, the same community she's served raised money to help her out.

"It was also one of the most amazing experiences since I started this business," Mack said. " To see how far and wide we touched people and reached people, and how much they cared deeply about what we're trying to do."

Last year alone, Universoul Cafe delivered 17,000 meals across Sacramento County, recovered more than 300,000 pounds of surplus food, and created 42 jobs.

"You know my tag line is 'We're saving people one meal at a time,' but I believe we're saving each other one meal at a time," Mack said.

Universoul Café recently secured a $500,000 grant from First Five Sacramento. CBS News Sacramento captured the moment Mack and her executive team set up their grant account at Golden 1 Credit Union.

Today, Mack said she counts her blessings and reflects on what Black history means to her.

"I am fulfilling the dreams of my ancestors," Mack said. "I frequently tell young people, particularly young people of color, for every hardship that our ancestors faced, we pay forward in being successful now."