Ybor - A Second Chance Kitchen

Our favorite month has arrived! Love and

Meet Louvell.

Louvell was part of Ybor’s first Culinary class at SCC and then continued into our Pre-Apprenticeship program to keep building his skills in a real kitchen.

After finishing his Pre-Apprenticeship Louvell was hired at . We reached out to HF Crave to ask if they would consider becoming part of Ybor’s Department of Labor Apprenticeship program so Louvell could continue his training there, and they were all in.

Louvell has worked hard for this opportunity, and HF Crave has done exactly what we hope for in an employment partner. They have trained him, supported him, and given him room to keep developing in a real restaurant environment.

Today is the day!!

All funds raised through Ybor’s campaign will help furnish our restaurant space opening this Fall.

Ybor isn’t just a restaurant. We’re a nonprofit that launches culinary careers for people navigating reentry from incarceration and this space will become the place where you can interact with our mission and enjoy great food and community.

Here’s what items in the dining room still need sponsors:

Tables: Fully sponsored!!
Chairs: 11 left
Bar stools: 9 left
Bench seating: 13 left

Thank you to everyone who has already given. We’re blown away that all the tables are fully sponsored and so many gifts of all sizes coming in. We’re so grateful to do this mission alongside you all!!

If you haven’t given yet now is your chance!!

Support Ybor - A Second Chance Kitchen at Give to Lincoln Day Give to Lincoln Day, powered by Lincoln Community Foundation, is a time when Lincoln comes together to support the organizations that enrich our lives and improve our city.

A great write up from Nebraska Public Media News! Couldn't be more proud of the people we get to walk alongside and help them launch meaningful careers.

‘Unconditional love’: Nebraska restaurant programs offer second chances for formerly incarcerated Ybor and Ooh De Lally are two restaurants focused on reducing the odds a person returns to prison. Both spots could help even more people who were formerly incarcerated.

Ybor's future home!!!

These renderings by Carlson Projects INC. show the dining room we are building. A space where meals will be shared and lives will be changed through culinary education, hands-on training, and careers that help people see a new future for themselves.

For Give to Lincoln Day, we are inviting a small group of founding sponsors to help furnish this room.

Each sponsored table, chair, bar stool, and bench seat will help bring Ybor’s dining room to life. Sponsors will be recognized within the space with a permanent acknowledgment on their sponsored piece, honoring their role in helping build Ybor from the beginning.

Table Sponsor — $1,000 (8 of 12 available)
Chair Sponsor — $750 (11 of 12 available)
Bar Stool Sponsor — $500 (11 of 16 available)
Bench Seating Sponsor — $250 (21 of 30 available)

Once these sponsorships are filled, they are gone.

If you’ve wanted to be part of building Ybor, this is one of the most tangible and lasting ways to do it.

https://givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/ybor

Today Ybor had the opportunity to serve lunch at Ameritas with participants from our Pre-Apprenticeship program working the pop-up.

One of the things that makes our model unique is that training doesn’t stop in the classroom. Participants first complete our Intro to Culinary Fundamentals course where they learn foundational cooking skills and techniques. From there, are able to move into our Pre-Apprenticeship where they begin getting on-the-job experience through Ybor pop-ups and events.

Cooking in a classroom is very different than preparing food for paying customers. At pop-ups, participants learn prep work, communication, teamwork, consistency, pacing, and how to execute under pressure during service. It gives people the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in a real environment while also helping us identify strengths and areas for growth

Every participant who completes the Pre-Apprenticeship leaves with hands-on experience and a letter of recommendation from Ybor and job seek support. We take the skills we've observed and help participants connect with restaurant partners throughout the community.

We’re proud of the crew that served today and grateful to Ameritas for the opportunity to partner with us and support this work.

Hey Lincoln restaurants!! We have some talented individuals you should hire!

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Last night we celebrated the graduation of our 5th Cohort of the Intro to Culinary Fundamentals class.

This class is designed to provide introductory culinary training to those at Community Corrections Center Lincoln who have an expressed interest in careers in hospitality.

Over the course of the class, participants learn the fundamentals that most people take years to pick up on the job. Knife skills. Food safety. How to read and execute a recipe. How to work clean, stay organized, and move with urgency in a kitchen. They learn core techniques like sautéing, emulsification, whole-animal fabrication (including breaking down chickens), roux-based sauce building, and basic baking principles.

But this is not just about cooking.

It is about giving someone a real starting point. A way to step into an industry that is accessible, demanding, and full of opportunity. It is about building confidence where there wasn’t much before. It is about creating a path forward that leads to employment, stability, and eventually a career.

For many in this class, this is the first step in a larger journey with Ybor. From here, some will move into our Pre-Apprenticeship where training shifts into real service. From there, into a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship and placement into restaurants across our community.

We couldn't be prouder of all 10 of our students for completing the course and we're excited to continue working alongside of them.

Thanks to our partners Southeast Community College and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services

Ybor was asked to serve food at NDCS RTC (Reception and Treatment Center) today for an event.

As we were driving in 4 of our crew in the truck who are still housed at Community Corrections Center Lincoln fell quiet.

Someone broke the silence and said, “Wow… is so strange seeing it from this side.”

We asked if coming back to a facility they spent significant time was triggering. Without hesitation they said “No it’s the opposite. It’s so nice to be on the outside of the fences.”

The conversation later shifted to the future, working in restaurants, and what they are going to do after they finish our one year Apprenticeship.

Ybor exists to create more of these moments. Not just getting someone on the outside of the fence, but giving them a real path to stay there.