Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A helping hand at the Rescue Mission's 2nd Helpings Cafe
The Rescue Mission's 2nd Helpings Cafe is a tasty way to give back to those in need.
Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times
School principals Babette Cribbs (left to right), Sybil Taylor and Kathleen Tate order their lunches from Dale Stanley at 2nd Helpings Cafe, which is located in the old Sears Building on Williamson Road in Roanoke.
Manager Jonathan McGraw prepares sandwiches.
Nick Saphonchak
Food writer Lindsey Nair
- lindsey.nair@roanoke.com | (540) 981-3343
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In 2007, Nick Saphonchak thought he'd be spending the rest of his life in prison.
After years of drug and alcohol addiction, his lifestyle had finally caught up with him. He lost his Lynchburg home. His wife, who had stood by him all those years, left with their son in tow.
But after eight months in jail, sympathetic court advocates and the Rescue Mission of Roanoke gave Saphonchak a second chance.
Today, at age 58, he is a success story. He graduated from the Rescue Mission's intensive rehabilitation program and has been clean and sober for four years. He and his wife reunited and renewed their vows, and he got a job as a cook for 2nd Helpings Cafe, an eatery the mission opened last year to raise money for its programs.
He said he wants to keep this job as long as he is able.
"I owe my life to the Rescue Mission," he said. "I'm the poster child for the older people. God has given me back everything that I lost, little by little."
On July 2, the cafe celebrated one year in business, and a mylar birthday balloon still floated lazily above the front counter last week. A lot of Roanokers probably have never heard of 2nd Helpings Cafe, but it will not -- and should not -- remain a secret any longer.
Divine providence?
Civic Mall, which is known to longtime Roanoke residents as the old Sears building on Williamson Road, is home to the cafe and its sister businesses, an art gallery and an upscale thrift shop. All of the profits from the three businesses benefit Rescue Mission programs.
All told, the cafe, gallery and shop take up 15,000 square feet of space that had been vacant. Originally, the Rescue Mission had planned to put a restaurant on its campus in Southeast Roanoke, but new board member Ted Sutton, whose family owns Civic Mall, spoke up.
"Ted said, 'Gosh, I sure wish we had something like that at our location.' The more we talked about it, the more we thought his location might be better than our location," said Rescue Mission CEO Joy Sylvester-Johnson.
Civic Mall also houses a post office, The Carpet Shops, and Roanoke's social services and health departments, which together employ about 450 people. In addition, Blue Ridge Independent Living Center is next door, and Civic Mall is a quick drive from downtown Roanoke.
With the help of volunteers, Rescue Mission staff converted the mostly open space to suit their needs. They hired Roanoke native and Roanoke College graduate Jonathan McGraw, 26, to manage the cafe.
McGraw has degrees in business and marketing, along with a minor in studio art and some restaurant experience from working at the now-defunct Daily Grind coffee shop in Grandin Village. Still, he said he considers his hire a "gamble" because of his age.
"That's a leap of faith. I know it was for Joy," he said. "But they really pray about who they hire."
Some experience doing construction work also came in handy as McGraw chipped in to remove layers of linoleum from the floors and wallpaper from the walls.
Rescue Mission board member Lee Ann Carter's company, Carter's Cabinet Shop, donated counters and other cabinetry for the project. Another board member, retired Belk executive Jack Dickerson, lent his expertise to the design and layout of the stores. Orvis donated many fixtures, and volunteer Gerry Barnes built movable walls and bins for the art gallery.
The cafe's tables are recycled from the Roanoke City Market Building. The battered tops are now covered by colorful quilts under glass. It's a second life for the retired quilts, which were made by volunteers for the mission.
"I'm glad they were able to be recycled, because that's what the Rescue Mission is all about -- rescuing all kinds of things," Sylvester-Johnson said.
Simple, good food
Eating at a restaurant that donates proceeds to those in need is a grand idea, but it won't work if the food isn't good.
I'm here to tell you the food is good.
When they were planning the menu, Sylvester-Johnson and McGraw agreed they should source the highest quality ingredients. The cafe serves an array of Roanoke Bagel Company bagels, Boar's Head deli meats and soups, Homestead Creamery ice cream, Nathan's all-beef hot dogs and H&C Coffee.
The menu is simple, offering salads, soups, combos, sandwiches, hot dogs and baked goods. Some of the soups are homemade, as are many of the baked goods.
Just last week, McGraw introduced a new menu featuring signature items such as the Mission Melt, a toasted bagel topped with melted cheese slaw, tomato, onion and bacon.
The most unusual item on the menu is a big nod to the Rescue Mission. The pinto bean tart comes from a recipe that has been with the mission since its inception. It may sound strange, but the resulting flavor is sweet, delicious and reminiscent of a derby pie or chocolate pecan pie.
McGraw champions one of my very favorite causes: consistency. He said if a customer orders a salad during one visit, they should get the exact same product the next time they order it.
Prices at the cafe range from $1.95 for a plain Nathan's dog to $6.95 for a loaded chef salad, chicken Caesar salad or chicken and fruit salad. Sandwiches are $4.95 to $5.95.
"We made it a point to look at our competition and price ourselves competitively," McGraw said.
According to Sylvester-Johnson, the cafe is grossing about $700 per day in eat-in sales, which does not include takeout or catering. The catering end of the business is growing rapidly; the staff recently delivered 450 boxed lunches to Carilion employees with the help of Rescue Mission volunteers.
The cafe's catering menu also offers breakfast trays, coffee boxes, sandwich and dessert platters, "cheese slaw for all" and "soup for a group."
Money from the tip jar on the cafe counter goes to a different program at the Rescue Mission for each day of the week.
The quality of food and service at 2nd Helpings Cafe probably has something to do with the bond between the half-dozen staff members. Although Saphonchak is currently the only Rescue Mission graduate who works there, everybody seems to understand the importance of work ethic and faith.
"There's such diversity in our little staff, in our backgrounds and our ages and our life stories," said McGraw, who regularly washes dishes or takes out the trash. "It's neat to have such a cohesive team."
Saphonchak said he adores cooking, and though he does food preparation at 2nd Helpings Cafe, he describes his position as a "go-fer."
"I'm the one that runs around and makes sure everybody is backed up," he said. "I protect this investment here because this investment is helping others.
"You've got to give it away to keep it."
Lindsey Nair's column runs in Wednesday's Extra.
