Kinship Cafe has officially opened its doors inside the Thrive on King community hub at 2153 N. Doctor M.L.K. Jr. Dr., a collaboration between the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital.  

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The community cafe features a scratch-made breakfast and lunch menu along with a bright, welcoming seating area that offers up both soft seating and communal tables appropriate for meetings and socialization.

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Menu offerings include items like oatmeal, parfaits and breakfast sandwiches like the Farmers Favorite (housemade pork sausage, fried egg, American cheese, tomato jam, English muffin, $9); and the Faux-Rizo Burrito (walnut chorizo, black beans, fajita veggies, southwest potatoes, avocado, vegan cashew ranch, $9). A full coffee and espresso menu is also available, as well as tea and other beverages.

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Lunch items include daily soup specials, signature or build-your-own salads and bowls and sandwiches like That Tandem Sandwich (fried chicken breast, house pickles, honey Sriracha aioli, brioche bun, $13) and a Tofu Bahn Mi (marinated tofu, pickled cucumbers, carrots, cilantro and vegan Sriracha aioli, $10). 

But – even more important than the delicious food – Kinship Cafe is the home to an innovative workforce training program that serves residents encountering barriers to employment.

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A cafe with a cause

Kinship Cafe took shape when Cydney Key, Senior Director of Guest Experiences and Strategic Partnerships for Thrive on King, reached out to Caitlin Cullen, Director of Kinship Community Food Center (formerly the Riverwest Food Pantry) to see if she had recommendations for an operator who was in alignment with the goals for a community focused cafe on the first floor of the Thrive On development. Cullen says she referred Key to a number of potential operators, but none were a fit. 

However, as time moved forward, Cullen says she realized that the location and mission for the cafe might be a fit for the Kinship Community Food Center’s workforce development program, which needed a source for reliable funding. Numerous conversations later, the community-based socially-enterprised cafe concept had secured a commitment for a three-year investment from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

Cullen, who formerly operated The Tandem, designed the menu for the cafe and will oversee operations for its first six months. But day-to-day operations will be carried out by current Workforce Team members under the direction of General Manager Shania Hutchins.

Hutchins, a former cook at The Tandem and dining room supervisor at Newcastle Place, is earning her Accelerated Business Associates Degree from Bryant Stratton. 

“I took the job at Kinship because I wanted to see what it was like to be in the position of opening and running a business, and I wanted a job that utilized my skill set and would let me grow while I was in school,” she says. 

“The employees are not only working here, they’re working on themselves,” Hutchins adds. “So, there’s a lot of Big Sister energy going on. I’m a single mom, so I know what people are going through. And through my role, I’m not only teaching them culinary skills, I’m giving them advice and support.”

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Using food to train & heal

Demonte Dismuke, Workforce Development Manager for the Kinship Community Food Center, says that Kinship’s workforce development program was derived from the greater needs facing patrons of the community food pantry.

Kinship serves between 15 and 16,000 people a year. In addition to providing weekly hot meals and access to a dignified shopping experience through the Kinship Fresh Food Market, the organization also assists patrons with rent assistance, social service, legal consultation and more. In more recent years, the workforce development program was developed to assist patrons with re-entering the workforce.

“Our program serves 8-10 people a year,” says Dismuke. “And the motto is ‘Train on the clock, heal on the clock’. Workforce teams are employed for 29 hours per week, with one third of the hours set aside for working on personal development goals.”

For some, goals might include buying a car, finding an apartment in a safer neighborhood or continuing to work on recovery from trauma or addiction. Team members also benefit from one-on-one coaching and therapeutic group work during their program.

“We don’t do case management,” notes Dismuke. “We do coaching. We really show up for our trainees. Our program is holistic. We help them to navigate their own values and self-development alongside their Workforce training.” 

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Community-based success

Kinship Cafe Shift Supervisor Nikki Danielson is a graduate of the 2023 Workforce Team who came to Kinship Community Food Center as a volunteer while she was in residential treatment at Meta House. When she completed her treatment program, she applied for the Workforce program.

“I’ve gained a lot,” Danielson says. “Financial literacy is part of the program, and that was something that was missing from my childhood that was really helpful. There was also coaching that helped me to reach the goals that I needed to reach. Since I graduated, I’ve moved into my own apartment and I feel like I have a community of support around me. This is my family and my new normal.” 

Danielson says that, for years, she worked in a manufacturing job which brought her little joy. Here at the Kinship Cafe, she says everything is different. “I’m customer-facing and have to be happy every day,” she says. “But the smile on my face isn’t fake. I believe in this with all my heart.” 

Dismuke says the vibe and sense of community are both part of what make Kinship Cafe such a special place.  

“People who eat here will enjoy really good food from amazing people who are leading with vulnerability every day,” he says. “This is a very special place. When I see Shania, I see a Milwaukee success story. And the folks she’s training are living out their success stories as well.” 

Kinship Cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The cafe also offers catering. View the menu online.