Customers can get a good feed for under a fiver at a new cafe which is on mission to give ex-offenders an opportunity to train and gain qualifications in the food and drink industry . Straight Six Cafe opened this week in Carlton with a limited but reasonably priced menu.
Mac n cheese costs £4.50 and there's a vegan gluten-free version for the same price. For a further £2 slow-cooked pulled lamb makes a tasty topping. Nachos with cheese, homemade guacamole, salsa and jalapenos cost £3.50 and halloumi fries £3. To finish there's cake - on this particular day gluten-free banana bread for £1.50 or £3 with a barista-style coffee.
The new not-for-profit venture has received European funding via the Prison and Probation Service's co-financing organisation to cover salaries, rent, equipment, training and ingredients for 18 months. Money made from sales will be ploughed back into the cafe, while further plans are in the pipeline to branch out into street food markets in Nottingham and Derby.
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Straight Six Cafe is all about second chances by giving former prisoners the opportunity to train and leave with a hospitality qualification to boost their job prospects. Designed for "people who want to be helped" men coming out of Nottingham and Ranby prisons and women from Foston Hall will be considered. There will be some exemptions, however, including anyone who has committed sex or exploitation offences.
The first, a 46-year-old called Keith, said Straight Six is teaching him about health and safety and food hygiene, and once his training is complete he can start helping in the kitchen. "It's given me a reason to get up in the morning and to carry on and do something. It's a great opportunity," he said.
Keith, who was born in South Africa, told how he had fallen in with the wrong crowd while sleeping rough after moving to Nottingham and ended up carrying out two supermarket robberies. He was released from Ranby Prison in January last year after serving 15 months.
He said: " When I came out of prison, all I wanted to do was to get out there and start working but there was just obstacle over obstacle. I'd lost all my ID - my driver's licence was lost in system. The probation service said I needed to register with five different agencies to look for work and all the agencies I rang up, none would register me without ID.
"For a year and four months I was trying to find a way to get into work but nobody could help me - it was too complicated. Because I didn't fit into any particular box nobody knew how to deal with it. The reason people commit crime is because they've got too much time on their hands or they haven't got money - it they're earning money and their time is full they are less inclined to commit crime."
Straight Six Cafe was the idea of Chris Dyer, who had a 30-year career in the criminal justice arena before launching Mentoring West Midlands, a community interest company. He came up with the idea three years ago but had to shelve it until now because of the pandemic. Now it's being seen as one of the company's key projects.
He said: "It's about innovation, developing a brand around people who have been through the criminal justice system for whatever reason and giving them an opportunity to work within a business that's about community, good quality food and an opportunity for them to get back into a more mainstream lifestyle."
Straight Six (named after a car engine) opened in the former Reid's Kitchen, a cafe serving English and Jamaican food, at Carlton Hill. The property has been given a fresh and brighter new look. Mr Dyer said: "We want people to buy into the concept. If we get it right we're giving people who are trying to get back into a better place in their life a real opportunity for jobs and training in a business within a community."
The cafe is open Monday to Friday to catch the lunchtime trade between 11am and 2pm. It's only for three hours a day since training takes place before and after opening. Special events will be held for local traders and invitation-only get togethers for organisations such as the probation service, which can refer former offenders onto the 13-week training scheme.
"I want people to come here and enjoy some really good food and spend a few minutes with us. The immediate feedback from customers is really good. For week one we are doing ok - we're alright," said Mr Dyer. "I'm under no illusion that to grow something that's quality takes time.
"We were asked by the funder to set it up in Nottingham - it's a good vibrant city to be in and it has a great street food scene going on. If it goes well we would like to open a second in Derby. We'd need to explore this by the end of the year."
Straight Six Cafe partnered with Nottingham College, whose hospitality students took part in a competition to create a cheese sauce for the cafe's mac n cheese and nachos. Two winners were selected - including a vegan version made with nutritional yeast and coconut milk.
Professional chef Sean Courtney, who previously worked at a restaurant in London before moving to Nottingham, said: "The food is all nice and fresh. I've got a big interest in street food and vegan food. It is the perfect job helping people, creating a menu and running a kitchen. Keith is getting on really well. He's really dedicated and a nice human being. He's very motivated to do a good job."
Kathleen French, who previously assisted students with challenging behaviour to find work experience, and worked with prisoners from all walks of life, is the project lead officer at the cafe and will be helping to generate more referrals. "It's a great opportunity. It's a great local spot, on a bus route, a busy area, perfect really. We have been up and down the street taking flyers and getting word out and taking samples of the food."
