NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Emeril Lagasse Foundation and Café Hope hosted a Grand Opening celebration on Jan. 25 with a ribbon cutting at the new Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen at Café Hope. The newly renovated facility at 1 Timberlane Dr. in Gretna includes a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, catering facility, restaurant and bar, classroom, computer lab, and event venue. “I’m thrilled to see this kitchen in action, giving our youth the training, life skills, and support they need to succeed,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse. “Our relationship with Café Hope is very special to Alden and me, and we know it will be a bright future for the young people enrolled here.”
In 2022, Emeril Lagasse Foundation awarded Café Hope a $225,000 grant supporting its capital campaign. Funds were allocated to building a new commercial kitchen where students enrolled in the program can gain practical knowledge and experience while preparing meals for guests dining in the restaurant. ELF received naming rights to the kitchen with this grant. “We have been fortunate to support Café Hope since its inception in 2010,” said Brain Kish, Foundation president. “We are proud to have awarded this capital grant to help it achieve this milestone.”
When Hurricane Ida made landfall in 2021 in the Greater New Orleans region, it left Café Hope’s campus with severe structural damage, limiting its ability to reach the young people in the community fully. Determined to continue its mission, Café Hope embarked on a $5.4 million capital campaign to renovate what was left of its campus. This expansion allows Café Hope to serve more youth, diversify revenue streams, and create sustainability for the organization’s future.
