Inspiration Cafe

I’ve volunteered here a few times now, and I must say that their mission is incredible. Inspiration Kitchens not only strives to bring well-​cooked meals to folks down on their luck, their real mission is to make people feel like they are a part of the community again. It’s one thing for a corporation to put together a well-​functioning soup kitchen that supplies the homeless and people struggling in Uptown and the surrounding region — already a really amazing thing. But Inspiration Café (and their second location, The Living Room Café in Woodlawn) is set up to provide a ‘sit-​down dining’ experience — they really understand that people need to feel a sense of normalcy and like they are still contributing members of society, so the fact that Inspiration Kitchen serves them as if they were paying patrons is a really nice touch.
And the two locations are just the tip of the iceberg that Inspiration Corporation does for the community:
. From housing placement programs to helping folks get training and re-​enter the workforce, they are a truly amazing organization.
The first time I volunteered I showed up for a Friday afternoon ‘Prep Session’ — I had emailed the kitchen coordinator/​manager, Jeff, as the shift was listed with «Cooking Experience Required!». I am a fanatic home cook, however I don’t have any professional experience, however after a quick email exchange describing my estimated level of cooking ability, Jeff welcomed me to sign up for any shift they had available. I arrived that Friday thinking I would spend the afternoon cutting onions or peeling potatoes, and boy was I mistaken! Jeff asked me «do you know how to make stew?» and then proceeded to show me around the kitchen and asked me to make a stew from a large stock of various beef cuts and also rabbit meat that had been donated. I felt like I was on an episode of Chopped or Top Chef. So I prepped, chopped, and seared to my heart’s content for the next four and a half hours, breaking down rabbit bodies (first time ever), cubing the beef, chopping mountains of potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions, and getting all the ingredients together in two large stock pots after searing flavor into all the meat. Jeff even went out and got me a bottle of red wine to go with the stock that would finish off the stew. I wrote out clear instructions for the Saturday night dinner crew on how to finish off the meal for serving. SO AMAZING. I was literally in my own cooking heaven that afternoon.
I’ve also volunteered for their regular Saturday dinner shift and got to work with two other volunteers making spaghetti, pork meatballs, broccoli, and garlic bread. Everything tasted really well and the kitchen team worked really well with the servers. We got to see the patrons coming in and at the end of my shift I grabbed a small bowl to try and sat out in the dining room area with a few of the last patrons finishing their meals. It was a really satisfying (and different than the Friday prep session) experience, especially actually getting to see families in the area enjoy the food we put out.
If any other Unilocalers are interested in volunteering, PM me and I will definitely give you the low-​down! You seriously will never regret helping out such an incredible cause!

Love this lace, BUT you got ride of the croque Madame-​by far it was the best thing on the menu-​plllllease bring it back!!!

Had brunch yesterday and it was fabulous! The waitress (Jackie), portion size and price are great. Helping out the cause is another plus. Yes you can go to other places for a larger menu, larger portions along with a little more price but why? I highly recommend Inspiration!

This is my favorite place to eat in Uptown, and one of my favorite in Chicago. Great food without the pretension, very reasonably priced, and outstanding service. They have the most delicious brussel sprouts you’ve ever had.

You leave feeling great that you supported a good cause by enjoying good food served by their friendly staff.

My trek for the mecca of breakfast continues… and a few days ago it led me here. This aspirational diner gets it right in a lot of places!
Clean, ikea like décor. We were greeted promptly and choose patio seating. Patio seating on Sheridan Rd. in uptown is more like live theatre, the best kind! The people watching was lively and endless.
They have a nice menu, not too big, not too small, and decent prices for an above average meal. Good service, street parking right in front. Their hash browns were interesting… a mashed potato like mess, not good. The eggs, bacon, and toast I got were cooked just right. Coffee and ice water were refilled graciously. $ 24 with a tip for two.
Please rethink your hash (smash) browns and I’ll be inspired!

I love everything that Inspiration Café is about. We finally had the opportunity to eat here a few weeks ago on a weeknight. It was the first night of a new menu. We had the warm goat cheese salad, seasonal flatbread, pork loin, and tilapia tacos. My favorites were the fried cheese salad (delicious) and the flatbread. The tilapia tacos were cooked perfectly and were seasoned well, although I wish that a sauce had been served with it. The only negative is that the pork loin was a bit dry. We ordered an ice cream sundae for dessert and since it’s a byob we split 4 bottles of wine between the 3 of us. It was a great night and I would come here again in a heartbeat.

So, I wish I could say that my first experience at Inspiration Café was volunteering. Nope, not unless I can count giving my taste buds a welcome back to delicious food party, after being sick. This was my first visit, and most certainly not the last.
To start off with, I had the crab cakes, full of crab and just lightly breaded (yay!) they were served on top of a cucumber slaw that provided the right amount of crunch. For the main part of my meal, I had a Turkey, avocado and bacon wrap, the slices of real turkey breast make you never want to get close to the processed stuff again. Service was with a smile, which always makes food taste better imho.
Everything is cleaner than clean here, you can tell that there is a dedication to this place that isn’t forced or phony. Inspiration Café does a lot more than prepare delicious food for people, they help prepare people for life. This isn’t some 3 hour, 3 times a week program, and it shows. The men and women that complete the 13 week course go out prepared to be a constructive part of the hospitality field, with their own recipes. The prices are more than reasonable, and they’re byo. It may be a little off the beaten path, but well worth the trip!

I like the concept, so I’m a fan of it. But if I were to rate their food, I’d give them 3 stars as I don’t particularly like the food. My friend told me that we went on a bad day. Ok. Perhaps I’ll try again one day.
I ordered their fried tomato bacon biscuit with hashed browns and a side of fruit. The hashed browns were delicious. My sister ordered their crab cake benedict– Her dish was better than mine.
Service was good. They were a little slow that day so they comp my meal. That was sweet.

The coffee is hot and inexpensive. They brew Intelligentsia, which is always a good thing.
The breakfast food is inexpensive, and delicious. I ate here the morning of my wedding, and I really liked the omelet.
The food is good, and the work they do is wonderful. The staff is friendly. A good place to get brunch/​coffee.

There is not a bad comment to make about Inspiration Café. The people running this place are about as classy as they come and I am happy to support them. The restaurant is cute, clean and very friendly. Breakfast is excellent, and I give them points for creativity and variety on the dinner menu. We love Inspiration Café!

I’m biased towards this place as I worked on a project with them for one of my MBA classes.
Aside from that, you have to love what they do. They support individuals that otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn what it takes to succeed in a restaurant.
The decorations are great and every workers is extremely friendly. Plus, the food is actually really good.
Good food, friendly worker, great prices, nice decorations, and good cause. It doesn’t get much better than this.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with IC from the beginning, when a couple of altruistic friends had an idea to share our industry with those less fortunate and to use our connections to help people who need a hand.
It is a comfort zone where people who are in a tough place in life can come and learn and improve themselves while being nurtured and nourished by people who care.
I enjoyed each and every visit there and have found it a place that inspires me to be a better person and to use the resources I have to help those who have less.
IC is also unfortunately one of the not-​for-​profits that could become the victim of budget cuts and the shrinking donor pool. I urge you, give what you can, when you can, whatever you can. Often

I mean, obviously this place gets five stars. For how it gives back to, supports, and embraces the uptown community.
I first got in touch with their volunteer coordinator to set up a bi-​weekly volunteer opportunity for some of the students I work with.
She was accommodating and understanding, flexible and gracious. She put us in touch with the operations coordinator, who put us to work; grinding coffee, mopping floors, washing windows, taking out the garbage and recycling, sweeping cigarette butts and broken bottles from the front steps, sandblasting (hyperbole) the bathrooms.
And let me just say, you haven’t lived ’til you’ve broken a sweat sweeping, scrubbing, and mopping some of the only public bathrooms in the Wilson and Broadway area of uptown.
The cast of characters is classic, people who have been beaten down over and over, by an unforgiving city. And yet here, they receive a second chance. Sometimes a third.
But seriously, the importance of organizations like Inspiration Co. cannot be understated. Go here. Give back, without accolade, when nobody’s looking.

You can still be a calamity in the kitchen and do some good at Inspiration Café.
While not completely incompetent in the kitchen, I am not known for my culinary skills. Fortunately, you don’t need to be the next Iron Chef to do some good here.
What it is:
* Inspiration Corporation assists more than 3,000 individuals and families affected by homelessness and poverty each year — serving as a catalyst for self-​reliance.*
* Inspiration Café serves meals in a restaurant-​style setting and provides supportive services in a therapeutic community designed to help individuals on their journey toward self-​sufficiency.*
What you do:
* Plan a menu for approximately 30 diners.
* Shop, cook and serve the meal to the diners.
I joined a group of my fellow Unilocalers for a dinner shift at the café. Since my culinary skills aren’t the greatest I was more than happy to work on the serving side of things. The kitchen part of our team was amazing — cooking and plating salads, rolls, a main course and dessert. Everything looked fresh and tasty.
If you work on the serving side of things you will make sure everyone has silverware, condiments and drink refills. During meal time you’ll also be responsible for taking orders for the main course (not everyone will necessarily want all portions of your menu) and bussing tables.
All of the diners were great. Most were very outgoing, polite and jovial, telling jokes, making me laugh, and making me feel like I’m helping make a difference.
Shifts are 2 – 3 hours depending on the complexity of your menu and seem to work best with a group of 10 – 12. If you’re a first time group, play it safe and allow yourself extra prep time .
Next time you’re looking for a little pick me up consider signing up for a shift at the Café; I bet it will make you feel better, longer than any retail therapy.
* From the Inspiration Corporation website

Since moving to Chicago I have been inspired to give back to the community. My friend turned me on to the Inspiration Café and gathered a few of us together to volunteer here. Unlike typical volunteer roles where you get people to sign up for a walk, collect money, or whathaveyou, you feel like you actually are contributing to a greater good at the IC.
I did the dinner shift. If you are cooking (which I did), you need to show up around 4:00 and expect a 3-​hour commitment. I did the cooking because I love to do it and customer service isn’t always my thing. All of the food is fresh and donated by local grocers. I got to help make the salad (lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers), garlic bread, lasagna, and green beans. The great part is the staff will let you do what you want. If you have a recipe for garlic bread, go for it! I liked the creative freedom!
The staff here is extremely friendly and they make delicious warm meals for individuals who wouldn’t have the opportunity. They serve the homeless with the respect they deserve. They also are very respectful of their volunteers, which I appreciate.
You should give up some time here if you can. It is very worthwhile and you feel like you have made a strong impact when your time is done. If there is leftover food, which there usually is, you can score some dinner out of it.
Right off the Wilson red line stop. parking can be a nightmare (metered), so I recommend public transportation.

Here’s a little tidbit about me– the closest I come to cooking is watching Top Chef. I’ll never be a top contender, but a top spectator, YES!
So this past summer, when Colleen asked me if I’d be interested in volunteering at the Inspiration Café, I started sweating. Because all these Unilocal reviews I write? They’re a direct product of average-​at-​best (borderline incompetent) cooking skills.
But don’t let your lack of culinary prowess deter you from volunteering at this wonderful organization. You can make a difference by preparing food, cooking, or even serving the meal. Even I felt comfortable working in the kitchen– the staff is very patient with newbies and offers guidance if needed (i.e. where are the mixing bowls?). The founder, Lisa Nigro, started the program by delivering bagels and coffee to the homeless via a little red wagon. Though the program has successfully grown into what it is today, I appreciate that the intimacy of serving someone with compassion, dignity and old-​fashioned eye-​contact with a smile is still intact.
On a side note, I’m sure that most of you watched the Oscars and saw the 60-​second spot that Helen Hunt directed. I’m so happy that Inspiration Café received strong national press for a program that truly enriches our community.

All it takes is 3 hours.

I enjoyed the opportunity to give back a little and help out at the Inspiration Café. Especially so with the current cold weather we are having, it was nice to see people come in and enjoy a meal.
I do appreciate what this place means for many people. While serving, I was lucky to talk to a few of them. They were all nice and appreciative of us coming in and they all seem to enjoy their meal.
I want to give kudos to those who got a chance to help out as it was a great team effort. Volunteering is rewarding on its own but no doubt it is a little extra special with fellow Unilocalers!

I almost hate these people??? I almost do hate you for reminding me I’m not just a cube dwelling animal, but a biscuit buttering maniac
they keep reminding me I have a heart, that people do care, that we are not different and are in it together for the long run in this small world.
the food from the heart kitchen is always full of heart clogging love and the smiles that resonate at the end of the meals always leave my socks soggy from the ice that melts from around my heart.
sometimes lacking in spices donated by others, the professionally equipped kitchen with built in human dishwashers is a wannabe top iron chef’s wet dream come true… but do bring your own spices to add to the collection for future meals and growing dreams of a world where we all break biscuits and sop up home made gravy together.
kudos to Colleen C for taking the time to light a candle that helps guide me away from my daily darkness

We got a group of Unilocalers together to plan/​cook/​serve dinner at Inspiration Café last night…
It is very well run, they are very patient with the volunteers and overall I think we all had a great experience. They accept volunteers, there are no minimum hour requirements, etc. Very awesome organization!
I will definitely be back. Great place in Uptown :) Parking is easy.
If anyone has any questions about how to get involved, please PM me! :)