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Work Options for Women, otherwise known as WOW, deserves the acronym: According to spokeswoman Christian Hawley, the non-profit organization, which gives impoverished women a step up the societal ladder by providing job and life-skills training, places 100 percent of its clients in the restaurant workplace at the end of a sixteen-week program, and 86 percent of those placed remain on the job after the first year.
“We just opened a restaurant downtown — it’s kind of like the next step for women who really want to pursue this kind of work,” Hawley says. “There, they’re able to learn and be mentored in a positive but real-life situation. And the chefs there are a thousand times more patient than me. They really show a commitment toward these women.” That endeavor, Cafe Options, a new breakfast-and-lunch spot located downtown in the U.S. Bank Tower, is just one of the programs that will benefit from tonight’s Women Cook! Dining for a Difference. The walk-around foodie fundraiser will feature small plates from eleven local female chefs and bakers, beginning at 6 p.m. at Congregation Emanuel, 51 Grape Street.
Hawley calls it the biggest WOW fundraiser of the year, so dig in! For tickets, $95, call 720-944-1917 or visit www.workoptions.org.
Mon., May 4, 6-8:30 p.m., 2009
