North Stars
Economic Opportunity
Build agency and power through community, employment and ownership.
Discover Community Café will create living wage apprenticeships for women overcoming barriers to employment and an invitation to become an owner of the café after completing the apprenticeship.
The minimum wage has remained stagnant for decades and has inhibited those in low wage jobs from meeting their most basic needs, build wealth, and establish plans for the future. Women and people of color are overrepresented in low wage jobs, contributing to the stark racial and gender wealth gap in our state. Though California has the highest minimum wage in the country at $15/hour, it is also the state with the highest poverty level.
Creating space for women to identify their talents and skills, Discover will encourage, equip, and celebrate apprentices as they pursue their goals and dreams.
The Discover apprenticeship will provide (1) training in running all aspects of the café, (2) professional development and wrap around services chosen by apprentices, (3) an encouraging community with fellow apprentices and patrons of the café, (4) an invitation to become an owner of the café after completing the apprenticeship.
As a worker cooperative, staff will have power and voice in decision-making and governance of the café and will be a part of sustaining living wage, dignified jobs for all employees.
Champion Local
Championing food entrepreneurs, local businesses, and creatives.
Discover Community Café will feature one to two local chefs every six months, providing a platform to test out menus, grow their following, and providing a culinary adventure for guests as they discover local chefs through the rotating menu. The café will also serve local coffee, tea, beer, and wine.
Not only do local food and drink establishments infuse heart and character into our neighborhoods, but they also play a critical role in our local economies, creating local jobs and making local purchases to sustain their business.
The pandemic has forced many of these businesses to lay off employees, cut back or pivot services, or shut down permanently. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned businesses have disproportionally been impacted and even before the pandemic received less business financing, less often and at higher rates. Supporting BIPOC owned businesses is a way that we can each be a part of building an inclusive economy together.
Aspiring to curate a space that authentically represents the Bay, Discover will also prioritize purchasing local services and products for both inside and outside of the kitchen.
Center Community
Cultivate a space that ignites connection and honors the greatness in every human.
Discover will leverage the power of food to bridge across divides and bring people together to connect and enjoy each other. The café will host community events and conversations, creating intentional spaces for healing and relationship building between apprentices, featured chefs, and café patrons, honoring what every person brings to the table.
Our well-being is tied to each other. In our everyday busy lives, it can be easy to forget this, but as we saw from the dramatic increase in social isolation at the outbreak of COVID-19, connecting with other humans is essential to our well-being.
As the world opens up again and we think about our role in creating a more just and equitable future, we must realize that the decisions we make every day matter, including how and where we spend our money, how we spend our time and the relationships that we choose to invest in.
We each have a role to play in breaking out of our silos as individuals, as non-profits, and businesses, choosing to invest, trust, and believe in each other as we design our collective future.
