Ybor - A Second Chance Kitchen

05/29/2026

Meet Louvell.

Louvell was part of Ybor’s first Culinary class at SCC and then continued into our Pre-Apprenticeship program to keep building his skills in a real kitchen.

After finishing his Pre-Apprenticeship Louvell was hired at . We reached out to HF Crave to ask if they would consider becoming part of Ybor’s Department of Labor Apprenticeship program so Louvell could continue his training there, and they were all in.

Louvell has worked hard for this opportunity, and HF Crave has done exactly what we hope for in an employment partner. They have trained him, supported him, and given him room to keep developing in a real restaurant environment.

05/27/2026

Today is the day!!

All funds raised through Ybor’s campaign will help furnish our restaurant space opening this Fall.

Ybor isn’t just a restaurant. We’re a nonprofit that launches culinary careers for people navigating reentry from incarceration and this space will become the place where you can interact with our mission and enjoy great food and community.

Here’s what items in the dining room still need sponsors:

Tables: Fully sponsored!!
Chairs: 11 left
Bar stools: 9 left
Bench seating: 13 left

Thank you to everyone who has already given. We’re blown away that all the tables are fully sponsored and so many gifts of all sizes coming in. We’re so grateful to do this mission alongside you all!!

If you haven’t given yet now is your chance!!

Give to Lincoln Day, powered by Lincoln Community Foundation, is a time when Lincoln comes together to support the organizations that enrich our lives and improve our city.

05/26/2026

Why are we named Ybor?

05/26/2026

A great write up from Nebraska Public Media News! Couldn't be more proud of the people we get to walk alongside and help them launch meaningful careers.

Ybor and Ooh De Lally are two restaurants focused on reducing the odds a person returns to prison. Both spots could help even more people who were formerly incarcerated.

05/22/2026

When are we gonna open?!?!

05/14/2026

Ybor's future home!!!

These renderings by Carlson Projects INC. show the dining room we are building. A space where meals will be shared and lives will be changed through culinary education, hands-on training, and careers that help people see a new future for themselves.

For Give to Lincoln Day, we are inviting a small group of founding sponsors to help furnish this room.

Each sponsored table, chair, bar stool, and bench seat will help bring Ybor’s dining room to life. Sponsors will be recognized within the space with a permanent acknowledgment on their sponsored piece, honoring their role in helping build Ybor from the beginning.

Table Sponsor — $1,000 (8 of 12 available)
Chair Sponsor — $750 (11 of 12 available)
Bar Stool Sponsor — $500 (11 of 16 available)
Bench Seating Sponsor — $250 (21 of 30 available)

Once these sponsorships are filled, they are gone.

If you’ve wanted to be part of building Ybor, this is one of the most tangible and lasting ways to do it.

https://givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/ybor

05/12/2026

Today Ybor had the opportunity to serve lunch at Ameritas with participants from our Pre-Apprenticeship program working the pop-up.

One of the things that makes our model unique is that training doesn’t stop in the classroom. Participants first complete our Intro to Culinary Fundamentals course where they learn foundational cooking skills and techniques. From there, are able to move into our Pre-Apprenticeship where they begin getting on-the-job experience through Ybor pop-ups and events.

Cooking in a classroom is very different than preparing food for paying customers. At pop-ups, participants learn prep work, communication, teamwork, consistency, pacing, and how to execute under pressure during service. It gives people the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in a real environment while also helping us identify strengths and areas for growth

Every participant who completes the Pre-Apprenticeship leaves with hands-on experience and a letter of recommendation from Ybor and job seek support. We take the skills we've observed and help participants connect with restaurant partners throughout the community.

We’re proud of the crew that served today and grateful to Ameritas for the opportunity to partner with us and support this work.

05/05/2026

Hey Lincoln restaurants!! We have some talented individuals you should hire!

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Last night we celebrated the graduation of our 5th Cohort of the Intro to Culinary Fundamentals class.

This class is designed to provide introductory culinary training to those at Community Corrections Center Lincoln who have an expressed interest in careers in hospitality.

Over the course of the class, participants learn the fundamentals that most people take years to pick up on the job. Knife skills. Food safety. How to read and execute a recipe. How to work clean, stay organized, and move with urgency in a kitchen. They learn core techniques like sautéing, emulsification, whole-animal fabrication (including breaking down chickens), roux-based sauce building, and basic baking principles.

But this is not just about cooking.

It is about giving someone a real starting point. A way to step into an industry that is accessible, demanding, and full of opportunity. It is about building confidence where there wasn’t much before. It is about creating a path forward that leads to employment, stability, and eventually a career.

For many in this class, this is the first step in a larger journey with Ybor. From here, some will move into our Pre-Apprenticeship where training shifts into real service. From there, into a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship and placement into restaurants across our community.

We couldn't be prouder of all 10 of our students for completing the course and we're excited to continue working alongside of them.

Thanks to our partners Southeast Community College and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services

05/04/2026

Ybor was asked to serve food at NDCS RTC (Reception and Treatment Center) today for an event.

As we were driving in 4 of our crew in the truck who are still housed at Community Corrections Center Lincoln fell quiet.

Someone broke the silence and said, “Wow… is so strange seeing it from this side.”

We asked if coming back to a facility they spent significant time was triggering. Without hesitation they said “No it’s the opposite. It’s so nice to be on the outside of the fences.”

The conversation later shifted to the future, working in restaurants, and what they are going to do after they finish our one year Apprenticeship.

Ybor exists to create more of these moments. Not just getting someone on the outside of the fence, but giving them a real path to stay there.

12/02/2025

In honor of Giving Tuesday we're reflecting and celebrating Ybor’s 3rd Culinary Cohort in partnership with Southeast Community College and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services CCCL.

Last month seven participants graduated from our Culinary Fundamentals course, a 16-hour training that introduces people in reentry to the real backbone of kitchen work. This class covers the essentials: knife skills, food safety, frying techniques, soups, pie dough, pizza dough, cookies, teamwork, and pace. It is designed to build confidence, competence, and a sense of belonging in a professional kitchen.

Every cohort reminds us why this matters. People walk in thinking they already know how to cook, and within a few classes they realize they’re learning a completely different level of technique. Others discover how meaningful it feels to contribute to something in the community. Moments like these keep us focused on the mission.

Chef Green from Southeast Community College intentionally rotate partners so participants learn to work with different personalities and communicate under pressure. It’s as much a soft-skills and professionalism course as it is a culinary one.

Graduation was meaningful. Families came. Partners from SCC and the community joined us. We shared a meal together and participants reflected on what the program has sparked for them. There was real pride in the room.

Several graduates are already working in local kitchens and stepping into Ybor’s pre-apprenticeship program to get hands-on experience at our community popups. We stay connected with all of them for job placement and support as they continue their reentry journey.

Launching this program couldn't have happened without our base of amazing donors, Woods Charitable Fund, Inc., and NDCS Vocational and Life Skills grant.

11/19/2025

Our team is growing thanks to support from Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Vocational and Life Skills program.

Art loves Cuban sandwiches almost as much as he loves people. He has bought more Ybor Cubanos than anyone we know and was a regular at our pop-ups long before joining the team.

Art grew up in the restaurant world and brings deep experience in workforce development and human services, including more than a decade at People’s City Mission Help Center. He teaches with SCC’s Upward Program inside correctional facilities, serves as Board President for Bridges to Hope, and recently shared his lived experience on the TEDx stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emi-woKYOAc).

On July 1, Art stepped into the Program Manager role at Ybor. His work includes overseeing our pre-release culinary pipeline, teaching Food Safety classes at Community Corrections Center Lincoln, onboarding CCCL students into our four week SCC culinary class, building job pathways through our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, providing ongoing reentry support, and growing restaurant partners to hire Ybor participants.

Take a moment to welcome him. In the weeks ahead you’ll see some early wins that are already happening because of his work with the Ybor team.