Published November 2009 Vol. 13 Issue 10

text and photos by D. Giles Clasen

Women working at Cafe Options

The word non-profit rarely carries thoughts of pizzazz.  When the word is combined with restaurant, our minds may drift to something more akin to a soup kitchen than a fine cafe. But Cafe Options is a delicatessen downtown that has managed to combine non-profit with fine-food.

The restaurant, located at 1650 Curtis St., is a place where customers receive smoked meats, pickles and mustard all prepared from scratch. They give downtown diners a different option than many of the chain eateries along the 16th Street Mall.  It also provides the opportunity for a small staff of low-income women to develop precious job experience as well as job skills as prep cooks.