Chicago Sun-Times: Making Restaurant Careers More Accessible

Chicago is known around the world for its restaurants. As the city looks toward the future of its culinary community, Aspire CEO Serena Alaily believes more people deserve the opportunity to be part of it.

From neighborhood favorites to celebrated dining rooms, restaurants are part of what makes Chicago, Chicago.

Behind every meal is a team of people bringing their talents to the table. And as the industry looks toward its future, there is an opportunity to open more doors for people with disabilities who are ready to build meaningful careers.

In a recent letter to the editor published by the Chicago Sun-Times, Aspire CEO Serena Alaily called on Chicago’s restaurant community to recognize people with disabilities as an important part of its workforce and create more pathways connecting talented people with employers.

Creating a Path Into the Industry

For many people with disabilities, talent and ambition are not the barriers to employment. What can be missing is the opportunity to gain experience, build confidence, and demonstrate those skills in a workplace.

Aspire’s Food Service Employment Training Program is helping to create that bridge. Through 10 weeks of hands-on training, trainees build skills for front- and back-of-house restaurant roles before moving into paid internships with employer partners.

For trainees, those internships are an opportunity to turn their 10-weeks of preparation into real-world experience. For restaurants, it is a chance to meet talented, prepared people and see firsthand what they can bring to their team.

That connection is especially meaningful in an industry where finding, and retaining, strong employees remains a challenge.

A Seat at the Table

Chicago’s culinary identity has always been shaped by people, from cooks and servers to hosts, bussers, food runners, and countless others who bring restaurants to life each day.

Creating more pathways for people with disabilities to join those teams can curate meaningful careers for people seeking opportunity, new talent for restaurants, and a stronger culinary community for Chicago.

As Serena writes in the Sun-Times, this is a moment for Chicago’s restaurant community to lead by example and have a hand in who gets the opportunity to be part of its future.

Read Serena Alaily’s full letter in the Chicago Sun-Times to learn more about what restaurants can make possible when they open the door to new talent.