Interview: EDWINS Founder/CEO Brandon Chrostowski on Culinary Education Innovation, Criminal Justice

EKMH Innovators Interview Series

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“For far too long, an entire system within U.S. society, from banks to prisons to city courts, has benefited from exploiting the poverty and powerlessness of inner-city residents, including people exiting prison.”

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, as in Education Wins, is a deliciously unique approach to giving formerly-incarcerated adults a foundation in the hospitality industry while providing a support network necessary for a successful re-entry. EDWINS, a 501(c)(3) organization, continues to revitalize the community of Cleveland’s vulnerable neighborhoods by providing its future culinary and hospitality leaders. EDWINS students are not only equipped with basic culinary skills, but are also assisted with finding employment, and can utilize free housing, legal services, basic medical care, clothing, job coaching and literacy programs. EDWINS’ mission remains three-fold: to teach a skilled and in-demand trade in the culinary arts, empower willing minds through passion for hospitality management and prepare students for a successful transition home. Together with local non-profits, community leaders in the legal and judicial system and with hundreds of other civic Samaritans offering their moral currency to see this concept succeed, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute has proven that second chances exist and the ability to change lives is possible.

Founded in 2007 with the belief that every human being, regardless of their past, has a right to a fair and equal future, in 2011, the Leadership Institute opened its doors and started teaching in Grafton Correctional Institution. Shortly thereafter, EDWINS Founder and CEO Brandon Chrostowski and his team opened the restaurant on 1 November 2013 in Cleveland’s Shaker Square, nearby Fire, founded by fellow Innovator and Community Leader Chef Doug Katz. In 2016, Chrostowski and his team launched EDWINS Second Chance Life Skills Center, a 20,000-square foot campus for living, working and recreational enrichment. On 19 December 2019, the EDWINS Bakery and Training Center opened as the next step in the continued growth of EDWINS. In addition to EDWINS, Chrostowski also runs a program in Northeast Ohio prisons that provides culinary arts and hospitality training. EDWINS graduates have been successfully placed in more than 50 local restaurants in Cleveland and its suburbs.

EDWINS resulted from the Detroit native’s own experience with the U.S. legal system, when instead of serving an up to ten year prison sentence, Chrostowski was granted probation. He learned the fundamentals of French cooking soon after, and later pursued an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Restaurant Management at the Culinary Institute of America. He apprenticed at Chicago’s legendary Charlie Trotters restaurant and later worked in Manhattan landmarks Chanterelle, Le Cirque and Picholine, upstate New York’s Le Pavilion and in Paris’ Michelin 3- star restaurant Lucas Carton. Chrostowski later moved his talents to Cleveland in 2008 to work as a General Manager at the acclaimed French brasserie, L’Albatros. Here Chrostowski’s dream of how he could provide others with a second chance that he himself received began to take shape.

It’s difficult not to be inspired by Chrostowski’s second chance mission, culinary artistry and panache. His vision has made and continues to make the difference in many people’s lives. I recently caught up with Chrostowski to learn more about his insight on a variety of topics including EDWINS’ growth and future plans, culinary education innovation, criminal justice reform, second chances, teamwork, the importance of community involvement in successful citizen re-entry and favorite meals. Our interview follows.

EKMH: Congratulations on opening your newest branches of EDWINS, the Butcher and the Bakery. When did you know that EDWINS was ready for expansion and how did you prepare your team(s)? What advice do you have for building and maintaining multiple successful teams in multiple locations?

Brandon Chrostowski: Our expansion had two priorities. The first priority was to deepen the knowledge base of our students. Once we’d proven our model successful, that we could indeed educate returning citizens and assist them with moving into the workforce, the expansion of our curriculum made perfect sense.

Our second priority was to start the revitalization of Buckeye Road. Many of our students were born and raised on the east side of Cleveland so it was logical for us to create a situation where our students could use their knowledge and skills to be part of that revitalization effort.

Both the bakery and butcher shop are run completely by our graduates and students and I can tell you that they all possess a sense of pride at being catalysts for change in their own backyard. In terms of preparing our team for the new ventures, it wasn’t as complicated as one might think. At EDWINS, we move fast. This is true of how we knock down obstacles for our students and of how we advocate across the broad spectrum of issues dealing with criminal justice reform. The way we approached expansion was not much different. I’d been in discussions with my team about this for years. Everyone knew this was coming and so when the time came, we simply implemented the game plan.

I should say that our team is skilled, educated, motivated and nimble... more proactive than reactive.That’s the kind of energy you need if your goal is to make substantial change in a relatively short period of time. Our third priority was to increase sustainability so that we could sell to ourselves.

As for advice that I would give for building and maintaining successful teams, caring is what matters most in our world. No matter the depth of knowledge, if people don’t have the requisite empathy to address the needs of the population they intend to serve, it won’t work. In terms of professional acumen and what it takes to be successful across multiple ventures, your team most be adept at pivoting. No two days are alike in the restaurant industry and this is doubly true for the type of non-profit we are. Your team must always be prepared for the eventuality of change because change is always right around the corner. Your team’s ability to refocus their attention on whatever new wrinkle may appear is crucial to the efficiency and success of your operations.

EKMH: What lessons have you learned from your own setbacks and successes?

Brandon Chrostowski: I learned that nothing is impossible. If you’d have told me, when I was standing before a judge 20 years ago, facing 10 years in prison, that I’d be the founder of a non-profit that would have this incredible impact on people across the country, I probably would not have believed you. Faith carried me when I thought about giving up. My determination was a big part of me drowning out those who said that this mission was a fool’s errand. Failure teaches so much. It especially teaches what doesn’t work, so my setbacks have cleared a path for success for me. My successes have taught me that my faith is enduring. Another thing that the success of EDWINS has taught me is that my instincts about the potential of returning citizens was right. Our students have proven time and again that anything is possible for anyone, if they are simply given the chance to succeed.

EKMH: How did the documentary Knife Skills and its Oscar nomination help spotlight your vision?

Brandon Chrostowski: The Oscar nomination brought international attention to this rarely talked about issue of returning citizens’ inability to find meaningful employment post-incarceration. The film was instrumental in helping people understand the struggles of ex-offenders on a more intimate basis. Viewers were able to see that these were people who had dreams, who were thoughtful, hardworking and relatable. The film showed that returning citizens are real people and not just a statistical category.

What does it take to build a world-class French restauraunt? What if the staff is almost entirely men and women just out of prison? What if most have never c...

EKMH: You have not only founded a culinary institute, you have also (re)instilled hope and catalyzed revitalization in the greater Cleveland community and beyond. In 2019 you were lauded as a Community Leader by Cleveland Magazine. What’s next?

Brandon Chrostowski: What’s next is EDWINS Management Training Fellowship, that will take our best and brightest and train them on everything from front and back of the house management to corporate structure, operations and governance. We’re very serious about building leaders. I’ve found that the hospitality industry is slow to embrace the idea of African-Americans and women being promoted to positions that are commensurate with their skill set and experience. I view it as systematic bias and so this fellowship aims to counter the false notion that qualified returning citizens don’t exist. We will continue to center our focus on injustice and marshal every resource at our disposal to eliminate it. That’s what’s next.

EKMH: How has your mission helped partnerships? How do you encourage other entrepreneurs to hire your graduates and (re)invest in their communities? Why do your students and graduates deserve a second chance and a successful re-entry?

Brandon Chrostowski: We’re very much enmeshed in the fabric of the culinary universe of Northeast Ohio. There are over 50 restaurants waiting to hire our graduates because they understand the intensity of the training that goes on at EDWINS. We’ve partnered with everyone from the Cleveland Browns to local churches to colleges and universities like Cuyahoga Community College, John Carroll University and Baldwin Wallace University.

Why do our students deserve a second chance? Because everyone deserves a second chance. There is not one of us who has done something in our lives for which we haven’t needed forgiveness. Our students are not different. Our students are human beings. That’s why they deserve a second chance.

Let’s not forget that over 90% of incarcerated individuals will be returning to our communities. Would we prefer that these individuals are completely shunned and blackballed from employment, being a burden on our social agencies and being at greater risk of going back to prison? Or would we prefer to educate these men and women and assist them in securing employment so that they can contribute to the tax base, provide for their families, make their communities stronger and minimize the chance that they may become reincarcerated? I think the choice is pretty simple. The idea of second chances benefits all of us.

EKMH: In what specific ways can citizens help those re-entering, both locally and nationally?

Brandon Chrostowski: The best way to help is to get to know returning citizens on a one to one basis. Returning citizens are not monolithic. Everyone has his or her own unique stories, strengths, weaknesses, fears and aspirations. Once you cross that bridge of understanding, it’s far easier to view a person as an individual rather than a member of a particular class.

Folks can support missions like EDWINS by spreading the word of the importance of offering second chances. Some may be in a position to donate, which is obviously crucial for the success of any non-profit. EDWINS takes no government money, so everything we do depends on the donations of private citizens and organizations that believe in this work.

Another way to assist our returning citizens is to make real change in H.R. departments across different sectors of our economy. Allow formerly incarcerated men and women to rise to their fullest potential and remove the blockades preventing them getting a fair shake in the workplace. It may sound simple but, practice fairness. That’s an important way you can help.

EKMH: Favorite meal of all time that you and/or your students have prepared?

Brandon Chrostowski: The Paupiette, which is grouper wrapped in a crispy potato.

EKMH: What book are you reading (or podcast that you are listening to) now that you'd recommend?

Brandon Chrostowski: I recently read Resistance Behind Bars by Victoria Law, a chilling book about the struggles that women face in prison. There are heartbreaking first-person accounts of what life is like on the inside. I’d recommend that book for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the shortfalls of our criminal justice system. I’m not up on my podcast game at the moment. Time simply will not allow it.

EKMH: Nearly fifteen years ago you brought award-winning French cuisine and fabulous cocktails to Cleveland! Would you mind sharing an unforgettable meal?

Brandon Chrostowski: See below!