Fresh Abilities will hold a Grand Re-Opening Celebration on Wednesday, April 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eagle’s Nest at Clark State College, 570 East Leffel Lane. A brief ceremony with speakers and ribbon cutting will take place at noon. The event will include food samples, giveaways and prizes and is open to the public with RSVPs appreciated.
Fresh Abilities relocated from COhatch – The Market to the Eagle’s Nest at Clark State last month and began a soft launch mid-March. In addition to Fresh Abilities’ original menu of salads, soups and smoothies, the restaurant has expanded its menu to include pizza, hot and cold subs, and quesadillas. The restaurant will continue to add new menu items every few months.
Fresh Abilities was established in 2020 by The Abilities Connection (TAC) as a unique training program intended to create a pipeline for workers with disabilities and other barriers to enter the foodservice industry. Fresh Abilities employees complete over 110 hours of training in foodservice, including food safety and preparation, customer service, and other related skills. Trainees then transition to working in the Fresh Abilities restaurant to gain hands-on experience in an in-demand industry before pursuing employment in local foodservice businesses.
With the foodservice industry continuing to face a critical worker shortage, skilled and experienced employees are highly sought after.
Clark State is also working with TAC to provide the classroom curriculum for individuals to learn the culinary industry from food preparation, customer service, handling diversity in the workplace and effectively communicating with others. With this classroom training taking place on the Clark State campus, a new group of prospective students who may never have anticipated attending college will be exposed to higher education.
“Clark State is pleased and excited to welcome Fresh Abilities to the Eagle’s Nest,” said Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, president of Clark State. “Our Workforce and Business Solutions team is looking forward to training the employees of Fresh Abilities and furthering their skills in the areas of foodservice and safety.”
Fresh Abilities also welcomes the community to continue to dine with them. Every customer at Fresh Abilities provides even more experience to trainees to build their skills.
Customers can enjoy indoor and outdoor dining spaces, as well as online ordering for Curbside Pick-up and DoorDash delivery. The full menu and online ordering is available at www.freshabilities.com. The restaurant will initially be open from 9:30 AM until 2 PM, with extended hours beginning after the newest Fresh Abilities team members complete their training.
Kim Hauck, newly appointed Director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities will attend the event – her first visit to Clark County - and say a few words during the ceremony.
RSVPs for the Grand Re-Opening Celebration are appreciated by emailing bdoane@tacind.com.