News and Notes

New Orleans:

It’s a city known around the world for its spirit. Its cuisine. Its resiliency.

In 2019, 19 million visitors ventured to New Orleans to experience its magic according to the New Orleans Tourism & Visitors Bureau , a 6.7 percent increase over the previous year. Last year, tourists spent $2.4 billion at restaurants throughout the city. Unfortunately these exciting numbers came to a screeching halt in 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak, at local restaurants like Café Reconcile.

“Every time we come out of a challenge, there seems to be another,” said Eugene Temple, Executive Chef and General Manager at Café Reconcile. “But the people from the city are very resilient.”

“We are training our young adults with both life and technical skills, and then connecting them to employment in the hospitality industry,” said Kheri Phillip, Café Reconcile’s Chief Financial Officer.Founded in 1996, Café Reconcile strives to serve delicious meals, but its mission is deeper than that. Café Reconcile’s primary focus is changing  the lives of young adults (ages 16-24), from severely at-risk communities, who wish to make a positive change in their lives.

For Phillip, this pandemic has forced her to take a step back, and examine Café Reconcile at a macro level.

 “The hospitality industry has been brutally savaged by COVID-19,” Phillip said. “Looking forward, we’re trying to figure out what this sector of commerce life looks like, and how we best serve the young people that really need us. We needed to be stable in this environment, and that’s where the PPP loan came in.”

After working with Home Bank for over four years, Phillip said it was a no brainer to turn to Home Bank during the Paycheck Protection Program application process.

“Home Bank has always been a great asset to us,” Phillip said. “It was just natural to partner with them on this loan process. It was done quickly.”

After careful research and preparation, Phillip applied for Café’ Reconcile’s PPP loan the first day funds became available.

"Home Bank was ready to process our application,” Phillip said. “They stabilized us while we were out of business. To be able to secure our staff and pay them was a blessing. I’m very happy we partnered with Home Bank.”

Times may be tough in New Orleans, but you can’t tell when you walk inside the doors of Café Reconcile. You’ll be greeted with lots of smiles, and you’ll leave happy after tasting one of Chef Temple’s excellent entrees. 

“I’m here because I’m a chef, offering my culinary skills, but it’s from my heart,” Temple said. “I want to see the young people of New Orleans succeed. That’s why I show up every day. Whatever I can pour into them, I do. I think that’s that New Orleans spirit.”

For more info on Café Reconcile, visit cafereconcile.org.