Cleveland Chef Honored by CNN Hero Series

Even after serving their time, criminal offenders can run into difficulty finding employment because of the stigma that follows a felony. In Cleveland, offenders must wait three years before applying to have a felony record sealed. By recognizing the problem and doing something about it, Cleveland's Brandon Chrostowski was honored as a CNN Hero on Thursday.

Chrostowski, 36, began his Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute in 2013 to help ex-offenders find employment by imparting the skills needed to work in the food-service industry.

"We all feel really good about it," Chrostowski told Patch of the award.

During the day, Chrostowski helps train formerly incarcerated people in food preparation and servicing. At night, the students help in the fine-dining service at the Edwins French-cuisine restaurant in Shaker Square. They're paid a stipend as well as a share of donations. In addition to teaching basic culinary skills, Edwins offers help with finding employment, housing, basic medical care, clothing, job coaching and literacy.

Chrostowski knows how quickly a mistake can turn into an unequal shot at employment. When he was 18 growing up in Detroit, he was arrested for fleeing the police. A generous judge granted Chrostowski probation instead of a potential 10 years in prison, so long as he found a job. A busboy gig at a local fine-dining restaurant turned into a journey through the Culinary Institute of America, New York and Paris before settling down in Cleveland.

"We all make mistakes, so we take everyone, regardless of their past, and we have a culture of trust, period," Chrostowski said to CNN.

Since starting, 114 students have graduated and 90% are currently employed. None have returned to prison.

"People said the idea was crazy," Chrostowski said. "Now they're saying, s---, this is possible."

Beyond education, Edwins has expanded operations to also provide housing for its students without homes. Last year, Chrostowski purchased three vacant buildings at Buckeye Road and South Moreland Boulevard in order to create a dormitory called the Edwins Second Chance Life Skills Center. The building provides 20 beds and also features a fitness center, test kitchen and library. Students staying in the dorms pay $100 a month, but the money is returned after graduation, serving as a nest egg while searching for employment.

Chrostowski wasn't alone in funding the campus. Partners in the Cleveland community came out in support of the project, providing pro bono legal service, discounted furnishings and general monetary investments.

"The community has wrapped its arms around this idea," Chrostowski said. "So we have loyal guests, progressive thinkers, a corrections system that's ahead of the curve in intervening before release... Cleveland, Ohio has offered everything."

Chrostowski is currently consulting with different industries to start similar reentry programs. He's also planning on building up the campus further by opening a butcher shop in the neighborhood.

"People always ask what your biggest surprise is," Chrostowski said. "The biggest surprise is that there are still heroes out there. I have a seven-year-old give four dollars of their allowance... some give us a half a million. They had to change their lifestyle because they gave so much... These are students who are doing heroic things... going into a foreign world and doing well."

Check out the first part of the CNN Hero segment below.

Photo courtesy of Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute