Monkey Business Cafe and Slow Food OC Partnership
The Slow Food OC Social Action committee works with Hart Community Homes, which runs a foster home for teenage boys and provides employment opportunities through the associated Monkey Business Café.
Slow Food OC is committed to helping to create a kitchen garden with herbs, vegetables and fruit to be used by the restaurant on a daily basis to create the cafe's signature dishes.
Monkey Business Café gives teenagers and young adults from the foster care system an opportunity to be employed in a business learning environment. The program is designed for a six (6) month commitment, where each participant learns the skills necessary to be a productive employee in the workforce, as well as a self-sufficient adult.
Participants work one-on-one with a job coach to create a pathway to success that includes work experience, employability skills, and living skills.
Monkey Business Café supports organic coffee suppliers, farmers, and those in transition from pesticide-free to certified organic farming. Organic coffee growing helps to maintain an ethical partnership between consumers, farmers, and the environment.
Monkey Business Cafe is located 301 E. Amerige in Fullerton.
Recently the OC Weekly restaurant reviewer Gustavo Arellan did a writeup of Monkey Business cafe commenting on their wonderful food. Read review in OC Weekly.
Slow Food Garden Enthusiasts Needed for Monkey Business Café Kitchen Garden Project
If you love to garden or just want to join in the fun and the dirt of creating a kitchen garden please let us know. We now have a kitchen garden plan for the Café and the young Hart Community Home participants will use the produce, fruit and herbs in their daily food preparation.
Click on garden plan to see larger version.One of our members, Fred Tarnay, has designed the irrigation and planting plan. We expect that plan will be executed in three phases including phase one the demolition and irrigation; phase two the construction of raised beds and planting material; and phase three the planting of edible plants such as citrus trees, herbs, greens, berries and vegetables. Interested volunteers please contact Steve Widmayerby email at twowids@ca.rr.com.
Want to check out Slow Food OC and Monkey Business Café at the same time? Join us at our next general meeting and potluck on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 from 3::00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. to be held at Monkey Business Café. Please RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org.