Michael (he/him) is excited that his kids will know how to go after a career—because they’re seeing him do it now.
His vision is to open a nice restaurant with a lounge where diners come for his fried chicken on birthdays, dates and game days. He’ll hire kitchen staff who need a second chance, who won’t have to hear “Naw, man” after the background check.
For that, Michael has a four-year plan.
It started with a desperate prayer in a jail cell, where he’d fall asleep with the Bible on his chest, asking God why, why, why.
“When I stopped asking, ‘God, why am I here?’ and started asking, ‘God, what can I do?’ that’s when things started to change,” Michael said.
He decided he’d be a positive influence in the community once he was released, food would be the way, and FareStart could help him get there.
“I enrolled at FareStart, told them my story, and they were on board right away with what I’m trying to do,” Michael said.
Now he’s a chef at Everett Gospel Mission, getting experience and making connections that will get him closer to his dream.
Small but Significant Lessons
As a student in the FareStart Food Pathways Program, the lessons started “so small, but they added up to a bigger picture.”
He learned about being punctual, taking the time to understand what you’re doing but moving fast, improvising as needed, and “upholding a level of accountability” that gets food on plates on time and looking nice.
He learned that if you cut a hundred pounds of carrots right the first time, you won’t have to do it again.
He got himself working on the fry station with so much persistence that Chef Traiel named it as one of his strengths at his graduation.
And he learned something else about himself: that he wanted to be a chef.
“When you give somebody something good and they take a bite and they smile, that is where I feel my heart warming up,” he said. “If I can be a part of your fulfillment and joy, that gives me fulfillment and joy.”
Pursuing a Plan
Michael had worked in kitchens before, and he cared about the quality of the food, but he was doing it just for the money.
“Being incarcerated and being at FareStart taught me, OK, I need to make a career choice, and make a plan for my career choice, and pursue that path,” he said.
So on top of working, Michael is studying business administration through the University of Arizona.
“College is a huge thing that I realized I needed to be a part of,” he said. Growing up in Seattle’s Central District, Michael graduated from high school in 2014 as a student diligent enough to have extra credits. So, starting college in 2024 disappoints him. “If I could change anything, I would have gone back to school earlier.”
But he’s not letting that stop him now.
Or the periods of homelessness in his past. Or losing custody of his three children and seeing them only on weekends, which he is working to rectify. Or getting a job two weeks before graduating from FareStart, only to be told a couple pay periods later that his felony disqualified him.
“When you go through these things that seem overwhelming, it’s like, goodness, can I catch a break?” he said. “But I tend to stay positive because everybody goes through something in some type of way, so if we let those things define our success, where would we be? Everything I’m going through now is going to make my victory and my success sweeter.”
Work That Opens a Door
When Michael lost that initial job, he knew he could call his case manager, Jess, at FareStart. Students may graduate, he said, but the message is: We still got you, man; don’t forget about us. He went to a job fair with FareStart partners committed to opportunity or second-chance employment, including Everett Gospel Mission.
There, he’s cooking as many as 150 community meals per day. He gets to speak openly about the love of Jesus, working at an organization with a faith-based mission, and serve people who need support. Just as valuable, his employers understand his goal of opening his own restaurant. He’ll get to oversee part of expanding operations into additional buildings, a trust he takes seriously.
“They look at me and they can see that I’m not just saying I want these things; I’m willing to do these things,” Michael said. “Then I can go into the bank with more than just a dream and a goal.”
FareStart also continues to be a key piece to his success.
He was able to cook for a Guest Chef Night and share his story with those in the room.
“It’s not just being here in a paid training program. Everyone here cares about your success after the program,” Michael said. He hopes to create a dish for FareStart that earns royalties and plans to hire other FareStart graduates for his own restaurant. “You feel loved here, you feel a part of the family. I want to keep that going.”
Seeing Dad, and a Tax Return, as a Success
Ultimately, Michael’s goal with his own restaurant is not just to make money and positively impact the community by providing opportunity employment.
It’s about his kids: both the values he instills and the generational wealth he can build.
“I had to get things on my own and sometimes I chose to do negative things to get those things,” he said. “If I can show my children the importance of having a job with a tax return, and turning that into a career, that will be a job well done as a parent.”
Right now, his babies are ages 7, 6 and 3. But he looks forward to investing in their grown-up dreams.
“You don’t gotta be a chef like me,” Michael said. “But them seeing me get up every day, open up the door, seeing me serve the people? It’s going to be so great.”
He knows his attitude of gratitude, the many people rooting for him and his four-year plan, and his faith will get him there.
“I’m super blessed to be in this position.”
In 2025, FareStart plans to enroll more than 400 students across all job training programs — close to pre-pandemic student enrollment levels. Read stories about FareStart graduates and the impact of our programs.
