Ohio -- Nicholas Todesco said he first got into drugs in high school.
After that, choices he made took him down a less-than-ideal road.
“Without a second chance, I wouldn’t be here," the 28-year-old said.
- Second chance opportunity to learn new skill
- Students take classes for about eight months
- Students earn a wage and have access to recovery center resources
He's getting that opportunity to hit the reset button at Sérénité, a non-profit French restaurant and culinary institute in Medina that opened earlier this year. He's one of a dozen students currently enrolled.
General manager Michael Flaherty said the idea for the space was born in part because while options exist to help drug addicts through treatment and recovery, there aren’t as many resources for what may come after that.
“Why don't we start a program that's geared towards people in recovery," he said of the thought process behind the concept. "Continue to build upon what they’ve learned going through treatment, and meetings, and counseling and such, but then also give them an opportunity to learn a skill and rebuild that confidence through that learning.”
That skill is cooking.
For about eight months, students take classes in every aspect of fine dining, sharpening their culinary abilities and understanding how to interact with the restaurant's customers.
They earn a wage during that time, and also have access to the resources at the Recovery Center of Medina County that’s housed in the same building.
“I can definitely relate, and not compare," said assistant sous chef Todd Whitman, who helps facilitate some of the students' learning in the kitchen. "Growing up, I grew up on the west side of Cleveland, and I made a lot of bad decisions, but it didn’t make me a bad person.”
Sérénité helps with job placement after students graduate.
Flaherty said they have strong relationships with restaurants throughout Northeast Ohio.
As for Nicholas Todesco, he has a dream of becoming a chef at a Las Vegas casino someday, but says he’s forever thankful for what he’s already gained in and out of Sérénité’s kitchen.
“All my coworkers, I view as my family," he said. "If it wasn’t for them, this would just be a job. It’s very life changing, being here.”
Sérénité is one of several restaurants in the state that specialize in offering people with troubled pasts a second chance.
The list includes Edwins in Cleveland and Hot Chicken Takeover in Columbus.