Cornerstone Bistro turns fine dining in Highland Park into job training

Cornerstone Bistro is the only sit-down restaurant in Highland Park and one of the city's best job creators.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries opened the restaurant at Woodward Avenue and Wynonna Street 18 months ago. The idea was to create a self-sustaining operation that provides a broad range of benefits to the community, such as economic development and job training.

"It was birthed out a need for job training," says Karen Love, community & media relations for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. "We have homeless that have no job experience whatsoever. We felt these returning citizens needed a training situation that would never go out of businesses. Everybody needs to eat."

Cornerstone Bistro works with Wayne County Community College District to provide culinary arts and food service management training to dozens of workers learning to become cooks, waiters and managers.

The restaurant is located in the basement of DeVos Center. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries turned an old cafeteria area into a 169-seat restaurant with a 25-seat meeting room. The meeting room is called Mitch's room, named after Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, a significant benefactor to Cornerstone Bistro.

"It's a jewel. It's the only sit-down restaurant in Highland Park," Love says. "It has become a popular location. We had all kinds of haters and naysayers who said you don't want to do this here. Well, we believe in Highland Park."

Source: Karen Love, community & media relations for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries
Writer: Jon Zemke

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