Chez Genese

Our Mission:

At Chez Genèse  we believe the desire to find meaning and fulfilling work is woven into basic human need and nature, and that every person has a skill set to contribute. It is our goal, as a team, to come alongside incredible individuals who (due to an intellectual or developmental disability) may oftentimes have the odds stacked against them in the workforce, to help develop and celebrate their own interests and potential.

We are in the HOME STRETCH!! Our permit has been granted, construction has started, our team is in place, and training is in progress! Thank you for helping us finish strong! We can't wait to serve you soon! 


It is our VISION to:  ​

-CREATE community, both inside and outside our walls. 
-Help FILL the void and DECREASE the percentage of unemployed adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (a rate that currently sits between 70-80%).  
-PROVIDE a basic education and understanding to the general public for those living with disabilities.  
-AFFIRM the worth of all staff members and CULTIVATE a sense of pride in how & where they work. 
-Potentially train and EQUIP staff members to obtain and maintain a job in another work place or setting. 
-Slow down and ENJOY the process of both meal preparation and consumption. 
-Remember HOSPITALITY is a gift and to give it freely. 
-Create a culture that SERVES.


We believe that food brings people together! We are heavily influenced by French cuisine and culture, and value the time that it takes to both prepare and consume a good meal. Our goal is to be as locally sourced as possible, and prepare our food from scratch. We are getting ready to launch our location up-fit and are excited to be opening in downtown Greensboro! We have been searching for a space that is centrally located, already contains a commercial kitchen, and is easily accessible by the general bus route. We feel like we hit the jackpot! 

We are a for-profit operation with the goal of developing a sustainable business model that can encourage other business owners to adopt the practice of employing and training adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. We want our staff to be extremely proud of where they work and to understand the importance of a strong work ethic. We value community and are excited to serve our Greensboro neighbors. 

Chez Genèse will be open Monday-Sunday. Cafe dining will take place from 8:00am-2pm. We will provide full service breakfast and lunch, cooking workshops, and special events. It is our goal to open this month!

OUR LOCATION: 

You can find us at 616 S. Elm St, in downtown Greensboro, NC! 

Exterior Design:

Interior Design:

Our Food:



Meet Our Team!

Annette Pittman - Service Manager 

Kathryn Hubert - Chef/Owner 

Linda Rush - Sous Chef 

Bethany Moore - Admin. Assistant & Event Coordinator

Susan Bain - Event Leader & Service Suprivisor 

Daryl Schembeck - Chef Consultant & Menu Designer 

Phillip Johnston - Service Consultant & Lead Trainer

Kenny Roberts - Videographer 

Barrie Johnson - Photographer

Where Your Support is Going:

There are many expenses involved in opening a restaurant, but the two biggest covered by your gifts are outlined below! 

1. We are in the process of up-fitting our space to accommodate full restaurant service! Our location was previously a coffee and sandwich shop, so we are adding a commercial hood system, oven, range, and fryer. The hood system is our big-ticket item; however, it is a necessary investment for our space and concept and will help us grow as a business!

2. Additionally, we are paying our staff above industry standard, including our service staff. We also have some additional staffing needs due to our concept and mission (such as additional training for our supervisors) and we are paying our service staff a flat hourly rate in honor of the French business model (which means we will be a no tipping restaurant!). 

Thank you for helping us start out strong! 

Risks and challenges

As a new business, it's so important that people know about us! We have been working hard for the past 5 months to network, build connections, and get our name out into the community. Outlets have included workshops (both public and private), community events, social media networking, and meeting other local business owners. It has been so exciting and rewarding to see the word spread. It's a great feeling to meet new people who already know about the concept!

Additionally, as with any construction/remodel, timeline and budgeting can be a challenge! We have allowed a generous buffer in our budget to ensure all expenses can and will be met. We have also been chipping away at behind the scenes work for months so that we can move quickly with our timeline now that we have our space.