In the bustling kitchen of Edwins Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, the pressure is high — but for many of the people working here, it's a chance for a life without crime. Most of the staff are formerly incarcerated individuals, including Kisha Norman, who says the program saved her from returning to prison or life on the streets.

Edwins offers a six-month culinary training program for people with criminal records. Participants spend three months in the kitchen and three in service, learning the skills needed to work in high-end restaurants. The program was founded by chef and social entrepreneur Brandon Chrostowski, who himself had run-ins with the law as a teenager before turning his life around in the kitchens of New York and Paris.

Chrostowski's mission is clear: to break the cycle of incarceration through opportunity. A new group of trainees begins every two months. Despite the challenges, the restaurant thrives, serving upscale dishes in one of America's poorest cities.

But Edwins is more than a restaurant. It offers affordable housing, free child care and even cooking classes inside prisons. Through a custom app, inmates across nearly all US states can begin their training before release. The impact is measurable: while the national recidivism rate in the US is nearly 45%, Edwins reports a rate of under 2% among its graduates.

For Kisha Norman and others like her, the program changer their lives. "I always thought I could cook," she said, but now "I'm making art." With a diploma in hand and a job secured, she's building a new future — one plate at a time.

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