River Restaurant
413 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-535-3422
There’s a cozy little spot on Roncesvalles, just south of Howard Park, that is more than just another place to eat. It is a restaurant that is helping to shape the futures of some of the young people in this city.
The idea behind River isn’t a new one – the concept began in 1997 and the restaurant opened its doors in 1998. While the restaurant is a subsidized business, River certainly deserves all the kudos and congratulations it can get after 10 years of helping young adults get a head start in life. And for serving good food at an excellent price point at that.
River's mandate is to provide an employment opportunity for at-risk youth through all-a-board Youth Ventures Inc., a private, non-profit charitable organization that creates small businesses to employ youth in a year-on-the-job training experience.
The program targets young adults - or "youth" - usually 18-24 years of age, although there are exceptions. Many come from shelters. Some come from the street. To date, River boasts a success rate of 85%; the youth that have entered the training program have moved on to find full-time employment, returned to school, or transferred to other youth programs. Several have gone on to work elsewhere in the restaurant business, including one former participant who has since joined the kitchen staff at Lobby.
River isn’t what one might expect in a restaurant that is also a youth employment training program. The room is a contemporary and warm space with big front windows open to the street during the warmer weather. There's nice lighting and the tables aren't cramped. A good-sized front dining area is accented with bold artwork, and there's a spacious lounge area in the back, ideal for larger, informal gatherings and parties.
On Thursday nights, River offers a 6-course tasting menu for $25. Pony up another fifteen bucks and there's wine pairings to go with that. Other deals on offered include free corkage on Tuesdays, and 2 for 1 pasta on Wednesdays.
I had a chance to sit down with River’s chef, James Hancock, over a plate of pesto-flecked orecchiette with wild mushrooms presented to us by his kitchen assistant, Olwyn, a participant in the training program. The menu offers several dishes with an Italian influence including rigatoni, smoked chicken linguini and Tuscan chicken stuffed with pesto and goat cheese and served on a bed of gnocchi.
Chef Hancock shares that he’s in the middle of revamping the menu, and will be giving a bit of a nod to Roncesvalles’ historically Polish neighbourhood by offering perogies, although they won’t be made in-house. “We just don’t have the resources to produce them in volume,” Chef Hancock explains, “but I’ve got an excellent supplier. From there, we’ll play around with them, reinvent them, make them a bit more contemporary using some fresh, local ingredients.”
It’s not about creating dishes with star power at River. “The kids here just don’t have the kind of kitchen experience and culinary expertise to prepare dishes that require a lot of technical skill and attention. There are some things we just wouldn’t do.” Such as? “Say a seafood risotto. A seafood risotto that starts from scratch using fresh lobster stock. That’s not what we do. But I am hoping to introduce some kind of risotto on the new menu, something simple, maybe with some porcini, some fresh herbs.”
He speaks affectionately of the kitchen staff he trains, and is intensely proud of their progress and accomplishments. "Some of the participants have had some rather dire histories. Even when they're not working, a lot of them will hang out here anyway. It's a safe place for them. It's a home."
I also spoke with Jennifer LaTrobe, managing director of all-a-board. She is in charge of the youth staffing program at the restaurant and, together with Chef Hancock and manager, David Casey, keeps things at River flowing smoothly. Who qualifies for a job at River? “Those who are looking for a job but have never had a job.” Training at River last anywhere from 6 to 12 months and during that time it’s more about mastering life skills rather than knife skills; the participants learn the importance of showing up on time, how to work as a team, and how to manage their lives with a steady, reliable income. This nurtures the kind of confidence and sense of self-worth that comes with acquiring a set of marketable skills and, ultimately, self-sufficiency.
Over 200 young people have used their experience at River to overcome unemployment and poverty. Not only does River serve the community, it also serves good, honest food.
We could use a few more Rivers in this city.
