Old Skool Cafe operates as both a restaurant and a nonprofit violence prevention program, providing job training to young people ages 16 to 22 who staff the dining room. The theme runs through everything: servers and hosts wear red and black fedoras, bowties, and suspenders, leaning into a 1920s-style jazz supper club atmosphere.
The menu sticks to soul food staples — fried chicken, mac and cheese, brussels sprouts dressed with sesame and soy — alongside dishes contributed by staff members themselves. Abu's West African peanut butter stew, made with coconut milk and sweet potatoes, is one of those staff-inspired additions.
The menu sticks to soul food staples — fried chicken, mac and cheese, brussels sprouts dressed with sesame and soy — alongside dishes contributed by staff members themselves. Abu's West African peanut butter stew, made with coconut milk and sweet potatoes, is one of those staff-inspired additions.