Chad Houser—founder and CEO of Dallas-based Café Momentum, an award-winning national nonprofit restaurant staffed almost entirely by justice-involved youth—has been named to the inaugural TIME Visionaries list. The list recognizes leaders “driving meaningful impact in the lives of children across education, health and wellness, technology, economic opportunity, and more.”

TIME’s recognition notes Houser’s leadership in advancing a community-based approach to youth justice reform through Café Momentum, which offers job opportunities, culinary training, and much-needed hope for young people seeking a way out of the cycle of incarceration.

Each intern in the year-long program receives a livable wage and spends time working in almost every aspect of the restaurant business, from hosting to serving and cooking to dishwashing, as Dallas Innovates noted in a 2021 Future 50 profile of Houser. Interns also receive wrap-around services from a social worker, schooling, financial literacy coaching, and more.

Chad Houser and interns outside Café Momentum in downtown Dallas. [Photo: Chad Houser]

“I’m deeply honored to be recognized by TIME,” Houser said in a statement. “This recognition belongs to the young people who have inspired and shaped our work from the very beginning and continue to do so more than 11 years later. Their success proves what’s possible when we choose to believe in young people and invest in their future rather than define them by their past.”

“As we look ahead,” Houser added, “Café Momentum remains committed to sharing what we’ve learned, continuing to evolve, and helping communities across the country create spaces where justice-involved youth are met with unconditional opportunity, support, and love.”

Chad Houser [Courtesy photo]

First restaurant founded in 2015

After 17 years in the culinary business—including co-owning the noted Parigi restaurant in Oak Lawn—Houser sold his stake in Parigi in 2012 to focus on developing his nonprofit culinary training concept. In 2015, he opened Café Momentum at a location in downtown Dallas. Since then, Houser and his team have positively influenced nearly 1,700 youth nationally, the nonprofit said. 

Café Momentum has since expanded to Pittsburgh and Atlanta, with a Denver location set to open in early 2027.

But something even bigger is on the menu in Dallas.

Now building a new Dallas flagship

Rendering of the exterior of the new Rendering of exterior of the Cafe Momentum flagship restaurant and national training center in Dallas. [Image: Cafe Momentum]

Café Momentum is now building a new flagship restaurant and national training center in Dallas’ Wilson Historic District at 3001 Greenwood St., scheduled to open in early 2027. The $10 million facility will provide “expanded culinary training, mental health services, and educational support for justice-involved youth” while also serving as a national hub for conversations around community-driven justice reform.

You can learn more about the flagship and donate to the nonprofit’s capital campaign by going here.

“Our goal isn’t simply to build more restaurants,” Houser said. “It’s to help transform how our country invests in young people.”

Rendering of the interior of the new Cafe Momentum flagship restaurant and national training center in Dallas. [Image: Cafe Momentum]

“At Café Momentum, we hope to help build a movement—one that equips communities with the tools, knowledge, and courage to create opportunities for young people impacted by the justice system,” he added. “A movement where every young person is met with the support, dignity, and belief they deserve.”

You can explore the full 2026 TIME Visionaries list by going here.

Rendering of the Community Service Center lounge, part of Cafe Momentum’s new flagship location in Dallas’ Wilson Historic District. [Image: Cafe Momentum]

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