Step into Plates Cafe and you will

be promptly greeted by one of its friendly employees. Open only for

lunch, Plates offers a variety of sandwiches, salads, sweet potato

fries and a soup of the day.

Plates is located in what used to be

an army depot mess hall at 14 Business Park Way in Sacramento. It

was recently renovated into a quaint eatery with colorful chairs,

circular tables and brown, leather couches.

The food is superb. Plates’ Reuben

sandwiches consist of juicy, peppered slabs of pastrami, oozy Swiss

cheese, layers of thousand island dressing and sauerkraut on

toasted rye.

Not only is the Reuben delicious,

but it is also offered at the reasonable price of $8.75 and it

comes with a choice of regular fries, sweet potato fries or a

mixture of the two.

The sweet potato fries are

unforgettable and are cooked to perfection; they are crisp and warm

– not soggy – and also not too salty like at other eateries.

Plates is unlike any ordinary

sit-down eatery. The restaurant is a part of St. John’s shelter

program for women and children that provides former homeless

mothers the opportunity to gain valuable skills for employment.

“The idea is to get the women

marketable skills and experience to potentially gain work,” said

Plates business manager David Losé.

Losé also added that the program’s

goal is “to get the women off of welfare, CalWORKs or any county or

state funding so they can support themselves and their

families.”

When Losé was offered the manager

position, he said he was unsure of what he was getting into. Now

Losé said he is a support system to women.

“It has been an incredible

experience,” Losé said. “I’m being a support system for them since

they do not have a great support system at home and with their

family members.”

Server Diane Williams has been

working at Plates since November and said she believes the St.

John’s program has been helpful after she lost her job.

“My job fizzled out and I couldn’t

pay my bills,” Williams said. “(Here) they really care and help you

step out into the working world.”

Williams said the program

dramatically helped her improve her work and social skills.

“My hosting skills have boosted up

my morale,” Williams said. “Now I am more confident and

outgoing.”

Despite the cafe’s hidden location,

the restaurant has increased its popularity through word-of-mouth

and catering events. Plates is more than just a restaurant; it

assists to motivate women in need while offering delicious food to

its customers.

Plates Cafe is open Monday through

Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jordan Riturban can be reached

at [email protected]