Cooking Up Capabilities with the Urban Chevre

Urban Chevre is a relatively new restaurant in Kampala, run by the social business Mabau Inspired which passionately focuses on empowering marginalized youth. Urban Chevre fosters fun and empowering workplace culture that is apparent from the minute you walk through the door.

As a partner under the Make 12.4%Work initiative, Urban Chevre took on two young people with disabilities for work experience placement roles and provided them with mentorship and on-the-job training. Both interns have performed well in their new roles and have proved over time to be valuable assets to the team.

Gloria, a young woman with a hearing impairment supports the team working in finance and administration.  She is keen to develop her skills further and learn as much as she can.  Gloria gets along well with her colleagues and communicates with her team through written communication and through lip-reading and speech.

Gloria seated at her desk working

“I have benefited from this opportunity. I have learned a lot, especially in the finance department and accounting. I am doing things like bookkeeping. I do the general ledger book and the purchase order book. I also keep stock of the wine and bar items. My boss is very supportive and understanding of my challenges. The good thing is that the team knows I have a hearing impairment and they try to accommodate me. ” – Gloria

Chris, a young man with visual impairment, is working his way up in the kitchen.  He provides support to the kitchen crew through cleaning, prepping food like slicing potatoes for chips, and improving his baking skills when the kitchen is quiet. The staff at Urban Chevre supported him by allowing him to help develop the organization system for the kitchen. This lets him easily get things and put them back.  Through touch, he has mapped the kitchen in his mind, and if you watched how he moves, you would never know that he doesn’t have sight.

Chris kneading dough to make pastries at the Urban Chevre.

The staff at Urban Chevre are fully invested in the growth and development of both trainees.  They have supported Gloria in starting an online finance training program, and they have worked with Chris to discover where his passions and skills lie in the kitchen.  Chris was recently involved in a wine tasting event where staff discovered that he has a great nose for wine pairings!

You can visit Urban Chevre in the heart of Muyenga above the Italian Supermarket, and enjoy great food and wine in a relaxed atmosphere that is ideal for getting some work done with a great cup of coffee or having drinks after work with some friends.

During the lockdown, Urban Chevre is open for takeout and delivery from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm every day.

Find the location of the Urban Chevre here.