Since its inception, the program has seen 1,600 graduates, including Natalie Schwartz, whose namesake restaurant, Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon, relocated from Innsbrook in March, taking over the former Positive Vibe Cafe space in a full-circle moment. “I thought, maybe I could do another restaurant and hire people with disabilities, and Max could get a job,” Larcen recalls. Having operated two restaurants in Blacksburg, Larcen saw an opportunity in Richmond. The Positive Vibe Foundation was founded in 2005 by Garth Larcen after his son, Max, who was born with muscular dystrophy, struggled to find a job post-college. My heart has always been in nonprofit work.” “I wanted to do something where I could be making a difference, and that I could enjoy,” she says. In her most recent chapter, Jones has settled into a new role as executive director of The Positive Vibe Foundation, a nonprofit that mentors, trains and employs young adults with physical and cognitive disabilities. Half of the powerhouse duo behind the now shuttered Richmond restaurants Comfort and Pasture, Jones has decades of experience in the food and beverage world and has been a culinary change agent.Īnd if there’s anything as intrinsic to her nature as her welcoming “Hey, y’all,” it’s her desire to make a difference. If there’s one thing Michele Jones knows, it’s the restaurant industry. Michele Jones, a dining industry veteran and new executive director of The Positive Vibe Foundation (Photo by Jay Paul)
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