When people do things right, especially when what they are doing is counter to the cultural norms, it is important to let them know. There is a restaurant in Omaha whose mission does the city proud; like a gem on a crown of nobility, Ooh-De-Lally shines all on its own. From the restaurant's website, its mission: 

“A non-profit restaurant dedicated to empowering formerly incarcerated individuals through comprehensive culinary training and meaningful employment opportunities. By partnering with Metropolitan Community College’s 180 Re-entry Assistance Program, we strive to reduce recidivism, foster personal growth, and nurture self-sufficiency. Guided by our core values of inclusion, respect, and community engagement, we aim to provide exceptional dining experiences while championing second chances.”

I had no idea the restaurant existed in Omaha until my family went out to eat there and my sister mentioned the mission offhand. Up until that point, as someone who was dining there, it had seemed to me that Ooh-De-Lally was just a restaurant with its own ambiance, but otherwise was no different from other places. From the main street in Dundee, I turned off and walked into and through a little garden alleyway, upstairs to the top level of a building likely originally designed for something else long ago. A low, but respectable ceiling, dark floors, and three walls made of mirrors lent the space to seem more vast than it was, and on the back wall, one large, continuous window overlooked the historic neighborhood outside.

It was also certainly a place with good quality food, as on the day I went to review it, the tables were nearly all full of patrons. I suppose one could make the argument that every person was there solely to support the mission, though I am just pessimistic enough when it comes to people to know that just a good deed isn’t always enough to bring in money. Sitting at the sleek and modern bar, I asked the young woman working opposite me about the restaurant’s mission. With a smile, she proudly remarked that “fifty to sixty percent of staff” at that current moment had been incarcerated, and handed me a small card that told the story of one of their chefs who bakes a cake for each one of the staff members on their birthdays. 

Interested in the culture of Ooh-De-Lally, I honestly wanted to ask for even more information, but the restaurant was very busy, so I settled for ordering food and doing my research afterward. Plus, a good mission might bring people in to support it once, but if the food is bad, will many return? This question would determine if this article would just be a spotlight for “Ooh-De-Lally, the Non-Profit,” or "Ooh-De-Lally, the Restaurant." 

Being a man of supreme culture (you know, log-cabin hermitage), I had to order a good soup. Soup is easy to make, but easier to mess up. Too much salt or even the ‘stuff to water ratio’ can make or break it. Thus, a bowl of their “Tarragon Mushroom Soup” found its way onto the dark bar top in front of me. Picturesque in its small bowl, my spoon breaking the surface released little tuffs of steam which dragged out a pleasant aroma of cremini mushrooms and cream. Bringing a spoonful up, I was met with a firm declaration of the ingredients, while importantly, no flavor was overpowering – something easy for any mushroom-themed dish to fail at. Even on a hot day, the soup would not be unwelcome. Honestly, for a guy like me who is not super big into mushrooms, I ended up searching the soup with my spoon for each one to eat individually. 

As for a main dish to review, I decided to bite the bullet for you, Dear Reader, and to man up… to try out the item on the menu which said, “Lobster flown in fresh from Sea Salt Lobster Co., Saco, Maine.” I know – I know you must think me a saint for doing something so difficult, but it had to be done. Fresh. From Maine. Honestly, it couldn’t be helped, and nor could I. A soft red lobster broken open, stuffed in a softer, ever so slightly toasted slice of bread with a side of fries was set before me, and like a barbarian who was trying to blend in with civilized society, I fought to restrain myself as I raised up and bit into the lobster roll. 

Where the Tarragon Soup was warm and aromatic, everything about the Lobster Roll could be described as light and ‘fluffy.’ The bread, the lobster, the sauce. Usually, when consuming bread, I, like others, describe feeling weighed down, or ‘stuffed,’ but not there, with it. It too had a sort of sauce or cream alongside brown butter, which thankfully did not drown out the lobster or soak the bread. Where seafood has the potential to be dried out from being overcooked, it was not. The roll and the soup were both very pleasant. 

As per its mission statement, Ooh-De-Lally did wonderfully with its “comprehensive culinary training," and, with nearly sixty percent of its staff having served time in prisons, it is also doing far, far better than the national average. Prisonpolicy.org reports that " formerly incarcerated people are unemployed at a rate that is higher than the total U.S. unemployment rate during any historical period, including the Great Depression.” The “U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission” found that people who avoided a felony conviction also found much higher employment rates and a “significantly lower" rate of reoffending. It is substantially harder for an incarcerated person to get a job, and, if we as a society believe that people can be rehabilitated, then Ooh-De-Lally is doing a fantastic service for both once-incarcerated people and a society that benefits from more people employed stably. 

Is this article about "Ooh-De-Lally the Non-Profit” or “Ooh-De-Lally the Restaurant?"

Honestly both, the mission and food are both great, and I urge Omaha foodies to give it a try!   

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.