Founder CEO, Café Momentum

Chad Houser is an award-winning chef and the Founder CEO of Café Momentum, a nationally recognized nonprofit restaurant and paid internship program serving justice-involved youth. What began in Dallas in 2015 has grown into a national movement with locations in Dallas, Pittsburgh and Atlanta, with expansion underway in Denver. The organization is also developing a flagship restaurant and National Training Facility in Dallas with the goal of reaching 10 cities by 2035.

Chad was named the 2025 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, a CNN Hero, an NFL Inspire Change Changemaker by the Atlanta Falcons and one of Dallas’s Best 500 Business Leaders. He is widely recognized as a national voice for youth justice and community-led solutions to systemic change.

He believes All Youth Deserve to Dream and that food can be a catalyst for opportunity, connection and transformation. To date, Café Momentum has supported nearly 1,700 youth nationwide.