Doing Good in Dallas

Youth-focused Dallas nonprofit sets the table for its first big chef dinner

As a socially involved and civically conscious Dallasite, you may be familiar with Cafe Momentum. But the acclaimed restaurant — where young men and women work in all aspects of the restaurant, learning life and social skills along the way — originally grew out of an organization called Youth With Faces.

The nonprofit helps youth beat the cycle of incarceration through several programs that encourage foundational skills needed to be capable, contributing members of the community.

Founded in 2001, Youth With Faces started out by providing materials and meals to the kids in Dallas County’s Youth Village. It expanded in 2008 to include rehabilitation programs, and today it annually impacts the lives of approximately 200-300 youths at Dallas County's Letot Residential Center, Medlock Treatment Center, and Youth Village.

"Most of our kids have faced things you or I cannot imagine," says Youth With Faces CEO Chris Quadri. "It's rewarding to watch how they change the more time they spend in our classes. We want everyone to know our kids have potential, because we see it every day."

Through programs such as Career Readiness, Culinary Arts, PREP Dog Training, and Horticulture Therapy, young men and women in the juvenile system learn important lessons in leadership, empathy, and patience. Social skills are reinforced daily, with emphasis on making eye contact, dealing with frustration and disappointment, and following through on commitments.

Knowing that if kids can get back in school or secure a job after release, their chances of success are far greater, so the group teaches how to set goals and plan the steps to achieve them. Through career readiness and education, youth learn how to prepare a resume, interview, and find and keep culinary, retail, and other gateway jobs. Youth With Faces also connects its kids to a network of employers.

Partnerships with organizations that include several Dallas restaurants are reinforced not only through hands-on learning and chef-led demonstrations, where the youth get to see someone who looks and talks like them achieving a productive career, but also through events like the inaugural Field & Vine wine dinner.

The five-course, farm-to-table soiree is set for May 6 at the historic Turner House in Oak Cliff, where some of Dallas' finest chefs will prepare an al fresco Sunday meal. Matt Balke (Bolsa), Graham Dodds (The Statler), Sharon Hage, (restaurant consultant and chef), Jeff Harris, (Headington Restaurants, Commissary), and Nathan Tate (Boulevardier, Rapscallion) will each prepare a course of locally sourced fare, accompanied by paired wines. A cocktail hour will precede the dinner.

"In the past two weeks, we've received a call every day from someone who wants to help," says Quadri. "Several of the Field & Vine chefs have worked with our kids, and with their support we're reaching so many more in the community who are ready to get involved."

All ticket sales and sponsorships benefit Youth With Faces and its valuable programs. And if that celebrity chef lineup has whetted your appetite, you'd better hurry — tickets are selling fast.

A Youth With Faces graduate and the Culinary Arts program director Terry Lynn Crenshaw cook together after his release.

Youth With Faces graduate and Culinary Arts program director Terry Lynn Crenshaw cook together after his release

Photo courtesy of Youth With Faces

A Youth With Faces graduate and the Culinary Arts program director Terry Lynn Crenshaw cook together after his release.

chefs fundraisers kids promoted dinner

stay alert

Texas shocks as America's No. 3 least safe state in 2026 report

Photo by Hiroshi Kimura on Unsplash

Texas ranks as the 48th "safest" state — out of 50.

While no state is invulnerable, some do more to protect their residents than others. And a new study has declared Texas one of the five least safe states in America.

WalletHub's "Safest States in America (2026)" report examined all 50 states for their emergency preparedness and for residents' personal and residential, financial, workplace, and road safety. Factors that weighed into the rankings include specific crime rates per capita, the share of the population that is uninsured, road quality ratings, workplace injury statistics, and more.

Texas ranked at the bottom of the list as the 48th "safest" state — or the third least safe state. It's joined by several other Southern states, like Mississippi (No. 50), Louisiana (No. 49), Florida (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46).

According to WalletHub, Texas specifically ranks third to last in the nationwide "emergency preparedness" category, which was determined based on the prevalence of climate disasters causing $1 billion or more in damages from 1980-2024, and the loss amount resulting from those disasters.

The Lone Star State also ranked 40th (or 10th worst) across three safety categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, and road safety. The report additionally found that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents nationally.

Texas' "workplace safety" was the state's highest-ranking category, landing 30th nationally.

Additional rankings that determined Texas' overall safety include:

No. 30 – Assaults per capita
No. 32 – Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers
No. 32 – Sex offenders per capita
No. 35 – Murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita
No. 36 – Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
No. 41 – Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita

According to the report, the five safest states in America are all located in the Northeast. Vermont leads as the country's safest state in 2026, followed by Massachusetts (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), New Hampshire (No. 4), and Connecticut (No. 5).

Though every state has varying levels of safety, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo asserted that the safest places in the U.S. categorically invest in protecting their residents. Top-ranking states have low crime rates and diligently maintain their road infrastructure, and other states that prioritize their residents' safety have "strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations."

"[The safest states in America] have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too," Lupo said. "In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates."

safety texas wallethub reports