Arise Cafe features Americana-style breakfast and lunch fare, wraps and sandwiches, and coffee. Craig and new assistant manager Jake Siemer plan to expand the cafe’s menu, including several new sandwiches and breakfast items, and expand its hours of operation. The new hours for Arise are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Craig and Siemer also are planning to offer delivery within an eight-mile radius of the restaurant, including Fairborn, Xenia and Yellow Springs, and strengthening the catering side of the business.
Craig previously worked in the men’s housing unit at Emerge, which opened last year, and comes to Arise with more than 30 years of experience in restaurant management, primarily in Yellow Springs, according to an announcement from Emerge.
“I was also managing a restaurant in Downtown Dayton. I knew Emerge cofounder Kip Morris in the past from when I managed restaurants in Yellow Springs. Kip expressed that he was looking for a change at the restaurant. He asked if I was interested in taking ownership and operating it,” Craig said.
Craig said he plans to continue the business’s tradition of being a second-chance employer, and to hire people completing addiction recovery programing at Emerge.
Located at 2960 West Enon Road in Xenia Twp., Arise Cafe is located on the site of Emerge Recovery and Trade, an addiction-to-workforce recovery program, which offers housing for men who have recently completed inpatient treatment, and trains those in recovery in highly in-demand trades. Emerge’s model aims to give people recovering from substance abuse the tools and knowledge to have a career and a stable income; and to supply local plumbing, HVAC, and electrical businesses with more skilled workers.
Craig, who himself is in recovery with 15 months of sobriety, said helping others in early recovery has been an integral part of his own recovery.
“The idea is for this to continue to be a place that serves the local community with preference to people in recovery,” Craig said. “I want to give my employees a second chance — a place to come, to gain confidence, learn new skills and get reintegrated into society.”
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