Down North Pizza, the pizzeria that is hiring ex-convicts and became the best

One of the biggest challenges that people face when they leave prison is social reintegration, since there are few places where they want an ex-convict as an employee, let alone finding houses or apartments to rent.

Michael Carter, a man who spent 12 years in prison, knows this well and the pizzeria where he works, The Down North, aims to make life a little easier for people who are in the situation in which he found himself for a long time.

Michael Carter, from prisons to pizzerias

Michael always liked to cook. In fact, when I was a kid, I wanted to help prepare big dinners for family gatherings all the time; this taste made her dream of going to culinary school. However, this was not possible, at least initially, because he was imprisoned when he was 16 years old. For reasons of life, he was in and out of the prison system for many years and, finally, when he was completely free, he had spent a total of 12 years in prison.

Still, he never let go of his dream. In prison he worked in the kitchen, since that is where he always felt comfortable. In addition, the two times he was released before re-entering he spent his time working in restaurants or culinary schools. He had other jobs, like at Walmart, but it was not where he felt happy, because he believed that he had to hide from people, while in the kitchen, “as long as you do the work, nobody cares about your past.”

Eventually he managed to be the executive chef of the pizzeria The Down North, located in Philadelphia, which turned out to be a very special place for more than just the pizzas, because in this restaurant an effort is made to hire ex-convicts.

A place with a mission

In addition to offering the best pizzas in the county, Down North Pizza’s mission is characterized by hiring people with criminal records and initiating the necessary conversations for other employers and businesses to do the same. About the mission of the pizzeria, Michael had the following to say:

Down North Pizza is all about good food. We have Detroit-style square pizza that reminds people of the pizza Fridays of their childhood. But it’s also about training, hiring, and house hunting for people like me.

Another of his goals, and something that Michael is particularly passionate about, is educating people about recidivism and how today’s justice system and society create the climate for it.

It is very easy to go back to prison for what are called ‘technical violations’, which are things like missing an appointment with your probation officer or not paying supervision fees.

Spreading a message

The success of a pizzeria where most of the employees are ex-convicts allows the necessary dialogues to begin so that people who leave prison and seek to return to society, and simply rebuild their lives, have the necessary tools to do so.

At this point in my career, I could get a job anywhere in town. Down North Pizza has given me a voice. It has allowed me to talk to a lot of people – reporters, clients, whoever – about the prison system. During the last elections, many judges came. They are a key part of the judicial system and I was able to explain to them what it is really like to live in that system.

Second Chances

The owners of the pizzeria, Muhammed Abdul-Hadi and Kurt Evans, wanted to create a place where ex-convicts could find a second chance.

What I’m trying to do at Down North Pizza is create a place for our kids to be free, to be who they really are. Have a good time. We know that not everyone will understand us, but not everyone comes from where we come from. We are living proof that you can build a business by targeting people who have been in prison.