The Box Spot Opens on N. Claiborne
The Box Spot, 1700 N. Claiborne Ave., celebrated its grand opening on June 7, serving healthy and hearty appetites. The former empty lot in the Seventh Ward is now home to a pair of casual restaurants built from recycled shipping containers, with one serving chicken wings with loaded fries and the other specializing in salads and wraps.
The Box Spot features J’s Creole Wingery and The Fresh Side; each built in its own truck-sized, air-conditioned container. They sit parallel to each other, and share a deck covered by overhead screens. At J’s Creole Wingery the motto is “We Good Baby” and on The Fresh Side the motto “Eat Healthy Honey.”
The pair of restaurants is owned by a family with deep roots in the New Orleans and a long history of entrepreneurship. Gina and Omar Duncan are part of the Rhodes family, whose enterprises throughout New Orleans include funeral homes, a limousine service, a special events center and a business center. Later this year, they plan to develop another Box Spot in Mid-City.
J’s Creole Wingery and The Fresh Side are open daily, with the exception of Tuesdays. For hours and more information, call 309-9444 for J’s Creole Wingery and 309-8888 for The Fresh Side.
City Hosts Fourteenth STRIVE NOLA Graduation
The city of New Orleans hosted its 14th STRIVE New Orleans (STRIVE NOLA) graduation ceremony on June 9. Launched in March 2015, STRIVE NOLA connects disadvantaged jobseekers to employment opportunities by providing workforce case management, job readiness training and supportive services. STRIVE NOLA prepares and connects local jobseekers, specifically African American males, to career pathways through local anchor institutions.
The program provides participants with case management services, post-secondary education opportunities, occupational skills training, service-learning projects, paid internships, education placement assistance and job readiness training.
STRIVE NOLA is in line with Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s economic opportunity strategy—a comprehensive effort to connect disadvantaged jobseekers and businesses to new opportunities by working to ensure that every resident can take part in the city’s economic growth through partnerships with local training providers, social service agencies and community advocates. This year, the city announced that the African American male non-employment rate is down from 52 percent to 44 percent.
Youth Study Center Hosts Job Fairs to Fill 21 Vacancies
The city’s Youth Study Center (YSC), which serves as the juvenile detention center for Orleans Parish, recently announced a series of job fairs to recruit 21 Juvenile Detention Counselors. The job fair will be held at the Youth Study Center (1100 Milton St., New Orleans, LA 70122) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following days:
Wednesday, June 21
Saturday, June 24
Saturday, July 8
Wednesday, July 12
Wednesday, July 19
Saturday, July 22
Saturday, July 29
Those interested are asked to bring identification (a government-issued photo ID, driver’s license or passport), proof of graduation (high school diploma, GED equivalency diploma, official college transcript or original college diploma) and a social security card. New Orleans Civil Service Department requires that candidates be 21 years of age or older. Attendees should also come prepared to complete an application, attend an orientation session and schedule an interview with a Youth Study Center representative.
The mission of Youth Study Center is to provide a safe, secure and humane environment for juveniles and staff; to provide juveniles an opportunity for behavioral change; and to provide quality services and programs for juveniles based on their individual needs.
For more information, please visit: www.nola.gov/youth-study-center/employment/job-fairs.