About Carroll’s Kitchen

We are a nonprofit social enterprise restaurant serving contemporary comfort food from our grab-and-go storefront in downtown Raleigh, and creating healthy employment for women overcoming crisis through our Restorative Employment Model. We exist to provide job training and paid work for women overcoming addiction, homelessness, incarceration, domestic violence and more.

Our vision

A community where every woman overcoming crisis is transformed into a life of hope, dignity, independence and freedom in Christ.

Our mission

We seek to honor Christ through our nonprofit social enterprise restaurant by empowering women overcoming crisis to achieve lasting stability and restored purpose by providing paid employment, culinary and life skills, and wrap-around services.

The Restorative Employment Model

Our Restorative Employment Model is a pathway to economic dignity. Every woman works through two tracks at the same time, one inside the kitchen and one outside it.

Stability Program

A tiered system of support, resources and goals that helps a woman establish and keep long-term stability.

1. Values and program goals
2. Access resources and seek community
3. Maintain stability and partner with a mentor
4. Explore career options and future plans
5. Pursue future plans with a mentor
6. Self-care and program leadership
7. Post-program follow-up for six months

Culinary Program

A tiered system of skills and goals that trains each woman for focused production and healthy leadership in a fast-paced kitchen.

1. Values and kitchen safety
2. Kitchen sanitation and teamwork
3. Time management and menu
4. Quality control and recipe use
5. Customer service and marketing
6. Kitchen finances and leadership

Our story

Early 1900s

Mr. and Mrs. Carroll were a philanthropic couple in downtown Raleigh. During the Spanish flu outbreak, Mr. Carroll opened a soup kitchen for struggling families. After he died of the flu in 1918, Mrs. Carroll carried on their work, serving local children’s organizations and counseling prisoners and their families at Polk Prison Camp, helping many of them earn parole and find work.

2016

Carroll’s Kitchen opened at 19 E. Martin Street with a mission of creating healthy employment for women overcoming crisis. Our grab-and-go teaching kitchen helps women build culinary skills, personal skills and social stability inside a community that supports them in and out of the kitchen.

2026

Ten years in, from our home at 230 S Wilmington Street, 63 women have graduated from the program with a 0% recidivism rate. Graduates have gone on to full-time jobs, stable housing, reliable transportation, restored relationships and further education.

It takes a village. We are thankful for ours.

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  Makenzie Meeker

  Executive Director

  Favorite on the menu: Turkey Brie

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  Lauren Swint

  General Manager

  Favorite on the menu: Cheeseburger Kolache

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  Sommer Younis

  Kitchen Manager

  Favorite on the menu: Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Community resources we work with

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Our partners

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