WHAT WE DO
PROGRAMS
Equity Partnership Program
The Equity Partnership Program is creating a model of changing management standards across New Orleans’s hospitality industry by working with restaurants to challenge implicit biases in policies that impact hiring, firing, promotion, and training practices that create barriers for people of color. MiNO works in partnership with restaurant owners to conduct a racial equity assessment of their business, develop action plans for change, and provide ongoing training and support. This program provides restaurant owners with practical tools and resources that allow them to create a more unified and equitable workspace and maximize the potential of their business. MiNO serves as a mediator between staff and management. Through this program, restaurant owners are provided with an opportunity for collaboration, a commitment to growth, and an awareness of the discomfort necessary as they set forth on a path for real change.
Build Your Business
Build Your Business is an advanced-level entrepreneurship program that connects hospitality professionals of color seeking paths to owning and/or leading a culinary business with the resources and education needed to successfully develop and execute their business plans. This program provides an ongoing series of workshops, seminars, and consultations that provide entrepreneurial training, skill building, sharing of best practices, and a learning exchange for hospitality professionals looking to grow as entrepreneurs and leaders in the industry.
Build Your Business programming includes the New Orleans Hospitality BIPOC Network. This online network is a tool for connecting New Orleans hospitality professionals with resources and career opportunities with the restaurants and businesses in the community that are creating equitable and inclusive workspaces.
Bounce Back Fund
In response to COVID-19, MiNO created the Bounce Back Fund to provide immediate emergency financial aid to hospitality professionals of color to meet basic needs. MiNO has partnered with donors and foundations to provide direct funding to those most in need and has provided individual support to assist hospitality professionals with identifying and applying for other forms of aid and securing unemployment.
Culinary Scholarship
The Culinary Scholarship Program invests in aspiring BIPOC chefs with scholarships that cover tuition, travel, and living expenses to attend culinary programs at top institutions. Prior to Covid-19 pandemic recipients attended International Culinary Center in New York. To date, 19 local students have received scholarships, graduated, and are pursuing advanced culinary careers.