- Ooh De Lally is growing beyond its Dundee roots — opening a new space near 40th and Military that will include a bakery, coffee shop, and eight apartment units to support employees transitioning back into society.
- The nonprofit restaurant hires and trains people who were formerly incarcerated, offering hands-on culinary skills, job readiness, and housing resources to help them rebuild their lives.
Executive Director Tim Steinbich says the expansion comes after outgrowing their first location in just over a year — a sign of both the restaurant’s popularity and the growing demand for re-entry opportunities in the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Ooh De Lally — a nonprofit restaurant based in Dundee that helps formerly incarcerated people re-enter society — says it’s outgrown its original space since opening in 2024.
Now, the organization is expanding its mission near Hamilton and Military, where a new location will include a bakery, coffee shop, and eight apartment units on the floors above.
Inside Ooh De Lally, the smell of food cooking fills the air — and so does purpose. It’s not just about serving meals. It’s about serving second chances.
“I feel like I found a home,” said Kimberly Anthony, a prep-room supervisor and pastry chef. “It’s not just people I work with… we’re closer than that. We’re family.”
Anthony was released from federal prison in 2023 and found her way to Ooh De Lally through its re-entry employment program. She says the transition back into everyday life wasn’t easy.
“The biggest challenge is finding employment,” Anthony said. “Trying to get your ID, your birth certificate… all the stuff you need to even get a job.”
The restaurant partners with local organizations to help people who’ve been incarcerated find job training, housing, and stability — and it’s quickly become a community staple.
“It’s being able to help more people,” said Executive Director Tim Steinbich. Steinbich says that since opening in March 2024, the restaurant has drawn consistent crowds — filling the former Mark’s Restaurant space with new life and a new mission. But growth has brought new challenges.
“We’re very cramped,” Steinbich said. “And with 42 employees rotating in and out of there — in the dining room — we need more room.”
For staff members like Anthony, the expansion represents more than just a bigger building.
“I like the fact that I’m going to be teaching people what I learned,” she said.
“I feel like I’m giving back — maybe giving someone else a purpose and trade they can carry with them the rest of their life… like I did.”
The new Ooh De Lally location is expected to open by the end of 2027, combining its mission of food, community, and second chances all under one roof.
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