EGBOK (Everything’s Gonna Be OK) Mission provides training to underprivileged young adults to be the future hospitality leaders of Cambodia. 100% of their alumni receive jobs upon graduation. The goal of this bamboo restaurant school is to build an on-campus learning facility where students can practice hands-on service training with public audiences. Without this on-campus facility, they would lack the practical training essential to build their work experience.
Spoons: Helping Make A Difference, One Meal At A Time
Spoons, an EGBOK café, has been a long time in the making. When EGBOK first began in 2009, we provided supplemental classes, housing, job and financial support to young disadvantaged Cambodians studying at other hospitality schools in Siem Reap. From then we have grown into our own Training and Internship Program formally recognized by the Cambodian Government. We provide holistic training and life skills development to young adults from Cambodia’s most underserved communities, with over 200 alumni now employed in top hospitality jobs across Siem Reap and beyond. The idea of enhancing our program with an on-site training café was there from the start, but it was not until recently that we were able to make it a reality.
In 2016, Spoons Café opened its bamboo gates, marking the next chapter for EGBOK. By providing additional learning space, the café allows EGBOK to expand our program’s culinary curriculum, offer invaluable hands-on service training for the students, and increase the number of students we can admit each year. The café profits are channeled directly back in support of EGBOK, helping us achieve greater financial stability and sustainability. The café also serves as a multipurpose space for the community, where we can welcome guests and treat them to authentic Cambodian cuisine and hospitality, and showcase the sustainability initiatives that define the Spoons experience—and the greater local Siem Reap community as a whole.
