Stone Soup Catering expanding to open new cafe

A program in Saint John that helps people upgrade their job skills is expanding to include a new cafe that will serve the public and help develop anew set of skills.

Stone Soup Catering is a training and hiring program by the Saint John Learning Exchange.

It brings healthy meals to clients, while at the same time, giving meaningful employment to those looking to expand their skills through the exchange.

Stone Soup currently operates a school lunch program and caters events for businesses and groups.

Manager Claire Ashton says they will soon operate a community kitchen in the new Social Enterprise Hub coming to Prince Edward Street. Plans are also in the works for a cafe out of the new YMCA.

"It's really exciting because it will be our foray into having a retail centre," she said. "So that will give us the opportunity to hire at different levels so we can hire our trainees and management and have another site where people can be trained."

The new YMCA is expected to open in November.