Bob Ray Sanders, in his Star-Telegram column, writes about a once-unemployed North Texas chef who is climbing out of the recession by helping others. Vedet Lika will open a burger restaurant with workers struggling through the economic downturn.
Another hamburger restaurant is scheduled to open in Tarrant County this week.
But this one won't need a herd of police officers directing traffic, and probably will not attract customers willing to camp out overnight or have to hire extra waiters just to take orders.
After it opens, however, I won't guarantee all those things won't happen because the Best Tex Burger in North Richland Hills is very special — and I'm not just talking about the tasty seven-ingredient "special sauce" that chef Vedat Lika developed for his half-pound gourmet hamburgers.
It's special because this chef and some of his workers are special.
Lika, who once was unemployed for eight months, was chef and chief instructor for the Community Kitchen run by the Tarrant Area Food Bank. The program is designed to teach low-income people confronted with great challenges to become cooks for restaurants, commercial kitchens and institutions.
Read Bob Ray Sanders' entire column at the Star-Telegram.