We empower second
chances
through
culinary excellence

Ooh De Lally is a non-profit restaurant dedicated to empowering formerly incarcerated individuals through comprehensive culinary training and meaningful employment opportunities.

Kitchen training in action

We believe that people deserve second chances. Passionate individuals with a desire to rebuild their lives are what drive true transformation. Our team brings deep experience in discovering exceptional talent and building strong, enduring futures.

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Program participants welcomed into our kitchen and dining room in just two years.

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People reached annually through dining, speaking engagements, and advocacy.

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Revenue growth from 2024 to 2025 — a thriving social enterprise reinvesting in second chances.

We invest where
transformation meets impact

Ooh De Lally partners through programs across culinary, hospitality, and life-skills sectors, empowering careers that make the world more connected, efficient, and human.

Jump Start culinary training

Jump Start

32 hours of hands-on culinary training each week, paired with MCC's 180 RAP curriculum in financial literacy, parenting, and trauma-informed care.

Thriving Wage

Competitive pay and employer-sponsored health insurance for every team member — formerly incarcerated or not.

Second Chance Employment

Stable jobs in a professional kitchen under Executive Chef Doug Case — building structure, accountability, and self-sufficiency.

Housing & Human Support

Help with utilities, furniture, and access to deeply discounted housing — removing barriers to long-term success.

A collective of believers,
builders, and champions.

Our team brings together decades of experience in hospitality, rehabilitation, and community building. We don't just provide training; we provide care, empathy, and partnership.

"I've seen someone's life transform in the course of two years and continue to take the upward trajectory. That's all I need. The food's great but it's all about the people."

— Doug Case, Executive Chef

Doug Case
Doug Case Executive Chef
LaRue Marcos
LaRue Marcos Director of Community Voice & Partnerships

Join our
journey of transformation

Oct 21, 2025

LARUE’S JOURNEY

A journery to ooh de lally

Read Story →
Nov 11, 2025

KIM’S JOURNEY

FINDING CONFIDENCE, COMMUNITY, AND A NEW BEGINNING

Read Story →
Nov 18, 2025

Redemption Feast 2025: An Evening of Food, Community & Second Chances

Our flagship annual prix fixe — a five-course dinner where Jump Start participants share the stories behind the dishes that have shaped their lives.

Read Story →

Supported by visionaries

Powered by a community of believers

Every gift, large or small, fuels the training, mentorship, and wraparound services that turn second chances into lasting change. Thank you to the donors who made 2024 and 2025 possible.

"My brother was formerly incarcerated. Thank you for spreading awareness and for creating this program."
"As someone who grew up in Dundee, I'm so happy to see places like this in my beloved Dundee."
"Our son was an employee there for a while and Ooh De Lally provides wonderful support."

Foundations & Leadership Gifts

Sherwood Foundation Lozier Foundation Richard Brooke Foundation Omaha Community Foundation Pamela Buffett Vic Gutman & Roberta Wilhelm Rosalyn Hansen Bruce & Linda Boles David Harding Jodie Mackintosh Rebecca Miller Donald Neal Jr. Brad Negrete Laura Wilwerding GMSwerks Randall & Beverly Greer

Friends & Supporters

90th & Dodge Family Dentistry Gaylene Armstrong Kaitlin Barr-Rischling Adam Bintner Stefanie Bolte Andrew Braunbhar Ronald & Karen Case Nicole Chipy-Hammack Craig Christiansen Cynthia Cooper Jackie Costilla Marianne Cranevictoria Cruz Michael Dixon Joy Doll Anne Marie Espejo Chris Foss Gwen Foxall Christie Frazzini Alison Freifeld Steve Gibbs Elisabeth Gotsdiner Gary Gotsdiner Gary & Jane Hagebush Jeff Hansen Paula Harwood Michelle Hayes-Collins Barbara Hechtner Melanie Hecker Keith Herrman Suzanne & David Hoppen Robyn Hubbard Dianne Jelden Kathleen Johnson Andi & Joe Kafka KJP Holdings LLC Kassie Lecci Shari Lecci Jennifer Leinicke Kristen Levell Anne Lieben Barb Lightner James Linder Eli Maas Kait Madsen Allison McMickell Amanda Messenger Anne Meysenburg Heidi Mogensen Michael Moran James Mumgaard Deb Neary Cynthia A. Owens Michael Pflueger Kyle Philipps Tina Ray Susan Reay Amy Recker Steve Rothe Kerri Sanchez Kim Schenkelberg Sheri Shuler Daniel Slattery Amy Smith Jodi Smith Amber Soderstrom Erin Sorensen Catherine Sosso Susanna Spaulding Joe Steuter Molli Surdell Michaela Svagera Mark Taylor Tara Toscano Trivium Life Services Christine Tvrdik Beth Tyler Erica Valasek Ali Vokoun Lorri Wallace Susan Wardian Michele Wilhlem Ryan Zabrowski

In-Kind Partners

Chieftain Distributing Sysco Myrtle & Cypress

The next chapter is already in motion.

We're expanding into transitional sober living for our participants, and breaking ground on a North Omaha campus with housing, a training kitchen, commercial bakery, and café — creating even more pathways to recovery, stability, and lasting change.