It has been 13 months since EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute left Shaker Square and moved into the former Nighttown space on Cedar-Fairmount in Cleveland Heights.

Thus far, the experience has been nothing short of “f---ing fantastic,” as EDWINS founder and CEO Brandon Chrostowski succinctly puts it.

EDWINS collected $3.3 million in revenue during its first year at 12383 Cedar Road, compared to the $1.4 million during its final year at Shaker Square.

“This would not be possible without the [Cleveland Heights] community welcoming us with open arms,” says Chrostowski. “We haven’t been wanted like this in, I can’t tell you how long. Having a place where the public wants us has been the biggest shift that’s allowed us to flourish.”

Chrostowski is now leveraging that momentum into an expansion that includes upgraded classrooms and a fresh dining concept. As part of the growing footprint, the nonprofit is taking over two nearby properties—the former Zoss the Swiss Baker and a space currently occupied by C L Barber and Salon Family Hair Styling.

EDWINS recently completed a $200,000 renovation to the 1,800-square-foot Zoss location, which is the institute’s future classroom and professional teaching kitchen. Chrostowski says classes in the new facility will begin in May—complete with new flooring and upgraded kitchen equipment.

Cooking up success
Formerly housed in the restaurant basement, the classroom now has capacity for 40 students, as well as a kitchen for 15 would-be culinary pros. In addition to mastering core culinary skills, students will learn to craft cheese, beer, and wine in a dedicated fermentation area as part of the curriculum.

“With these classrooms, you’ll have a high-quality environment for basic cooking similar to major culinary schools,” explains Chrostowski. “We’ll have touch screens, which elevate the level of teaching, plus an administrative office [that] people can just walk into, instead of coming into a busy restaurant.”

Beyond serving as a training ground, the space will double as a venue for corporate events, private parties, and school-based education programs. The classroom will also act as a pipeline for the regional restaurant scene, adds Chrostowski.

“We’re putting out better chefs and better maître d's,” Chrostowski boasts. “This is a higher quality product for the region, not just for us.”

A new era
As the classroom takes shape, EDWINS will convert the 900-square-foot salon into a 24-seat oyster bar and seafood concept.

Planned for late summer or early fall, the oyster bar will have classroom space for butchery, oyster shucking, and other culinary skills found in fine dining kitchens.

Like the oyster shops of southwestern France, the spot will feature raw offerings, along with a small bar serving high-end wine and champagne. Adding a premier oyster outpost creates another layer of luxury for a destination already distinguished by its heated Cigar Bar on the patio, Chrostowski says.

“It’s a well-curated raw bar experience, like what you’d find in Paris,” says Chrostowski. “Our guest experience has expanded vastly, and this is just another add-on. A guest can begin their night at the oyster bar, then dine and listen to music, and finish with a cigar or cocktail. It’s not just one precise place; it’s about the whole evening.”

Founded by Chrostowski in 2007, EDWINS Leaderhsip & Restaurant Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on providing formerly incarcerated adults with workforce training in the culinary and hospitality industries.

EDWINS opened as a French fine-dining restaurant in Shaker Square in 2013, followed by EDWINS Too, also on the Square, in 2020.

Chrostowski closed the EDWINS and EDWINS Too restaurants in Shaker Square in February 2025— saying that he had endured ongoing crime that affected his establishments as well as the surrounding shopping district.

Chrostowski subsequently reopened his flagship restaurant on Cedar Hill in March 2025.

EDWINS graduates nearly 100 students annually, with a 95% employment rate and less than 1% recidivism, per figures from the organization.

Last year, Chrostowski received the inaugural James Beard Foundation Impact Award, which “recognizes exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system.”

The upcoming expansion further cements EDWINS standing as both a Cleveland institution and national industry leader, says Chrostowski.

“We just keep doing the best we can,” he says, “so keep supporting us, because we’re not done yet.”