About The Cookery
The Cookery is a café with an Australian flair that provides catering services and hosts events. As a division of Lambscroft Ministries, The Cookery offers training opportunities to formerly homeless or incarcerated men in the Culinary Arts, preparing them for employment in the local food industry.
Our Mission & Vision
To glorify God by helping people move from homelessness and despair to hope as part of Christ’s community by providing housing, mentoring, job training, discipleship, and service opportunities.
Our vision is for restored lives reconciled to God, self, and others.
Our Core Values
Christ, from the beginning to the end, introduces the hurting and marginalized to the only relationship that will make them whole.
By belonging to the Lambscroft community, people will reengage with the community and ultimately serve the community.
Whatever we do, if we base it on the Gospel, we will receive life.
Renewal of identity by honoring the sanctity of the individual and the power of their choice.
Belonging, replacing fear, in a culture of respect and honor.
Mercy over judgement, relationship and connection over the need to always be right.
Faith based servant leadership at all levels of ministry.
We want more guests at the Lord’s banquet.
Our Story
In 2008, compassion stirred among a group of believers, along with local churches, to address homelessness in the community. Out of their vision came Church in the Yard, a program hosted at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Nashville. It offered food and a Sunday service for the homeless. That same year, the Upper Room Shelter began, welcoming six individuals biweekly at the Woodbine Cumberland Presbyterian Church gym. Over time, it grew to serve 60 to 110 people twice a week, offering a hot meal and a safe place to sleep. The program continued until August 2015, when the church property was sold.
During this time, the vision became more focused and unified. In 2011, Lambscroft Ministries became an official 501(c)(3) organization. The name comes from two parts: “croft,” meaning a small tenant farm, and “Lamb,” referring to Jesus, the Lamb of God. The name reflects our role as stewards of those the Lamb has entrusted to us.
Lambscroft’s vision is to do more than offer food and temporary shelter. We saw a deep need for job opportunities and spiritual renewal. Brett Swayn, Lambscroft’s founder and director, brought his background in the culinary arts to the vision of creating a café that would train homeless men for future employment. After three years of pursuing that dream, The Cookery café opened in the summer of 2013.
In addition to serving coffee, breakfast, lunch, and catering, The Cookery is a business with a greater purpose. Here, formerly homeless men enroll as students, receive culinary training and food safety certification, and are prepared for jobs in Nashville’s food industry. “Through all of this, God has taught us perseverance, resilience, patience, and trust,” says Brett Swayn.
Lambscroft is committed to meeting the full needs of each student. Many who join the program face addiction or other struggles. To support spiritual growth and healing, Lambscroft established two Discipleship Houses, where students can live in a safe, focused environment while pursuing faith, community, and a renewed life.