A Seat is Always Open at Spark Cafe

At Spark Community Cafe in downtown Versailles, Kentucky anyone is welcome regardless of financial status. The community has embraced the 'pay-it-forward' idea behind the restaurant, and in just a year, the cafe has become a popular spot for members of the Thoroughbred community.

Tristan Ferrell, Spark's co-executive director, grew up in Woodford County, and has always had a passion for his community. As a senior in high school, he participated in a capstone course called Community Activism. The students before him had created pop-up festivals called Spark Weekends in an effort to generate economic development downtown. Ferrell and his classmates decided to take it one step further by implementing a permanent community space by opening a café. After three years of fundraising, the restaurant officially opened in March of 2019. Now a senior in the University of Kentucky's Community and Leadership Development program, Ferrell has dedicated his career to promoting community growth and betterment.

“From the beginning, we knew that if people wanted to come in and they couldn't afford their meals, then we would be able to give them a meal and they could help us around the restaurant,” he said.

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