Our Team
Our team leads with warmth, attentiveness, and genuine service. We are here to make life sweeter — one guest, one meal, and one meaningful moment at a time.
At Second Helpings Cafe, our team isn't just about serving food—we're about creating connections. Led by Lauren Young and supported by her family, our staff brings decades of combined hospitality experience to every shift. We believe that a great meal starts with people who genuinely care, and that philosophy shows in everything from how we greet you at the door to how we prepare each dish in our kitchen.
Every member of our team shares a commitment to Memphis hospitality and the belief that everyone deserves to feel welcome at our table. We take pride in remembering your favorite order, accommodating dietary needs with a smile, and making sure your experience reflects the care we put into our cooking. Whether you're joining us for a quick breakfast, a leisurely lunch, or catering your next event, you'll find a team that treats you like family—because in Memphis, that's just how we do things.
All grief should be shared, and food is comfort on both the hard days and the great days. At Second Helpings Café we 'Gather for Good'.
Our Story
Second Helpings Café sits at the heart of The Front Porch — a 7,777-square-foot glass gathering space created by Second Baptist Church as a gift of hospitality for the wider Memphis community. The café is intentionally designed to slow us down, bring us together, and create space for meaningful conversations over food, coffee, and genuine welcome.
As part of the Sweet LaLa's Bakery family, Second Helpings Café extends a mission rooted in second chances, ethical work, community partnerships, and the healing that comes from belonging. Our food is made with care, our hospitality is intentional, and our daily rhythms are woven into an ecosystem of renewal, rest, and connection.
Lauren's Calling: Baking, Healing & Purpose
Sweet LaLa's Bakery began as a personal journey of healing for founder Lauren Young. After surviving a traumatic event while pregnant, baking became a quiet ritual — a way to settle the mind, find calm, and reconnect to community. Lauren did not begin with a business plan; she began with homemade recipes, flour-covered countertops, and neighbors knocking on the door for something warm from the oven.
That same peaceful hospitality now guides the work we do inside Second Helpings Café. Every meal, every cup, every greeting at the counter is grounded in grace, intention, and the belief that small kindnesses can transform everyday life.
Sweet LaLa's: A Mission of Second Chances
Before opening the Regalia storefront, Sweet LaLa's operated inside a juvenile detention facility for four years, employing more than 125 at-risk youth who learned baking, teamwork, business fundamentals, and the dignity of meaningful work. For the young people involved, the bakery was not simply a kitchen — it was a place to be seen, supported, and encouraged toward a fresh start.
Later, Sweet LaLa's expanded its mission by partnering with social enterprises, including ethical makers, job training organizations, and purpose-driven artisans. Every product sold in-store creates opportunity, dignity, and economic empowerment.
The Front Porch Vision — A Community Gift
Second Baptist Church envisioned The Front Porch as a space for rest, healing, listening, gathering, and grace — not just for church life, but for the entire neighborhood and city. It is a physical embodiment of faith through hospitality rather than programming, agenda, or performance.
Inside, visitors will find event rooms, rocking chairs, walking paths, gardens, professional counseling through The Baptist Centers for Good Grief, and an open invitation to stay, breathe, talk, and belong.
A Café as the Heartbeat of the Space
Second Helpings Café is the daily rhythm of The Front Porch — the place where meals begin conversations, where neighbors linger, where coworkers meet, and where healing and hospitality naturally intersect. Our café offers breakfast, lunch, artisanal pastries, and specialty coffee in an inclusive, ADA-accessible space designed for gathering, reflection, and joy.
For many guests, food is more than nourishment — it is comfort on a difficult day, companionship during grief, and a gentle reminder that community exists right where we are.
Why We Are Called "Second Helpings"
- Second Chances: dignity, opportunity, and patient grace
- Second Cups & Plates: abundance and generous hospitality
- Second Moments: slowing down long enough to be seen and heard
Gather For Good!
Speak with Second Helpings Café today.