Kindness matters. So does community. That's the theme of two recently opened Westchester coffee shops. And though they're quite different ‒ and one of them is more aspirational at the moment ‒ the thinking behind them is similar: to create job opportunities for young adults with special needs.
It's the inspiration behind two other spots, a bakery in Rockland and a Mexican restaurant in Bronxville. Here are their stories.
Since 2021, Shiri Reuveni-Ullrich, a speech therapist, has been baking crusty breads, babkas, cookies, crackers, pies and granola with a group of her former special needs students in an effort to teach them viable job skills. The goal of her 501(c)(3) charity, which first started in her Chestnut Ridge home and has since transitioned to a temporary location at Rockland Community College in Nyack, is to help individuals with disabilities develop the skills and self-confidence needed to go out in the world.
Some of her bakers, all of whom range in age from 21 to 35, have been with her since the beginning; others are more recent additions.
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Reuveni-Ullrich came up with the idea pre-pandemic after noticing the dramatic effect baking cookies had on her nonverbal, autistic young adult students. "The kitchen was filled with humming, singing and laughter and was so lively, I knew I needed to create a bakery to help these special individuals live meaningful, independent lives," she said.
The goal is also to create a self-sustaining business. She has 40 different items, all of which are 100% sourdough-based with no commercial yeast and as much locally-sourced ingredients as possible. They can be bought at the Nyack location Wednesday to Friday. She also sells wholesale, including to Sleepy Coffee, Too , a coffee shop in Sleepy Hollow with a similar mission (see below), as well as online. Or, folks can simply pick up what they need at her home in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Just be warned: The bakery, which moved in early July to its new location on the ground floor of RCC, is closed for vacation Aug. 5 to Aug. 22. 70 Main St. (go downstairs), 646-541-4595, risingabovebakery.org .
Kim Kaczmarek has been educating young adults with "differing abilities" for more than 35 years.
The former special education teacher, who worked at Sleepy Hollow High School, ran a program called Sleepy Coffee, a coffee cart with pastries where teachers and students could buy items. Now retired, she brought it to the next level with the April opening of Sleepy Coffee, Too, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coffee shop with the motto "Where kindness is served one cup at a time."
"The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is at about 80% and as a teacher and a person who lives in the community and loves my students, that was not acceptable to me," she said. "So I wanted to do something about it."
The result is a cozy space with warm woods, a mixture of red and brown chairs and tables, a sofa, a fake fireplace, and lots of cutesy coffee signs (think "coffee & friends: the perfect blend" and "without coffee I can't even"). Signage includes a reminder by the counter if you want to pay it forward by buying someone coffee for someone else.
You'll also find a small merchandise area featuring baked goods from the aforementioned Rising Above Bakery and merchandise from other companies with similar missions — think John's Crazy Socks (with a portion of earnings donated to the Special Olympics) and items from YAI in Tarrytown, which celebrates people of all abilities. 110 Beekman Ave., Sleepy Hollow, sleepycoffeetoo.org .
After 30-plus years commuting into the city for her job in asset management, Pelham resident Mimi Humphrey always dreamed of opening a cozy coffee shop, a place where she'd want to hang out for those precious minutes before and after catching her train.
In the back of her mind, the Pelham native also thought it could be a good place for her 20-year-old son, Shea, who has special needs, could work. After all, the community has been good to him.
So, when the opportunity presented itself, allowing her to leave her fulltime job, she took it, opening Shea Station in March and naming it after him. From Day One he's been the shop's unofficial ambassador, greeting customers, sweeping floors, and occasionally working behind the counter.
And though she's not anywhere near (yet) hiring other young adults with similar circumstances to Shea, it's definitely an aspirational goal. In the meantime, her coffee shop, which uses beans from Tarrytown's Coffee Lab Roasters and offers an array of pastries (including gluten-free), operates on the mantra "Coffee. Kindness. Community." 1 Pelhamwood Ave.
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La Casa Bronxville, Bronxville
Like Humphrey, mentioned above, Spencer Pingel spent 30 years in the corporate world but had an itch to do something else. His goal? To own a local business where he and his son, Rory, who's on the autism spectrum, could work together.
"It was very tough for him to find work opportunities," said Pingel, "So I figured, why not create something for him?" La Casa Bronxville, which got a Michelin nod in 2022, is his solution and gives Rory the flexibility to pursue other interests (Rory loves singing and horseback riding).
The beauty of working in restaurants, said Pingel, is that there are lot of things to do so Rory has, over the years, gotten experience doing a wide variety of tasks, everything from watering plants to polishing silverware, shredding Oaxaca cheese, shoveling snow and setting tables.
An avid Spanish speaker, he's also very sociable. "The restaurant has almost become like a second home for him which is great," said Pingel.
Pingel also runs a partnership with Bronxville High School where students from special needs classes (and their aides) come in twice and week for an hour and perform basic tasks like sweeping floors and cleaning tables.
And while Pingel is passionate about helping others (and employs an occasional dishwasher with special needs), he simply doesn't have the resources. That doesn't mean he's not open to what may lie ahead.
He's done fundraisers at the restaurant for autistic charities and hopes to eventually offer a special service night where, for a few hours in the early part of the evening, he employs a special needs staff.
"Unfortunately, what I've done for my son I can’t really do for other people," said Pingel, "But I'm definitely open to conversations and any opportunities that make sense." 7 Pondfield Road, 914-222-9016, lacasabronxville.com.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: These Lower Hudson Valley eateries empower and embrace those with special needs
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