The annual Access pop-up Café ran this year at a new venue, the Caulfield Park Pavilion, and it was a huge success.
The Access pop-up café was the centrepiece of the Glen Eira City Council Social Inclusion week and received a huge amount of community support. Over three days in the last week of November 2016, 15 employees with special needs were hired to help run the Café, handling more than 1,000 orders for hungry customers.
Now in its fifth year, the Café offers people with disabilities an opportunity to gain training and experience in the field of hospitality.
New to the café this year was the Access Espresso mobile coffee cart, purchased with the assistance of Gandel Foundation. A number of the café employees have recently completed a 10-week ‘Access Espresso Barista Training course’ and were rostered on to work at the coffee cart throughout the three days.
Gandel Foundation has also provided support to the Access Bakery, a social enterprise which provided baked goods at the pop-up community Café.
Access is an independent not for profit organization works to help people with disability achieve their life goals. According to Access CEO, Louisa Gibson “our clients are developing skills, self-esteem and confidence so that they can understand the expectations of the workplace.” The pop up café also gives the employees an opportunity to earn some money which is very significant for those who have not done so previously.
