Pizzability reopening within Brewability Fall 2020

3445 S Broadway

Englewood, CO 80113

(303) 598-0809

https://www.brew-ability.com/

BrewabilityLab@gmail.com

Founder: Tiffany Fixter

“Brewability is a brewery that  employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to brew and serve craft beer.”

From the Website:

Welcome to Brewability where we hire people with developmental disabilities and are accessible for both our employees and our customers.  At Brewability you will experience quality and flavor in all of our beers. Hand brewed in small batches and tasted throughout the entire process to ensure a quality product for our customers.  Brewability is kid-friendly as well as dog-friendly! (may not be dog friendly once the pizzeria opens)   Tiffany Fixter, a special education teacher, developed the idea for Brewability after working with  a home brewer in a day program.

The bar is designed to be accessible for both employees and customers:

-The menu is color-coded to match the handles on the taps (coordinating a specific style)  so customers can order by size and then by color.  

-The tap handles also have braille for employees with visual impairments.

-Employees use pictures and checklists for dishwashing, cleaning and other tasks.

-Customers can utilize a braille menu and use sign language with their bartenders.

-Brewability has a section of  sensory items for customers and employees who may need something tactile.

Brewability originally opened in 2016 and was located in North East Denver. We are pleased to announce the opening of our NEW and improved location of  Brewability Lab in October, 2019 at 3445 South Broadway, Englewood.   In December 2018, Pizzability opened in Cherry Creek but due to the limited number of tables and poor reception from the Cherry Creek neighborhood, the decision was made to move to the new Brewability location in Englewood. We are currently working on building out our new kitchen and are planning to reopen Fall of 2020.

Be sure and visit our website brew-ability.com to learn about all of our upcoming special events, you won’t want to miss the live entertainment and all of the fun scheduled weekly.

The Visit:

I visited Pizzability in their original North Cherry Creek (Denver) location on July 17, 2019.  While the store is no longer in operation at that location, this entry is written in the present tense, at the time of my visit.

The pizza store, located on the lower level and accessible via an elevator from the parking lot in the rear of the building, trains and employs people with disabilities.  The pizza store has gone to great lengths to make the ordering and dining experience very pleasant for diners with a wide range of disabilities.   The restaurant is filled with games, fidgets, a sensory room, wiggle seats, noise cancelling headphones, and features Braille throughout, an easy-to-read menu and the option of cutting up pizza into very small, chewable pieces or the option of  blending the pizza for people with G-Tubes.  In addition, the bathroom is both stylish and accessible, and the restaurant has a “door theme.”  Founder and owner, Tiffany Fixter explains, “it represents opening doors for people without opportunities.” 

Fixter, a special education teacher by training, moved to Denver to run a day program for people with disabilities.  After encountering some challenges in that job, she opened a brewery.   A customer told her about a pizzeria for sale and she bought it with the plan to sell beer from the brewery at the pizzeria.

During the visit, Fixter, shared the history of her businesses, some successes and the many challenges she was facing.  She has sadly found that some in the neighborhood have not been welcoming to people with disabilities, going as far as asking her to “hide the (wheel) chairs.”   (Negative attitudes of some neighbors is reported here:  https://denver.cbslocal.com/2019/07/27/pizzability-special-needs-employees/

Lessons Learned/Challenges/Advice:

-If you truly believe in something, give it your all!  There will be challenges but it is worth it.

-There are so many costs associated with running a business (and some are unanticipated)

-Be sure to find out what permits are necessary to operate your business

-Location, location, location—and attitude (location is important—being downstairs didn’t help access or visibility; the negative attitude of some of the neighbors was unexpected and disappointing. The new neighborhood is near two major hospitals and a school for the blind, which is very promising for business!)

-In moving locations, transitions take time for employees to get used to

-Consider carrying products of other businesses which are made by people with disabilities (i.e. art gallery items, Peaceful Fruit)

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Address: 140 Ethel Rd W suite m, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone: (732) 287-0158
https://www.popcornforthepeople.com/
Co-Founder: Steven Bier

“Popcorn for the People is a nonprofit established to create meaningful employment for those with Autism and other disabilities. We aim to combat the current 80% unemployment rate in the autism community with the training and hiring of adults with Autism to create, cook, package, and sell uniquely flavored gourmet popcorn.”

From the Website:

It all started with Samuel Bier. Samuel is a high functioning 24-year-old with autism. He wants to travel, have fun, and work just like everybody else—we ask ourselves: where can a bright, energetic young man that simply views the world slightly different find work, fulfillment, and happiness? Just when we thought the options were limiting, we spotted a popcorn store in East Brunswick available for sale and this ignited the spark that started it all. We decided to combine America’s favorite snack with Samuel’s passion and unique worldview to create a popcorn with a purpose. We invited other individuals, like Agnes, a star chef and mother of a child with autism, to join our team. While Agnes experimented with new flavors, Sam cooked the popcorn. Before we knew it, we gained an overwhelmingly positive response and began a movement, inviting more individuals to feel empowered, take bigger risks, and embrace accountability.

When fulfilled and empowered, individuals become more responsible, thrive creatively, take on bigger risks, and are able to embrace accountability. Popcorn for the People employs those who wish to challenge themselves, overcome obstacles, and strive to be their very best.

We ensure that our gourmet popcorn is popped to perfection using only the finest NON-GMO Kernels, NON-GMO Sunflower Oil, and ALL-NATURAL ingredients to deliver and maintain only the highest quality. Certified by GoKosher, listed in Kashrus Magazine, our popcorn is 100% KOSHER and HAND-CRAFTED by our gourmet popcorn experts on the Autism Spectrum. All flavors (excluding Cookies n’ Cream) are GLUTEN-FREE. Our product is NSF certified and manufactured in a NUT-FREE facility (we do use coconut) in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Visit:

I discovered Popcorn for the People in the most unique and wonderful way: I stopped at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike while traveling with my family from New York to Philadelphia. My family had gone in to the rest stop while I watched the packed the car. When they returned, they urged me to “grab your camera and pad and go in!” When I entered, I was immediately greeted by people sitting or standing at a table, all wearing shirts which either said “Popcorn for the People” or “Autism at Work.” Friendly workers were offering small cup samples of several flavors of caramelized popcorn. The rest stop store featured a display of bags of several flavors of caramelized popcorn for sale. This was my first “taste” of the product, the company and the wonderful workers. I made a note to reach out to “Popcorn for the People” and arrange a visit later in the Summer of 2019.

On July 31, I drove to the company’s headquarters in an industrial area of Piscataway, New Jersey, not far from Rutgers University. There are several companies in the same complex, all sharing a parking area. I entered the building and sat in a small waiting area, admiring displays of various products, photos of happy workers, and articles about the company. I then met with co-founder, Steven Bier, who shared the background to the company.

Bier explained that his son, Samuel (now 28), who is on the autism spectrum, had consistently been assigned to jobs which were not appropriate for him. In considering more appropriate employment options for Samuel, the family purchased a popcorn vendor booth in the Freehold Mall and then relocated to a different location as a store in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Bier then met Rachel Cheng, at the time a Rutgers student studying non-profit consulting. Rachel, who currently serves as COO, helped develop Popcorn for the People.

The company, which is a nonprofit which Bier reports is “run like a real business,” started with a 4,000 square foot space and were producing 200 bags of flavored popcorn per week. Last year, the company produced 350 bags/week and currently producing 3,500 bags/week. They proudly train and employ people with a range of disabilities including people with cerebral palsy, people who are blind, and people on the autism spectrum.

Bier and Cheng have found that it is useful to offer a wide range of shifts, noting that “a 40-hour work week doesn’t work” for most participants. The “employment” link on the company website (https://www.popcornforthepeople.com/pages/employment) indicates that there are five 3-hour shifts. In addition, the site indicates: “We have different jobs including sales person at events, popcorn cooker, bagging popcorn and labeling bags.” It further notes: “In order to decide which job would best suits you, please answer the following: ability to make change, put labels on bags, comfort level selling products at a booth at events.” The company proudly goes out of its way to create a job, even when it might be done more quickly by technology or automation (labeling/placing a sticker on a bag of popcorn is one example).

On the tour, we viewed the kitchen were the popcorn is popped and caramelized, and where various flavorings are added. There are currently 48 people with disabilities and 16 without disabilities working for the company. Customers can purchase products online, at several rest stops along the New Jersey Turnpike, and at various sporting and theater events (soon, it will be possible to purchase popcorn at Newark International Airport).

Lessons Learned/Challenges/Advice:

  • In producing food, there are many regulations and health codes which require careful compliance.
  • It is important to offer a range of jobs since each employee has different interests and skill sets.
  • Minimum wage is double edged sort—while it sounds wonderful and beneficial for employees, it can also make it nearly impossible for employers to cover costs—it is possible to cover production and other costs while paying employees $10/hour, but not $15/hour.
  • The most cost effective way of doing business may lead to eliminating certain jobs. Where possible, company had opted to create more jobs by not always moving toward automation. It would be cheaper in the long run to purchase a labeler, but having a person manually applying labels means a person has a job.
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JCC Rockland – Jewish Community Center Rockland County
450 W Nyack Rd, West Nyack, NY 10994
Phone: (845) 215-7055
http://lillianscafe.org/

“A kosher dairy café at the JCC in Rockland County, NY, staffed by people with disabilities. Menu is vegan and vegetarian friendly with many gluten free options; kitchen is nut free.”

My Visit: August, 2019:

I parked in the very busy parking lot of the JCC, entered through the main entrance and fairly easily found the café, just beyond the information desk on the left side. There was a lot of action in the JCC this particular day with the summer camp holding its song festival. I was impressed with both the taste and price of the cookies, bagels and coffee on the menu ($2 for a chocolate chip cookie—what a bargain!). The acting manager explained that people with disabilities do all aspects of work in the café from food prep, to cash register. I observed a young man meticulously cleaning tables and chairs in the area where customers sit; he was receiving patient guidance from his job coach.

Program History: Interview with Michele Koenig, Director of Clinical Programs (Rockland Jewish Family Service)

Ms. Koenig reports that there has historically been a high turnover of food service vendors/cafes, with five coming and going in a ten-year period. Michele and her team saw this as an opportunity to “take the plunge” and create a program which would train participants in cooking and baking. They selected young adults with disabilities from their program for training, to work alongside workers without disabilities. They run the café and cater small catering jobs both within and outside of the building. Lessons learned from what at the time was four months in operation are shared below.

Our Story (From Website):

Lillian Adler was a woman of great valor and generosity. She believed in building community while making the world a better place for all. It is with this spirit that Lillian’s Café was born.
Lillian’s Café is a unique program designed to employ individuals on the Autism Spectrum. We provide job training and real work experience to enhance the strengths and potential of each member of our workforce. Our employees hold themselves to the highest standard of food service and customer relations, skills that will translate to future careers in hospitality, business, and other ventures.
We believe in using fresh, wholesome ingredients and take pride in each meal we serve. We strive to make food that is convenient and delicious while enriching the lives of our employees and our customers. At Lillian’s Café, our goal is to nourish our bodies, our spirits, and our community.
We know there are many places you can choose for a good meal. When you choose Lillian’s, you get a great meal and the satisfaction that comes from helping others. What could be better!

Lessons Learned:

  • Costs: startup costs and staffing costs are high. A program supporting people with disabilities requires additional staffing which adds to overall costs.
  • It is useful to work with Access VR (voc rehab) but there is a maximum allotment per person (which gets used up quickly, and other funding sources must but identified)
  • It is helpful working in the JCC building as rent-arrangement is ideal and there is a built in customer base.
  • Graduate students from local universities provide useful additional help as they work with the trainees
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Luv Michael
42 Walker Street (Tribeca) New York, NY 10013
(646) 661-1224
luvmichael.org
Name of contact: Founder-Lisa Liberatore
Lisa cell: 917-699-5118

“A 501c3 established in the home of the founders in 2015 to train, educate and employ people with autism. In 2016, the program moved to an entrepreneur space (industrial kitchen) in Long Island City with son Michael and one other person to they can make and package Luv Michael granola. The program, now much larger, sells to several well-known stores and is in the process of moving from Long Island City to Tribeca in Manhattan. Participants do not pay for the program. They receive a paycheck for their work. The founders handle most costs with grant support helpful as well. The goal is to have for-profit and not-for-profit divisions.”

My 2018 Visit (Keep Reading for 2019 Updates!)

Luv Michael is the first job site I visited and in many ways, was the inspiration for this project. Dr. Liberatore reached out to me at the suggestion of a mutual friend. I went to visit the program’s rented kitchen and classroom space in Long Island City, NY. I observed the entire granola making process and learned that Liberatore needed to hire many professionals for both the vocational training component, and for recipe development (“granologist”), packaging, etc. Participants combine ingredients, bake and measure out the correct quantity, weight and consistency (not too crumbly) and package it. During the visit, I asked if Dr. Liberatore knows of similar programs and job sites specifically geared toward training and employing people with disabilities. She referred me to the Facebook group, Autism, Entrepreneurship. This was a useful starting point for identifying businesses and tuning in to the concerns of parents expressed in the discussion. I have kept in touch and recently updated the Lessons Learned section.

Updated provided by Luv Michael August, 2019

Luv Michael is a Non-Profit 501c 3organization that produces high quality organic, gluten-free, and nut-free granola without all the harmful chemicals and toxic allergens. The company was founded in 2015 by Lisa Liberatore, MD and her son Michael with the goal of providing meaningful employment and on the job training to those diagnosed with Autism.
Michael Kessaris is the inspiration for Luv Michael Granola. Michael’s new line of gluten-free and nut-free granola is taking its first delicious bite out of the fast-growing natural foods niche with distribution in the fifteen Manhattan locations of Fresh & Co. stores. In addition to meeting consumer demands for a high quality snackable granola in the growing market for nut-free and gluten-free foods, Luv Michael is part of an inevitable wave of career-finding solutions for those, like Michael, living with Autism.
For Michael and his team, producing the highest quality gluten-free and natural products was a logical tie-in; healthy dietary alternatives have been found to be beneficial to many with Autistic symptoms. Providing training and income for others on the Autistic spectrum became their mission. With the disability affecting 1 in 68 births and rising, employment for the maturing Autistic population has become an increasingly significant challenge for many. The success of Luv Michael is even more compelling, considering that employment for those on the Autistic spectrum is lowest among those with disabilities.

Finding a career was not easy for Michael, a Port Washington, NY native. Despite his love of cooking, Michael was unable to enroll in culinary school without a high school diploma. Michael’s parents, both physicians, Lisa Liberatore, MD and Dimitri Kessaris, MD, helped create the food-based business so that their son and others with Autism would not be a burden on society or limited in their potential to lead happy and productive lives. They started Luv Michael under the parent company, Indigo Life, which represents a commitment for doing even more for the Autistic population.

The idea was born to make a healthful quality product that could provide income and a career for both Michael and other individuals with Autism. Luv Michael provides a therapeutic employment environment, which caters to the special needs of the employable Autistic person. Luv Michael now employs over 10 full-time granologists that provide fresh granola to Starbucks, JetBlue, Fresh and Co, D’Agostino Supermarkets, Gristedes Neighborhood Grocers, Wild By Nature and over 60 other retailers.
The Liberatore and Kessaris family are working with autism specialists to develop an entire curriculum based upon the New York State food handler’s license and are dedicated to not only teach cooking and food safety but also all aspects of a small business including sales, marketing and customer service and distribution.

Luv Michael’s mission is to “provide a meaningful culinary vocation for the Autistic population and to produce exceptional gluten-free and natural products.” So far, success is sweet for Luv Michael.
Luv Michael’s story is about to take a huge leap forward with the opening of our higher-capacity kitchen and learning center in the Tribeca section of New York City. Luv Michael’s new headquarter is expected to open in October 2019. In this dedicated space, granologists will learn their trade and take part in the manufacturing process. Most importantly, they will grow as workers and members of the working world. The skills they gain here will most assuredly be used for many years to come in future jobs and careers

Founder Dr. Liberatore Shares Observations/Lessons Learned:

  • Legal Fees Are Enormous! (very important to set up each system and mechanism properly; last year, paid $10,000 now to get nonprofit registered in different states (we will have a nonprofit and a for profit division—nonprofit is training, curriculum, special education teacher salary, etc.)
  • How to Work and Not Lose Social Security Benefits? “The System Is Barbaric! –this is why parents don’t want their children paid—don’t want them to jeopardize SS benefits. “I went down to SS—if he works, the $700 meant for living (residence), food, clothing, etc. automatically has $85 deducted off the top, then for each dollar he makes, they deduct $.50—to incentivize him to work. And the mom must go in person so I would have to miss a day of work.” “how do I pay them when parents don’t want them to get paid.” (I bring 5 one dollar bills and tape it to their work stations…so they “see” they are getting paid for their work.”
  • Costs—we have funded it (we reason our other son is going to NYU and we pay the tuition; starting this program is training for 10 with disabilities)
  • When trying to make a financial sustainable business you need to focus equally on the business as you work on the mission.
  • You need experts in the field to really commit to your project.
  • You need to try and keep overhead as low as possible but also spend where it counts. For us, it was recruiting a great special education teacher with many years of successful teaching the autistic population and is willing to think out of the box.
  • You must believe in the mission fully because it will be a costly project to finance before it becomes financially viable- that means years of hard work and doubts!
  • Others will say you are crazy
  • Stay true to the reason you started it and don’t compromise. We want a healthy and tasty product and also to provide education and enrichment to our granologists.
  • That is counter to the business world where they want to make a cheap and unhealthy product, mass produced and employ people for the low skilled jobs without future growth and stimulation.
  • When you do it “right,” people get it and start helping you for low cost or pro bono.
  • Protect your brand and don’t try to grow too fast. You need your ducks all lined up and the project completely worked out and written down before it can be replicated.
  • This next year will show whether we are sustainable or not as we move into our own space, grow our snack line and procure more outside funding.

Updated on : October, 2019

Luv Michael Co, now in its fourth year of business, recently opened a 3,000 square-foot,  state of the art commercial space in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood.  It is outfitted as both a comprehensive learning and training center as well as a high capacity commercial kitchen where young adults with autism will train for the New York State food handler’s license and produce the company’s product – organic, all-natural and gluten-free granola.  

Currently, Luv Michael Co. employs 10 ‘granologists’ that provide fresh granola to Starbucks, Fresh & Co, D’Agostino Supermarkets, Gristedes Neighborhood Grocers, Wild by Nature, totaling over 60 retailers in the greater New York City area. A replication expansion project at the Greek Orthodox Church of The Hamptons, employs 10 more.  Luv Michael Co. will soon begin producing its products for JetBlue.

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