Piecing the Puzzle from a Café to an Advocacy
1:15 PM |
| Photo Credit: Puzzle Gourmet Store &; Cafe, Opening Day |
Sometimes, small pieces can make a big picture.
It was in 2015 when the Canoy family
decided to put up a café for Jose who was diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder. Jose’s sister Ysabella, who was tasked to manage the café and supervise
its operations, sat down for an interview to share about piecing together Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe. From what once was a family business, Puzzle grew and transformed into a popular cafe and a strong emblem of
inclusivity for adults with special needs.
At first, Jose didn’t understand the
concept of having a café. When asked to decide on its name, all he kept saying
was “waffle” and “coffee.” Wanting the name to have sentimental value to Jose,
they decided to list the possible names that he would probably like from his
favorite toys to favorite hobbies – and he stopped at puzzle.
Jose quickly finishes large-sized puzzles at home so they decided to display some of his masterpieces inside the store. The café’s interior is filled with portraits of the staff along with fun facts about autism. The shelves were neatly stacked with gourmet food products, as well as accessories, CDs, and shirts made by adults with special needs.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
Jose quickly finishes large-sized puzzles at home so they decided to display some of his masterpieces inside the store. The café’s interior is filled with portraits of the staff along with fun facts about autism. The shelves were neatly stacked with gourmet food products, as well as accessories, CDs, and shirts made by adults with special needs.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
“Jose
is very fond of putting things in order, he finds comfort in seeing things
organized and in their proper places. So we thought that if we were to
interrupt his schedule, at least it would be a kind of interruption that he
would welcome,” she said.
A lot of adults with special needs have a problem when it comes to applying their lessons to real-life settings. The Canoy family made it a point that they give Jose an opportunity to piece his skills together and to utilize them outside their home.
Opening their doors to others, the café
now has eight adults with special needs that work together with regular
employees to serve drinks, waffles, pastas, and other desserts. To train and
prepare them for their responsibilities, all applicants must first be trainees,
who are oriented by veteran staff members.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
“We really wanted to make it a place that it’s just guided by us but it’s run by them. We want to produce adults with special needs who can be competitive in terms of employability by equipping them with the right skills that they can use when it comes to applying for a job,” said Ysabella.
Puzzle partners with schools who have
job transition programs and works close with job coaches to make sure
that applicants already possess the skills required for them
to work. So far, two of their trainees have already moved on to work for bigger
companies, while seven others are already earning salaries for the work they
put in.
“If you’re the kind of business owner
who thinks about his or her employees, or thinks about the kind of people she
surrounds her business with, you’re never going to go wrong with people with
special needs,” said Ysabella.
She describes her staff as very loyal,
honest, and genuine people. In terms of productivity, they would give their
hundred and ten percent as long as they are given proper directions and
support. In working with them, never has she experienced having problems with
coworkers or the staff gossiping and not doing their job.
“If you’re willing to take the risk and
you’re willing to open your mind to it, you’re going to be helping a lot of
people and a lot of families and you might actually be surprised what it can do
for your business in terms of efficiency and the quality of employees you
have,” said Ysabella.
Putting the pieces
together
Jose didn’t start talking until he was
four. He has attended speech therapy ever since he was diagnosed until the age
of 12. Knowing that he had some trouble with his social skills, Puzzle was
meant for him to open up to people and apply the things he’s learned from
school. It was also a way for him to extend his practice outside of their home.
Speech therapy has been a crucial part
in establishing the café. Jose’s family worked closely with their speech
therapist in order to transition him to the work setting. Members of the staff
also attended therapy and some are still attending school.
“We developed everything from the
script, their spiel the moment customers come in, to what they’re going to do,
where they’ll find the menu, the utensils, the plates. We really had to teach
them everything from square one,” said Ysabella.
Like many individuals on the autism
spectrum, Jose has a tendency to keep to himself. When he started, he had
trouble putting words into meaningful and functional sentences that his family
would always complete his sentences for him. Today, even customers commend him
for being more sociable and communicative, and have noted his expanded
vocabulary.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe, Ysabella poses with awardees during their Christmas Party
Having a staff with special needs, Ysabella
welcomed the challenge of dealing with different temperaments, personalities,
and set of skills. Some members are highly sociable but had difficulty with
multitasking and following instructions, while others were very hardworking but
were not confident enough to face customers. It was a challenge for her to
accommodate and adjust to their needs, but they always try to find a way to
strengthen those areas of concern.
More customers were coming in as the
café gained media attention for its special servers that they had to make it
more comprehensive for the staff by guiding them through the tasks. Some of
them required the use of index cards with words and pictures while some had to
memorize their scripts and take home the menus for them to practice.
“This really became a training ground
because it’s a real operating café. It’s not only family and friends anymore,
these are strangers we’re serving food to and they’re our front liners. We had
to make sure that they were competent enough to be able to do their job," said
Ysabella.
Prior to opening the café, Ysabella was
teaching in a preschool. While Jose was transitioning from school to work, she
was also adjusting from working with kids to adults with special needs. Her
work didn’t stop during store hours but continued on even at home
One of her favorite moments with the
staff would have the awarding ceremony during their Christmas party where in
they would receive individual awards. Ysabella laughed as she recalled that
some were crying and giving speeches because they didn’t expect to win awards.
“Giving them this opportunity, you can
really see how grateful they are for it and how much they really value it. When
I realized how much it helped them and how much they’ve grown ever since we
started, I knew that God wanted me here and that he put me here for a reason,”
said Ysabella.
Seeing the bigger picture
Puzzle continues to uphold its advocacy
of raising awareness to people with autism and promoting sensitivity to adults
with special needs. However, people have been seeing it more of an advocacy
than a café. It has been difficult to predict when the customers would come in,
but they are still grateful that people from all of the country and the world
have been visiting, like recent customers from Pampanga and California.
Ysabella said that those who walk in or don’t have an idea of the concept still don’t understand how it’s okay for them to interact with their staff. They would often look at her as if asking if they’re talking to the right people inside the café. She said that there is still that stigma that people think they have no reason to be aware or sensitive to their conditions.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
Through meeting and interacting with
customers, the staff puts an effort into teaching that people with special
needs have different identities and exceptional talents. The café has talks
every month for people to access more information and to be able to extend
their advocacy. Some of their topics include behavior management, sensory
integration therapy, and relationship development intervention. UST-SLP
professor Ms. Czarina Maximo-Felix, CSP-PASP, was even invited last April 19 as
a guest speaker for Special Needs Parent’s Guide to Onboarding.
“Now, more than just awareness, we have
to work on sensitivity. A lot of people think that people with autism and Down
Syndrome are all the same. So I think it’s high time that we get it out there that
it’s called autism spectrum disorder because they have such a wide range of
symptom expression, of personalities, regardless of their diagnosis being the
same,” said Ysabella.
Puzzle aims to have a community where
families and individuals could relate and give support to one another in order
to uplift the lives of adults with special needs.
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
Photo Credits: Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe
“This is so much bigger than us – it’s about these individuals with special needs who require support. We think that they’re the lesser beings of our society but no – they have so much untapped potential that we could really use. I do believe that they are the answer to everything, having great unique talents that could benefit the world so much,” said Ysabella.
When asked on her take on students and professionals working as part of the rehabilitation team, she said that they act as miracle
workers, asking them to be prepared for the rough road ahead, but also give themselves credit for taking on a fulfilling job that gives them the chance to
change lives.
"Take yourselves seriously and give yourself worth that what you're going to do and what you're going to become will be crucial to an individual and to a family. If you find joy and pride in being able to change lives, there's a lot of that here. Every day we have small victories and small miracles and I wouldn't trade that for the world," said Ysabella - by Vianca Ocampo
Puzzle Gourmet Store & Cafe is located at 1 Comets Loop, Blue Ridge B, Quezon City, Philippines. The cafe is open Tuesday - Sunday from 11 am - 9 pm.
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