Aspiring food-service workers with disabilities prepared a five-course Italian meal on Feb. 11 for community members.
The dinner was hosted by Key Opportunities, a nonprofit that helps adults with disabilities find employment. Program Director Georgia Mason said the nonprofit plans to host more similar events in the future.
“Our plan for this program is to have a monthly dinner that we invite the community to. This is our very first one for the community,” Mason said. “We’ve practiced on friendly folks like their parents and our board of directors, and people who would be very forgiving if it didn’t go great, but it did go great, thankfully.”
Mason said the community responded positively when they announced the event, which took place in the building formerly occupied by Burgers Unlocked.
“This event sold out in two hours after we put it on Facebook,” Mason said. “So we’re excited.”
Mason said they had 27 people sign up.
“They have cooked every single thing that’s going to be served tonight from scratch,” Mason said. “All the salad dressings, the rolls, the sauces, the dessert, all of it, every single thing.”
The participants worked on practicing hospitality for the event.
“Some of the things that we work with people on in this particular program is having exquisite manners, which I hope you’ve already seen,” Mason said. “We’re teaching folks hospitality, front of the house, back of the house.”
According to Mason, the theme for the food on Feb. 11 was Italian, and they plan to do a different theme each month. Next month they will serve Hungarian food.
Julie Boyce, director of Key Opportunities, said that many of the participants joined the organization not only to find jobs, but to be more involved in the community as well.
Mason said one of their board members, David Hambleton, is “a very civic-minded gentleman, and he is very passionate about creating employment opportunities for folks with disabilities.” Hambleton plans on opening more businesses in downtown Hillsdale. Key Opportunities hopes these can be another opportunity for employment for the participants.
“While we as an organization are not officially part of that, we will definitely be a partner and an ally and do everything we can to make those opportunities open for our participants and anybody else who goes to be a part of that,” Mason said. “It’s not officially a part of Key Opportunities.”
Jim Swafford, a parent of two participants in Key Opportunities, loves how the program keeps his sons involved.
“It helps them develop some life skills, it’s helping stem their friendships that they’ve developed over years in the county,” Swafford said.
