A new cafe wine bar is coming to Mission Hills, offering adults with developmental disabilities a chance to contribute to the local community.

Serafino will be located on Washington and Albatross streets in the corridor connecting Mission Hills and Hillcrest.  

“This is the main storefront,” Amanda Sarich said as she showed NBC 7 the exterior of the future all-day cafe wine bar. “This is probably going to be a big part of where the coffee section and the wine bar is going to be.”

Sarich, a San Diego native, is one of the four founding members.

The project is a collaboration between co-founders and life partners David and Rebecca Cross and long-time friends Michael and Amanda Sarich.

From coffee in the morning to grab-and-go bites during the day and wine in the evening, Sarich said the all-day cafe will offer a variety of options.

Harvey Kampton, who lives in the neighborhood, said the corner has been vacant for about four years and he’s eagerly awaiting Serafino’s grand opening.

“We’re very excited about that,” Kampton said. “We’re both foodies and we like coffee, and it seems like it’s a little bit higher end which is nice.”

The concept will bridge the founding members’ background in hospitality and special education to offer an inclusive experience to customers and staff.

In addition to introducing a new and unique culinary experience to the neighborhood, they aim to give people with special needs an opportunity in the workplace.

“One of the things that they’ve really found with clients that come in is that if you give them a chance and you give people the opportunity to really focus in on something and have a task, they actually do very well at it and so it actually becomes wonderful,” Sarich said.

Kampton appreciates the consideration of hiring employees with special needs because, he said, they’re an asset to the team and the community.

“I have also hired learning-disability afflicted people in my law practice, and they can be amazing when they’re taught something that’s repetitious,” Kampton said. “It’s really a nice thing.”  

The coffeeshop, restaurant and bar will also have a designated space for private dining or special events.

“For either private dining, holding classes, groups, wine tastings, olive oil tastings, you know, coffee cuppings, as well as a larger retail section,” Sarich said.

Sarich said they also have fun collaborations in the pipeline with local roasters and food vendors.

As of right now, Sarich said Serafino is looking to open sometime in the late fall.