CLEARWATER, Fla. — A new café in Clearwater provides career training and job opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

What You Need To Know

Inclusive Grounds — The Arc Tampa Bay Café opened in December and is home to a living classroom
The program gives participants hands-on job training they can take into the workforce

The café is an extension of The Arc Tampa Bay Culinary Institute, and officials hope participants leave with empowerment beyond culinary skills

Inclusive Grounds — The Arc Tampa Bay Café opened in December and is home to a living classroom. The café is an extension of The Arc Tampa Bay Culinary Institute, where students are spending their spring break at a career camp. The program gives participants hands-on job training they can take into the workforce.

“What we found, one of the biggest barriers is not just the skills training, but it’s actually the opportunity that comes after that related to employment. So, Inclusive Grounds is a place where people — after they learn the skills — they can actually try them out and practice them,” said Beth Tasis, executive director of The Arc Tampa Bay Foundation.

McKinley Brown is one of about 20 camp participants where on Tuesday, they prepared tacos.

“I like cooking and I also like hanging out with friends,” said Brown.

Derek Fullerton is a part-time employee at the café. He was hired as a cook. Fullerton was one of the first to graduate from the culinary institute and hopes the students find inspiration in the kitchen.

“I want them to be motivated,” he said. “I want them not to be afraid of cooking.”

The Arc Tampa Bay also aims for that motivation and hopes participants leave with empowerment beyond culinary skills.

“We hope that they take the soft skills with them, the confidence, the communication skills, the teamwork,” said Tasis. “Understanding things like following directions or meeting timelines or deadlines.” 

Part-time employees are also found in the front of the café, where staff members learn about customer service, how to use a cash register and they get to connect with the community.

From the café to the kitchen, it’s a space where Arc aims to transform training into opportunity.