New Restaurant Designed To Give Students An Advantage
Sarah DeRonde stands inside the Osky Spirit Cafe. Look for the cafe to open in the coming months.
Once inside, we spoke with Sarah DeRonde, a teacher with the Oskaloosa School District.
The initiative focuses on equipping these students with practical, employable skills through hands-on experience, particularly in a student-operated restaurant.
This program aims to enhance job sustainability within the community and provides management and culinary arts training to its participants.
Plans are underway to establish a store area to support adults with special needs by promoting their goods and facilitating job opportunities. By collaborating with local businesses to fill staffing needs, the program is setting a new standard for community engagement and employment sustainability for individuals with special needs.
Getting to this point even has been a herculean effort, and DeRonde shared how the project went from what was thought a couple of gallons of paint to a complete retrofit of the space.
The brunch cafe has yet to be opened to the public and will open with invitation-only soft openings, where the menu will be set, and the staff will have ample opportunity to gain needed skills.
