Café Arpan managed by specially-abled staff turns 5

Juhubased Cafe Arpan began its journey in 2018 where adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities are hired to manage it Set up by Sushama Nagarkar and Ashaita Mahajan of Yash Charitable Trust YCT this eatery has been a boon for people who are differently abled but who unfortunately face an employment gap in the society This week the cafe turned five and therersquos a lot of excitement amongst the staff They are even celebrating it with a special menuRaj who was the lsquoTeam Member of the Monthrsquo for July brings a cup of coffee for a customerThese five years have given the differently abled staff an opportunity to prove that they are no lsquolessrsquo ldquoWe have seen a lot of change in themrdquo says Ashaita Mahajan Trustee YCT ldquoTake for example chef Aaron Colaco whorsquos on the autism spectrum has been with us since the cafersquos inception and has grown confident He can now work quite independently in the pantry with maybe just minimal helprdquo The chefrsquos superpower is his eidetic memory that helps him remember multiple recipes by going through it just once or twice More than a workspaceThe cafe has given birth to friendships too Ketkee Borkar who is the manager for the entire food operations of YCT shares ldquoStaff spend time with each other working here six days and so have become great friends It is nice to see them support each otherrdquo In a day there are around nine to 10 people who work at the eatery in various shiftsChef Aaron prepares a sandwich The food and recipe charts on the wall that the chef can memorise after just one readldquoThey have undergone intense training at YCTrsquos skill development centre with the focus on hard and soft skills keeping in mind the FampB industryrdquo Borkar says Based on the strength and skill sets and on what kind of work the trainees are keen to take up they are allotted work accordingly The training can go on from a minimum of six to eight months to a year depending on the individualrsquos progressGiving wingsTo celebrate we paid a visit to this sweet little space that has greenbluish walls and met the friendly and warm staff ldquoHi Good morning Welcome to Cafe Arpanrdquo We were greeted by Darshi Shah who had a wide smile on her face her enthusiasm contagious After handing us the regular menu we were also shown the special anniversary menu that has five items based on taste and texture sensations Therersquos chewycream cheese pesto bagel sandwich firmKorean style cauli wings crunchymixed herb lavash creamylotus biscoff mousse and wateryjamun mojitoDarshi sits by the entrance to welcome people with her lovely smileThe skilled staff is very patient and their high levels of training can be gauged from the way they deal with situations A customer at the next table had sent back the coffee that was served to her with a request to make it a bit stronger Raj Revankar who was on service duty took the coffee cup back with a smile on his face while chef Aaron lsquofixedrsquo it And sometimes if a staff member does face an issue Brinal Maithas who is a special educator and cafe coordinator helps them throughAshaita Mahajan and Sushama Nagarkar Pic courtesySarika NerulkarMahajan hopes that by seeing how differently abled individuals are successfully managing Cafe Arpan it may change peoplersquos perspective about them ldquoMaybe this can change the societyrsquos outlook and give people equal work opportunities everywhererdquo she saidAt Cafe Arpan Juhu Tara Road Santacruz WestCall 7400490008Log on to cafearpanfoodservices