Susanna’s Cafe is more than its tasty food. The casual beverage, sandwich, salad, and snack restaurant – which opened in mid-May as part of the Cleveland Foundation’s impressive new headquarters at E. 66th St. and Euclid Ave. – is a mission-driven operation run by the HELP Foundation, a local nonprofit that serves Northeast Ohioans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Right now, the cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, though there are plans to expand the hours in the future. On a recent visit, the cozy, comfortable venue was already in full swing, with patrons having meetings or enjoying lunch at its tables as light streamed in the big windows. The menu features coffee and other specialty drinks made with locally roasted Caruso’s Coffee, and there are also a variety of hearty, fresh salads, sandwiches that can be pressed and heated up, baked goods from Cleveland Bagels and Philomena’s Bake Shop, and snacks ranging from mac and cheese to Pierre’s ice cream. Workers help patrons check out with the help of managers and staff, and the entire operation feels homey, friendly, and well-run.
The cafe aspires to express a commitment to a fully integrated society and to start a conversation about how those with IDD – including Susanna’s employees – fit into present conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the same time, it aims to support local entrepreneurs and provide a place where both Foundation employees and neighbors can gather.
Seed to table with HELP Harvest
Susanna’s Cafe is a part of the HELP Harvest program, a seed-to-table concept launched in 2022. It includes the HELP Harvest Greenhouse, a 4000-square-foot hydroponic greenhouse in Euclid; HELP Harvest Kitchen, a Lakewood facility where produce grown in the greenhouse is used to prepare healthy packaged meals; and two HELP Harvest cafes – Susanna’s Cafe and The Bistro in Lakewood – which sell that food and other products to consumers.
Every piece of the HELP Harvest program includes paid vocational training for those with IDD to learn skills to help them succeed in the workplace and enjoy the financial and social benefits of maintaining a job. “There are still people that don’t realize that people with disabilities can work… They’re working, developing friendships, and have a sense of community [through their jobs],” said Joan Palumbo, HELP’s chief philanthropy and communications officer.
The Harvest program is in the process of proving that. Currently, Harvest programs are training more than 2 dozen people for the workforce, while HELP’s general programming serves over 800 IDD individuals a year.
Expanding opportunity for people with disabilities
A majority of IDD adults are unemployed or underemployed, despite the ability, desire, and willingness to engage in meaningful work, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. HELP’s work, including Susanna’s Cafe, is a potent reminder of how well those with IDD can function in the workplace in a variety of contexts.
Skills taught to those working with HELP go beyond the food service/production found in the Harvest program, and part of the goal of the organization is to get people with disabilities in the workforce outside of HELP programs. “Our job isn’t necessarily to have people working at Susanna’s Cafe; our job is to get people with disabilities working all over the community,” said Tamara Honkala, president and CEO of HELP.
For HELP leadership, there is a huge missed opportunity for employers – especially those in the restaurant sector, who struggle with hiring – to employ IDD workers, an often-overlooked part of the workforce. “Restaurants miss out by not partnering with agencies like HELP… we have support services that can help make their IDD employees successful,” said Honkala.
Some employers have concerns about bringing people with intellectual disabilities into a professional environment. “There’s sometimes a fear that people who do this work won’t be able to function on a team,” she said. “It’s because people lose sight of the fact that our employees, like anyone, are human beings, who want to feel that they’re part of a team.”
While the professional advancement opportunities for IDD folks are an essential part of the cafe’s benefits, the social opportunities, both for the cafe’s workers and its patrons, are equally important to HELP’s mission. “Workers here get to work a real job, feel like they’re integrated in the community in a real job, working with typical individuals, and feel like they are part of this community,” said Honkala.
Cleveland Foundation partnership
The Cleveland Foundation immediately stood out as an ideal partner for the HELP team as it built out its second restaurant space. “It gives the opportunity for tons of exposure; so many people connect with or collaborate with the Cleveland Foundation,” said Honkala.
Susanna’s Cafe is named after Foundation president Ronn Richard’s daughter. “Bess [my wife] and I were delighted to make a gift to name the cafe in the Cleveland Foundation’s new headquarters in honor of our daughter Susanna and of the entire special needs community of Greater Cleveland,” said Richard. “We’re so grateful to HELP for its longstanding commitment to expanding opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in our community.”
HELP and the Foundation share a vision of the space that welcomes the neighborhood around the building into the restaurant. In addition to the cafe’s meals and snacks, Susanna’s also sells a varied selection of take-home goods like beverages, sauces, and other snacks from local entrepreneurs. “The store is a platform for people [from the community] to share their products and get to know us in the process. We are lucky to be embedded in a community that wants to do good,” said Honkala.
HELP’s team hopes that Susanna’s will become a staple for Foundation employees and local residents alike. While the cafe is regularly open to the public, events like this Saturday’s opening day festivities for the Foundation are an additional opportunity to invite others in and celebrate that connection.
“Not just a cafe”
HELP leaders are continuing to grow as restaurant operators. They very recently hired a culinary director to expand the Harvest program’s operations, and seek feedback from patrons to see how they could improve the cafe’s offerings. “I want the food to stand on its own – people coming back because the food is good, not because it was produced by people with disabilities,” Honkala said. “I want people to come back and feel that they got a good meal for a good value.”
They also want to tell the story of the organization and its mission for patrons of the cafe. “My biggest frustration has been trying to share our story. When you walk in, I don’t know if people know that everything that’s produced is grown in a greenhouse supporting people with disabilities,” said Honkala.
Susanna’s success as a restaurant is a promising sign of HELP’s many efforts to integrate those with intellectual disabilities into the workforce and society in general. Honkala wants to remember that their sandwich, salad, or beverage is part of a much bigger story of supporting and building community with individuals with intellectual disabilities, “It’s not just a cafe, it’s a mission-driven organization improving the lives of people with disabilities.”
Visit Susanna’s Cafe at 6601 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Reach the HELP Foundation here or by calling (216) 432-4810.
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