Mychal's Café in Redondo Beach empowers employees with disabilities

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A festive ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Redondo Beach for the grand opening of Mychal's Café.

"It's my dream to be full-time," said employee Caelyn Griffith.

Mychal's Café is redefining the traditional café experience by offering employees with disabilities the opportunity to showcase their skills. Founder Ed Lynch said the café is an expansion of his nonprofit Mychal's Learning Place.

"When I started Mychal's learning place almost 23 years ago, I named it after my daughter, Mychal who passed away when she was seven and a half. And we believe at Mychal's that everybody deserves the same opportunities. People that work here have developmental disabilities, they have autism, they have Down syndrome, and they're learning to do everything," said Ed Lynch, founder and executive director of Mychal's Café.

The employees are offered a variety of roles including servers and kitchen staff. Lynch said it allows the community to see that the special needs employees are workers who deserve the same opportunities as everyone else.

"I enjoy my work every time," said employee Domonic Luster.

"The special needs community is at an 85% unemployment rate. I believe that our students could do anything if they put their mind to it if they're trained to do it and they have the support to do it," Lynch said.

"It's scary working in a restaurant. Yesterday could have been terrible and they're still here with a smile on the next day," said kitchen lead Karly Horowitz.

The café also offers a fresh, healthy menu filled with a variety of dishes. Customers can enjoy delicious food while supporting a great cause.

"It makes us feel great about coming to a place where people know your name and know you and then get served great food on top of it," said customer Melinda Arentsen.

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