o H h'H O OJ New Com m unity Living O akville cafe serves skills training by M arta Marychuk Oakville Beaver Staff o CN TD CO cr LU QQ LU < o £ c -I--* CD JZ a) o a 'c o Community Living Oakville (CLO) has received funding for a new cafe to teach people with developmental challenges how to cook to help prepare them for employment in the food service industry. CLO, which is supported by the Ministry of Community and Social Services, Oakville Community Foundation, the United Way and Ontario Trillium Foundation, also received a $20,000 grant from the Region of Halton, through its Community Investment Fund, in addition to a contribution of equipment from Oakville-based Tarrison Ltd. Although the cafe has been up and running for a couple of months, CLO held an official opening this month, by holding a special lunch for its supporters. "This is very exciting," said Alexandra Hoeck Murray, CLO manager day services and employment supports. Halton Region has given Community Living Oakville funding for a new cafe, which is used to teach people how to cook and train for food industry employ ment. Pictured, in the spacious new cafe eating area, are, from left, Greg Kozak, Andria Cerbin-Lawry, Michel Marinier, Kelly Pitcher and Thien Ferrie. | Riziero Vertolli/Metroland "Everyone is so excited." The full-service cafe includes a kitchen with a hot table that keeps cooked food warm, and a cold table for salad bar items, perishable ingredients, pudding desserts, and other food products. There is also a bright and spacious area for eating, serving stations, a power dishwasher that cleans, plates, pots and pans in only three minutes, accessible taps, a deep sink and plenty of shelving, in addition to a modern refrigeratorfreezer, stove and microwave. Approximately eight to 10 people a day work in the cafe, says Mary White, day services manager for CLO. People do everything involved in food preparation including: menu planning, buying the food, cleaning, chopping and cooking, as well as serving food to their peers. The cafe originally was open two days a week, but CLO has expanded that to three days. The goal is to have the cafe running five days a week. The cafe teaches people how to care for themselves by planning and preparing nutritious hot and cold meals, says Irene Cvetkovski-Dukic, CLO director of services. "One of the goals is to help people gain skills to be employed in the community" adds Cvetkovski-Dukic. "This cafe gives them something to put down on their resume." Greg Kozak, who has been on a job placement at Tim Hortons since May, says the cafe has helped him a lot. "I hope to get a job at Tim Hortons. The people there are very friendly." Similarly, Kelly Pitcher says the cafe has helped her gain practical skills and build her self-confidence. "I had a great experience working in the cafe," she adds. im i lL I i I mml \ 1*118 thing in common W alt D isn e y · H .i R oss P erot · B ob H o p e Ed S ullivan · D a n n y T h o m a s · John W ayne B in g C ro sb y · Jim m y D u ra n te · D w ig h t D. E isen h o w er · H erb ert H o o v er · Ed S ullivan M artin Luther K in g Jr. · H arry S. T rum an Isaac A sim o v · C arl Sand bu rg · T om B rokaw W ayn e G retzk y · Dr. N o rm a n V in c e n t P eale W arren Buffett · Jackie R o b in so n · JSSff,5*w o*< ! A U . A G E S W ELCOM E kj T h e s e f a m o u s p e r s o n a lit ie s a l l s t a r t e d t h e i r c a re e r s IN V E N T O R Y S U P E R SALE! A LL G U ITA R S & A M PS!! A V . [v ,1 V V- , . U iZutC iusR fw MG U IT A R W O R L D 905.257.3110 · theguitarworldoakville.com 3 8 0 D u n d a s S t . E . a t T r a f a l g a r R o a d in L o n g o 's P l a z a -IS ^ I G U ITA H Sl INNOVATION. AMPLIFIED. w e a r e l o o k in g B U R L IN G T O N __ F L A M B O R O U G H f o r c a r r ie r s M IL T O N ___ O A K V I L L E ^ P e P o s t* The Review. C an ad ia nch am p io n . The Beaver. call © YAM AHA 9 0 5 - 6 3 1 - 6 0 9 5 T O F I N D A V A IL A B L E R O U T E S I N Y O U R A R E A