Select a region
A café and social enterprise which celebrates the skills of islanders with learning disabilities and autism is set to expand their "family" even further in the New Year to cater the canteen at Police HQ.
This marks yet another success in Beresford Street Kitchen’s rise to acclaim in the island after being open for just over a year.
The contract between the Kitchen and the Police was announced this week for International Day of Persons with Disabilities and will mean another expansion for the burgeoning business.
Video: Express met the Beresford Street Kitchen team to find out why what they do is so special.
In the short time it’s been open, the kitchen, which is run by charitable trust Aspire, has already branched out from the café business, having opened a dedicated printing workshop and retail shop.
In a post on Twitter, the Police said they were "delighted" to announce the signing of the contract with Beresford Street Kitchen and that they “can’t wait to welcome them in at the start of next year".
The café’s manager, Gabby Elmers, previously told Express that people with disabilities often miss out on opportunities due to a lack of training and/or expertise.
Pictured: Beresford Street Kitchen has gone from strength to strength in the short time it has been open.
She hopes that the growing presence of the kitchen in Jersey will help to “break down barriers” between non-disabled and disabled people as well as helping to “shatter the stigma” surrounding disability.
Announcing their “new venture” with the Police, the café said that the contract “enables us to provide more training and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autism and grow the Beresford Street Kitchen family". "We can’t wait to get started!” they added.
Masaki Coe, who has been working at Beresford Street Kitchen for just over a year, said he is really pleased to be employed as a Chef after getting his culinary training at Highlands College.
Pictured: Masaki (left) is one of the chefs currently employed at Beresford Street Kitchen.
Day to day, Masaki prepares the Kitchen’s soups and paninis and he said that it often gets busy in the café: “Lots of panini orders come in and I’m the one responsible for making them to order." Outside of work, Masaki said his favourite dish to prepare in his free time is sushi.
Masaki told Express that it’s great to see the café expanding. He said: “I feel very good knowing how successful the café is becoming.”
The kitchen will open in the Police canteen in the New Year.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.