An upcoming café in Baton Rouge will be offering a lot more than coffee. Located at 15405 Airline Hwy., Stir will focus on employing people with intellectual and developmental differences; forging connections for them within the community.
Owner Katie Jenkins is a behavioral analyst who works with children with developmental differences. She recently told What Now New Orleans that the café will fill a need for working-age people who have various intellectual and developmental conditions.
“When I started in this field, a long time ago, the kids I worked with are all grown up now, and there’s really not an easy spot for them to get a job,” she said. “What we’re finding is that the community doesn’t really know how to employ these people. So, along with our nonprofit called Strides, the coffee house will be like an employment pathway. If people don’t want to work at a coffee shop, they can use the nonprofit to connect with businesses or learn how to interview.”
In keeping with the core mission at Stir, the café will keep things simple. The full espresso bar will offer standard drinks made with locally roasted beans from Ascension Roasting Company. There will also be locally sourced pastries available.
“We’ll have modified machines and modified processes,” Jenkins said. “Employees will have lots of visuals and lots of hands-on training breaking down the necessary skills.”
She added that an opening date is set for September and invited folks to come and support the café’s mission.
“I want people to come, be a part of our community and really connect,” she said. “I want to give these guys an opportunity to really thrive and feel more included in the world.”
