Spectrum Academy starts a cafe to give students with autism life and job experience
Mrs. Martha (left) sits down as Timothy Sterling takes away a plate for her at the Pantera Caffé at Spectrum Academy on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Pleasant Grove. The students have been working with restaurant equipment to learn how to create, execute, engage and serve in a real restaurant environment at the school. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Students scoop out fresh gelato at the Pantera Caffé at Spectrum Academy on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Pleasant Grove. Spectrum Academy students have learned how to make many recipes, including this one, at their state of the art test kitchen. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Isaac Lee cuts stromboli at the Pantera Caffé at Spectrum Academy on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Pleasant Grove. The students have been working with restaurant equipment to learn how to create, execute, engage and serve in a real restaurant environment at the school. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Dave Banner works with his team of students at the Pantera Caffé at Spectrum Academy on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Pleasant Grove. After taking a trip to Italy, Banner realized that he could attempt some of the same recipes he tasted there and incorporate them into an educational experience back in Utah County. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Students take orders and make sure they are prepared correctly at the Pantera Caffé at Spectrum Academy on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Pleasant Grove. The students have been working with restaurant equipment to learn how to create, execute, engage and serve in a real restaurant environment at the school. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
The flickering battery-powered candles; red, green and black tablecloths; and carb-heavy menu give the Pantera Caffe a distinct Italian vibe.
But being inside Spectrum Academy, a public charter school in Pleasant Grove for children on the autism spectrum, makes the Pantera Caffe much more than a cafe. It’s also a safe place for the students to fail as they gain life and work experience.
“We want to make sure they gain the experience in a safe environment,” said Liz Banner, the school’s principal.
The students who work in the cafe have gotten food handlers permits, have learned to cook the food, use math to make the recipes, order the material, take orders, greet customers and handle all aspects of the restaurant experience. They also did marketing for the cafe, which included making commercials and set the prices for the food.
The students are handmaking all the food, which includes pizza, pasta, canolis, Italian soda and gelato.
Banner said the cafe means a lot to the students’ parents, who wonder if their children will be able to get and retain jobs.
“The parents come in with tears in their eyes now,” she said.
Dave Banner, a high school occupational teacher at Spectrum Academy, said that normally the students would have empty resumes. Now, they have skills to put on one.
“The students absolutely love it,” he said. “They want to be on every shift.”
The cafe serves the school’s staff and guests. Serving patient customers, he said, gives the students a safety net.
In its first week of being open, the students have received positive feedback from their customers, which gives them boosted confidence from receiving a genuine compliment. They’re also the envy of the other students.
“Everyone else thinks they’re rockstars,” Dave Banner said.
Jarom Curtis, a sophomore the school, works in the cafe by greeting people and making sure they are enjoying their experience.
It’s not something he’s used to.
“I’m not so much of a social person,” Curtis said.
He hasn’t tried any of the food yet.
“By the looks on people’s faces, it looks yummy to eat,” he said.
The equipment for the Pantera Caffe and Life Skills Room, which has restaurant-quality equipment, was provided by a donation from Vivint Gives Back. The Life Skills Room will also provide hands-on training for sewing and woodworking.
If you are interested in eating at the cafe, contact the school at (801) 785-9019.
