Holiday Spirit

Kathleen Hughes, founder of Ada's Café, left center, Charlie Hughes, center, and Todd Cerf, right, serve a customer at the Mitchell Park cafe on Nov. 21. Photo by Veronica Weber.

Posted November 24, 2017

Ada's Café gives people with disabilities a chance to grow
Nonprofit runs one-of-a-kind eatery centered around community

By Jamey Padojino

Wodd Cerf never saw himself as a leader, but he's now a manager-in-training at Ada's Cafe in Palo Alto. He opens up most mornings with card access to the building, one of his many duties since getting promoted in May.

"I enjoy it because I get to work more hours, and I enjoy it because I like seeing all the regular customers that come in every day," the fresh-faced 31-year-old said timidly but with a grin.

He maintains his professionalism with the patrons as they enter the shop, a straight shot from the door to the counter, look over the displays of delectable pastries and to-go items and choose a dish or drink from menus. While the espresso machine hums away, Cerf and his customers enjoy each other's company and inject humor into their conversations.

"If they ordered a big drink order I just tell them, you know, 'Sounds like someone needed to get their buzz on,'" he said. "I can joke with them in a way that makes them want to come back."

Jeremy Teter waves to longtime customers at Ada's Café as he works the lunch shift on Nov. 21.
Cerf is one of the 34 people with disabilities who are finding empowerment through their jobs at Ada's Cafe, a nonprofit that aims to give work opportunities to this group and to change the face of retail. They work out of a small, inviting coffee shop that opened in 2014 next to the Mitchell Park Library or in the commercial kitchen in Mountain View, where all the food is made with organic ingredients. Many of them are trained to be a jack-of-all-trades who can take orders, prepare food, deliver orders and clean up, among other duties.

"The more u grow at the cafe the more responsibility you will have and more trust In your self and more trust with people who work with u every day," Cerf said in a follow-up email.

The workers' disabilities range include traumatic brain injuries, Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders. Their employment is significant: National data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a 10.5 percent unemployment rate for people with disabilities last year, nearly double the national average. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 10 times the average of a local area, Executive Director Kathleen Foley-Hughes said.

The nonprofit has also hired a Syrian refugee who immigrated to the United States and landed in the Bay Area, where he said he applied for more than 50 jobs before coming to Ada's.

To support the work of Ada's Cafe, the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund gave a $5,000 grant last year, which allowed the organization to fill a shortfall between the cafe's revenues and the costs of running the operation.

"Our grant helped cover the minimum wage that has increased for everyone," Foley-Hughes said. The nonprofit also provides health insurance and workers compensation, which have also become a large expense.

All employees start out earning the minimum wage, which is currently $12 an hour in Palo Alto and is set to increase to $13.50 in the new year. There's little worker turnover at Ada's, where wages range between $12 to $20 per hour, Foley-Hughes said. Funding the employee earnings will be a growing concern as the rate is scheduled to go up to $15 an hour by 2019.

Foley-Hughes noted the nonprofit hasn't raised its prices since late 2015.

"We're so community-minded and we don't want people to not afford to come. We try to be good about that," she said.

On-the-job training is a vital component to maintaining an efficient work environment.

"When you're talking about working with people with disabilities, each person has a plan," Foley-Hughes said.

John Collins, 53, of Palo Alto, is learning how to create latte art from his co-workers. Hearts and bears are pretty easy to draw, but he said it would be neat to create a yin yang symbol on foam.

"I didn't really get to make coffee drinks before on the espresso machine," said Collins, who has previous food service experience at Papa Murphy's and Emil Villa's Hickory Pit. His sharp memory is apparent as he carefully describes the steps into making a latte, which requires making sure the milk is warmed up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

"That's pretty hard to gauge," he said.

In May, Collins used the money he saved up from his job to purchase an HP All In One desktop computer during a Memorial Day sale, just under $600. Now, he has his sights set on saving up for a new car -- either a Mazda6 or Dodge Charger -- or a Nintendo Switch.

Jeremy Teter, 32, of Sunnyvale, is embracing his inner people-person at Ada's, where nowadays he finds himself at the nonprofit's catering events initiating conversations with customers by asking about their day.

"I'm learning to do things different to challenge myself," he said.

His new responsibilities include counting money at the cash register ("I do the dollars first and the change last," he said) and taking a cart to the Mountain View kitchen where he visits the storage room to stock up on supplies, a task he does either on his own or with a co-worker who can help keep track of what's needed.

Teter's passion for his job and co-workers is apparent.

"We love each other. We respect each other and we are a family that care about each other," he said. "It's a blessing to be with people who you really like ... who you care about, too."

Powell Gaynor is comfortable behind the cash register and cleaning tables but now finds himself relearning food preparation and bringing out orders in a timely manner, which he said can become overwhelming.

The 21-year-old employee originally lived in Mountain View when he was hired, but now works on the weekends while he spends the weekdays in San Jose as a San Jose City College student. He aspires to become a humanitarian and to one day take part in relief efforts.

Gaynor is learning the ropes of the espresso machine by watching his fellow co-workers.

"When I observed it I was like, 'Oh, OK, that's not so bad.' It's just like a couple steps and you're done," he said.

The job requires taking on multiple responsibilities, which fosters a sense of independence among the workers, who strive to create a place for the community to indulge in a good meal.

"It's nice to see people who might have a hard time getting a job otherwise ... (be) able to work here, and they can feel like they're a regular person," Gaynor said.

Apply for a Holiday Fund Grant

Nonprofits serving children and families may apply for funds by downloading our Grant Application Guidelines and Grant Application Form. Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2023.

Make a donation
2023 Recipient Agency
Able Works$10,000

Acterra$15,000

Ada's Cafe$25,000

Adolescent Counseling Services$7,500

Art in Action$10,000

Art of Yoga Project$5,000

Aspire East Palo Alto
Charter School
$5,000

Bay Area Friendship Circle$5,000

Beyond Barriers
Athletic Foundation
$5,000

Big Brothers Big Sisters
of the Bay Area
$5,000

Blossom Birth and Family$5,000

Canopy$5,000

CASA of San Mateo County$5,000

Christmas Bureau of Palo Alto$7,500

Community Legal Services
in East Palo Alto
$10,000

Counseling and Support
Services for Youth (CASSY)
$15,000

Downtown Streets Team$15,000

DreamCatchers$15,000

East Palo Alto Academy
Foundation
$10,000

East Palo Alto Kids Foundation$15,000

East Palo Alto Razorhawks
Rugby Football Club
$5,000

Eastside College
Preparatory School
$7,500

Ecumenical Hunger
Program
$10,000

Environmental Volunteers $7,500

EPACENTER$25,000

EPATT (East Palo Alto
Tennis and Tutoring)
$20,000

Family Connections$7,500

Fit Kids Foundation$5,000

Foundation for a
College Education
$15,000

FRESH APPROACH$5,000

Fresh Lifelines for Youth$5,000

Friends for Youth$5,000

Friends of the Palo Alto
Junior Museum & Zoo
$10,000

Heart and Home Collaborative$10,000

Hidden Villa$10,000

Hope Horizon East Palo Alto$7,500

Jasper Ridge Farm$5,000

Kara$15,000

Lauren's House 4 Positive
Change
$5,000

Learning Home Volunteers$10,000

Mannakin Theater & Dance$5,000

Music in the Schools Foundation$7,500

My New Red Shoes$5,000

Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto$10,000

Palo Alto Art Center Foundation$10,000

Palo Alto Community
Child Care (PACCC)
$20,000

Palo Alto Players$10,000

Peninsula Bridge$10,000

Peninsula College Fund$10,000

Peninsula Healthcare Connection $10,000

Peninsula Volunteers$15,000

Pursuit of Excellence
Scholarship Foundation
$20,000

Ravenswood Classroom Partners$20,000

Ravenswood Education
Foundation
$10,000

Rebuilding Together
Peninsula
$7,500

REEL2e$5,000

Rich May Foundation$5,000

Riekes Center$5,000

Rise Together Education$15,000

Rosalie Rendu Center$5,000

Sager Family Farm$5,000

Science is Elementary$5,000

Silicon Valley Urban
Debate League
$7,500

StreetCode Academy$10,000

The Circuit EPA$5,000

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley$5,000

UNAFF (United Nations Association
Film Festival)
$10,000

Vista Center for the Blind
and Visually Impaired
$10,000

WeHOPE$15,000

WomenSV$7,500

Youth Community Service $25,000

Child Care Grants

AbilityPath$10,000

All Five$10,000

Children's Center of the
Stanford Community
$5,000

Children's Preschool Center$5,000

Covenant Children's Center$10,000

Grace Lutheran Preschool$10,000

Palo Alto Community
Child Care (PACCC)
$10,000

Palo Alto Friends Nursery School$10,000

Parents Nursery School$10,000

The Learning Center$10,000


As of December 5th, 113 donors have contributed $79,312 to the Holiday Fund.
* indicates amount withheld at donor's request

19 Anonymous3,420
David Kalkbrenner*
Daniel & Janis Tuerk*
Alan Cooper100
Roy & Carol Blitzer*
Barbara & Charles Stevens*
Susan Perry*
Elizabeth Salzer & Richard Baumbartner500
Betsy & George Bechtel200
Karen and Dick Olson500
Thomas Rindfleisch*
Bruce & Mary Beth Train500
Fran Codispoti250
Desmond Lee & Carl Jukkola150
Jane Paulson3,000
Michelle and Omar Baldonado100
Larry Hyde*
Jeanne Ware*
Judy Ousterhout*
Faith Braff500
Keith and Linda Clarke*
Tess & Eric Byler100
Bonnie and Bryan Street*
Kroymann Family250
Martha Shirk1,300
Charles Williams200
Jesse Dorogusker and Jennifer DiBrienza1,000
Arthur Keller500
Jean Dawes1,000
Marjorie Bridges25
Sallie and Jay Whaley*
Joyce & Gerry Barker*
Ed & Linda DeMeo500
Julie & Jon Jerome*
Leif and Sharon Erickson500
Cynthia Costell150
Veronica Tincher*
Chris Kenrick1,000
R Zuanich200
Judy & Tony Kramer*
Paul & Sarah Donahue2,000
Barbara Riper*
A.C. & Kathryn Johnston250
Steven Feinberg10,000
Bonnie Packer & Robert Raymakers1,000
Ellen Turbow500
Dan Pappas250
J. W. Morton100
Barbara Klein*
William Debord2,000
Bruce & Jane Gee1,000
Richard Johnsson500
Ken Bencala & Sally O'Neil100
Ted & Ginny Chu*
Dixie Storkman100
Greg & Penny Gallo500
Andrea B. Smith100
Andrea B. Smith100
Scott and Jan Kilner500
Ted and Ginny Chu*
Penny Barrett*
Kay Remsen*
Jody Maxmin*
Roger V. Smith500
Marcia & Michael Katz*
In Memory Of

Paul Seaver*
Rich Hlava*
Walter Dean345
Bob Donald300
Jim and Dottie Mellberg*
Andre Jones*
Ray Bacchetti300
Jackie Boner*
Leo and Sylvia Breidenbach*
Thomas and Louise Phinney*
Jack Sutorius750
Jenna Hilleary750
E Yanosh ALT20
Werner Graf*
Aaron O'Neill*
Dan Logan100
Darla Tupper3,922
Bob Kirkwood*
Kathy Morris*
Bob Donald*
Nancy & Robert Lobdell*
Ruth & Chet Johnson*
In Honor Of

Mandy Lowell*
Jill and Brian Bicknell*
The Liggett Family*
Marilyn Sutorius750
Bill Johnson*
As a Gift for

Sally Werling100
Businesses & Organizations

Peery Foundation 10,000
Arrillaga Foundation10,000

Past Holiday Fund Grant Recipients

2018-2019 | 2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013 | 2011-2012 | 2010-2011 | 2009-2010 | 2008-2009 | 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | 2005-2006 | 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | 2002-2003 | 2001-2002 | 2000-2001 | 1999-2000