SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Press Cafe at Independence Landing in Tallahassee is officially open to the public, providing residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities real-world job training opportunities. Through a 13-week workforce development program, participants learn culinary skills, food preparation, and customer service while serving customers.
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Inside this cafe, independence isn't learned from a textbook. It's built shift by shift, one order at a time.
The Press Cafe at Independence Landing has opened its doors to the Tallahassee community, giving residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities the chance to take job training out of the classroom and into the real world.
For workers like Jason McMurtry, this isn't just a job. It's a place to build confidence, develop culinary skills, and prepare for what comes next.
"I love it here. Yeah, I want to work here until they tell me you have to go," McMurtry said.
That preparation starts with hands-on training behind the scenes.
"We have a workforce development program which is training, it is a 13-week program. We train basic culinary skills, measuring, portion control, food safety is a really big part of the program," Nikki Pettineo, Culinary Director at Independence Landing, said.
From food prep to customer service, those lessons are put to the test every day as residents serve real customers in a real cafe setting.
"Parents had been coming here before, but not the community, so that part was great," McMurtry said.
Opening the cafe to the public adds a new level of responsibility and a new opportunity to shine.
McMurtry says the experience has prepared him for exactly this moment.
"It teaches you all about kitchen skills, which is great, and people skills. All of that goes together," McMurtry said.
And for customers, stopping by means more than grabbing lunch.
Each visit supports inclusion and independence and shows what's possible when people are given the chance to succeed.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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