Cafe helps chefs with learning difficulties thrive

A woman in a black blouse covered in a flowery pattern stands by the counter of a cafe. She has short black hair and an orange apron with a catroon image of a young man wearing glasses. There is an empty cake stand with a glass dome on the cafe counter. Behind the woman are two tables filled with customers. There is a woman in a pink headscarf, a woman with long blomnde hair and glasses, a small child in a white jumper and another woman with long black hair sat at the table closest to her. At the front of the cafe, there are large windows and a glass door leading to a pathway beside a wall, wooden fence and hedges.

Alice Broad has volunteered at Loui's Kitchen for months and described it as a "really good opportunity for learning"

Matt Weigold
in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Chefs with learning difficulties have praised the cafe where they work for making them feel included and valued.

It was the ambition of Emily Shaw to open a cafe in Newcastle-under-Lyme, to give her autistic son Loui gainful employment and support other young people with additional needs.

Two years on, the family-run cafe is thriving, with a team of chefs rustling up meals and drinks through Caudwell Children's Shaping Futures scheme.

"It makes me feel that I'm being part of the community and being an asset to society," smiled Alice Broad, who said she loved giving friendly customer service.

"It feels really rewarding. A real sense of achievement," she added.

Hear from Loui and his grandmother, Steph Talbot, about the lives changed by Loui's Kitchen

At 19 years old, Loui McKinney, who has autism and learning difficulties, struggled to find a suitable job despite being extremely keen to work.

"We didn't like the alternative provisions that were available to him," explained his grandmother, Steph Talbot. "We felt that he would be bored and not stimulated and not grow in any way."

In October 2023, with no experience running a cafe, the family took a gamble opening Loui's Kitchen in the Westlands.

"It's the hardest I've ever worked in all my life, and I've worked all my life," sighed Ms Talbot.

"But I think being in the community like this, being able to do events and meet people, just makes that little bit of difference."

She referred to the kitchen's cake and chat sessions every Tuesday morning, which include a free hot drink and slice of cake to local voluntary groups.

This weekly session is followed by free hot meals for nearby elderly residents, all funded by the National Lottery's Awards For All.

To help deal with such a busy service, young people with learning difficulties volunteer at the cafe to prepare and serve the meals and drinks.

A man in a purple t-shirt, orange apron and black baseball cap is handing a full roast dinner to a woman in a lime green cardigan. She is sat at a cafe table with nine other men and women about to eat the same meal. There is another table of four people in the background eating roast dinners. The cafe has large windows and a glas door at the front.

Ben Hall said his first "fantastic" work experience helped him improve his cooking and learn new skills

Olivia Wood has volunteered since the cafe opened and said the experience was really beneficial.

"My communication skills have got better," she said. "It's this positive environment, you come into the cafe and you feel so so happy and so involved in everything."

"When I first came to this group, I didn't really talk to many people and I think this group is definitely helping me."

"They're absolutely nailing it now," Ms Talbot said of the young recruits, "they know exactly what they're doing."

As for her grandson, Loui continues to thrive in the cafe, serving drinks, washing up and even calling the bingo numbers.

His next ambition is to pass his driving test and secure an ice cream van for his next business venture.

A woman in a teal rollneck jumper and an orange apron is standing in a working kitchen. Behind her are three men wearing the same apron, printed with a cartoon face of a young man wearing glasses. The man on the left has his back to camera, is wearing a black woolly hat and a checkered shirt, and is chopping using a yellow chopping board. Next to him is a man in a black baseball cap, purple t-shirt and white trousers holding his thumb up. The other man has short blonde hair and is wearing a black t-shirt. He is pointing to the sky in a pose. There is a black bin, red calendar and large white frideg covered in safety stickers.

"I've made some really good friends here," said Ms Wood, as the rest of her team prepare the roast dinners

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