One young woman in San Antonio, Texas, hasn’t let her Down syndrome diagnosis stand in the way of her dream of owning a restaurant.
Leah Meyer, 24, will soon be launching her new gluten-free bakery and coffee shop, The Mermaid Café, with a touching slogan: Specialty coffee by special people. That’s because Meyer, who has Down syndrome, has a goal that at least 70% of the staff she employs will have some sort of special needs.
“For years we have been talking about what the café would look like, what would be on the menu, and all of the people that would visit,” the café’s website says. “One thing we knew for sure is that we wanted it to be a place for people of all abilities to be able to work and make a valuable contribution to society. We want to positively change the perception that people have of those that may be different from themselves.”
“Our goal, our mission, is to employ those with disabilities,” Leah’s dad, Drew Meyer, told News 4 San Antonio.
“We wanted this to be a cafe for Leah to call her home and be proud of it, but we wanted it to be a place for meaningful employment for those with special needs or those with physical or intellectual disabilities,” he also told KSAT. “People like Leah and her friends, we come to realize, they can do quite a bit of things if just given the opportunity.”
“It’s so needed in our community, we want to provide meaningful employment, and everybody is ready,” added her mom, Karen Meyer. “They’re lining up. They want a job.”
Leah’s dream is becoming a reality thanks in large part to the support of her parents, Karen and Drew, who have been telling news outlets that they always knew their daughter was capable of following her dreams.
“It was a shock when we found out she had Down syndrome, and we went through all the emotions, but when she was born, we knew she was different,” Drew told KSAT. “We know that is cliche to say because every parent thinks their child is different, but there was something about Leah, and we knew early on she was very capable.”
Karen said Leah has been baking since she was small — a passion that led her to create her own YouTube channel, Cooking with Leah.
“She has been baking with me since she was little bitty,” she told News 4 San Antonio. “She’s just always been in the kitchen. It’s really her passion.”
The café is slated to open at 14415 Blanco Rd in San Antonio in the next few months.
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]
