The menu at Maeve’s Place, a cozy coffee shop nestled in the Catskill mountains, is far more extensive than that of your traditional java joint. On offer are eggs any style you wish, a range of pastries and eight types of mac and cheese. The kitchen isn’t the main point, though.
Iva Walsh, a single mother of four who immigrated to the US from the Czech Republic in the late 1980s, opened the upstate New York establishment in 2018 to provide work opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Her roster of nine employees includes her 26-year-old daughter, after whom the business is named. Walsh’s son, Daniel Hellmayer, a 41-year-old Culinary Institute of America graduate, works at the cafe as a full-time chef.
When Walsh’s family relocated from New York City to Ulster county in 2003, Maeve was the only person with Down’s syndrome in her school district. “She was the first one ever, but she went and many followed,” says Walsh. After Maeve graduated high school, she enrolled in continuing education courses that the county offered to prepare those with intellectual disabilities for employment. Walsh, who always valued the extent to which a job can create meaning and belonging, began dreaming up a plan for her daughter.
A hospitality veteran who had worked in restaurants and catering businesses, Walsh determined that the best solution would be to open a coffee shop where she could create an opportunity for Maeve, and others. As it happened, Maeve’s father and brother were opening a small hotel in Pine Hill, New York. There was a space in the facility that provided Walsh with the chance to test-run a business. When a significantly more spacious spot in Phoenicia, a 15-minute car ride away, became available, Walsh decided that taking out a loan to finance her business expansion would be worth the risk.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate of those with intellectual disabilities reached a record high in 2023: 22.5%, a 1.5% increase from the year prior. The same study found that “people with a disability were more likely to work in service occupations than those with no disability” – 19.4% compared with 16.1%. Which explains why restaurants and cafes, which often struggle to retain employees, are on the vanguard of inclusive hiring practices.
While envisioning the new cafe’s design, Walsh tried to imagine what it would be like for her daughter to navigate the day-to-day operations of the coffee shop. Food service jobs are known to be stressful. The sounds of the ticket machine – with cryptic notations spouting out of the feed – can be the bane of an employee’s shift. A well-written ticket, however – one that doesn’t just list the name of an item but includes its components in order of assembly – can make a world of difference. Walsh configured her ticket system to inform workers what ingredients are needed to fill an order.
When the Guardian visited Maeve’s Place, Walsh printed off a ticket for a spinach avocado kale smoothie. The name of the item was in bold, with a list of each ingredient in the order of assembly below. The smoothie station, Maeve’s favorite corner, was lined with circular containers with user-friendly lids containing standard measuring scoops.
Walsh buys pre-ground and pre-batched coffee beans, ensuring that every shot contains the same amount, eliminating a common source of error in coffee-making. “Maeve has an incredible attention to detail,” Walsh says. “I know that she wouldn’t have it any other way.”
How were you able to finance Maeve’s Place?
I was a single mom. I applied for a business loan from our watershed corporation [which protects local water quality and fosters local business]. They have an incentive to develop this area business-wise. If you go to a bank around here, they do not want to give loans to restaurants because there is such a high mortality rate. I had to have a pretty detailed business plan and everything else that goes with applying to get a regular loan. But [a watershed loan] is a fairly low-interest loan compared to what you would typically get from a bank.
What did you need to purchase to get your business off the ground?
I needed a dishwasher, a set of espresso machines and coffee machines. I did not move into a restaurant. I moved into a room that could be office space or anything else. I had to build everything from the ground up. I had to install the entire hood and sprinkler system. Covid was hitting, and the price of everything was through the roof if you could even get it. So starting a business at that time was, on one hand, the worst time ever, but on the other hand, since you really couldn’t do anything else, I had plenty of time. I could be there by myself, painting the walls.
What has been the most challenging aspect of keeping the company afloat?
I still have sleepless nights because my loans are not paid up. I constantly worry about payroll. Retaining your employees is difficult, and employing people with disabilities can double the staff I need to schedule. I am currently the resident dishwasher.
What are some considerations you take into account when hiring employees?
The first thing I ask is: are you able and willing to work shoulder to shoulder with somebody like my daughter? And it’s OK to say no.
