Murray Ridge students open cafe

ELYRIA — Against the backdrop of string lights and the whir of blenders, students at Murray Ridge School opened their cafe Thursday morning. Brew It Smooth Cafe will host students and staff every Thursday, with the oldest of Murray Ridge students serving their teachers and primary and intermediate kids handling homemade baked goods and other sweet treats. Intervention specialists Kristin Dickerhoff and Taylor Blascak have been working on the cafe for months — after the idea came to Dickerhoff while she was floating in her pool one summer afternoon. "It really also stems from COVID, not being able to take our kids out into the community to learn on-the-job skills and find a way to get them to learn what they want to do when they leave Murray Ridge," she said. Murray Ridge School serves special-needs students ages 6-21, providing physical, occupational and communication therapy, as well as nursing, transportation and assistive technology. It is operated by the Lorain County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Prior to the pandemic, older students would take field trips to cafes or restaurants, Dickerhoff said, but the cafe brings a chance to learn those soft skills into the school — and pairs with Fridays' weekly cooking classes as well. "It was 100 percent student-geared and we're like, 'Let's get these guys excited about it' and then it just rolls," she said. "I did a donor's choose fundraiser … and we just sort of rolled with it." About a dozen students will work the cafe from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Thursday — though the hours may change as the school year moves forward. Behind just taking orders, stamping loyalty cards and thanking customers, students will also learn how to take inventory and determine what needs restocked for the next week. Baked goods were made by staff, including school secretary Lilly Tapia, who runs her own home bakery on the side: How Sweet It Is Cupcakes by Lilly. Her treats were front and center Thursday morning, with staff ordering the seasonal cupcakes alongside pumpkin spice cold brew and apple pie smoothies. Dickerhoff and Blascak plan to change the menu throughout the season — peppermint mochas in the winter, for example. Funds raised from the cafe will go back into the cafe or help pay for field trips for the primary and intermediate students. But Dickerhoff doesn't want to see the model end with the school day. "I would love for someone in the world to know that this could be an idea that could be bigger — like who's got an empty place that they want to allow some special-needs kids to open up a cafe after school," she said. "After-school day care is hard; our parents don't have anywhere to go with their kids. Like, how great would it be to bus them to the coffee shop and they work in the afternoon? "It's just going to grow, we just know it is." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.