Friendship Circle Cafe & Bakery

This nonprofit cafe makes the most delicious sourdough bread you can imagine and takes all of its proceeds to help employ and support adults with disabilities and other missions around mental health?! Could there be a better reason to stuff your face full of bread? Friendship Cafe and Bakery hits like home with a mixed staff who are warm, friendly and really are overjoyed to be at work. Some of which are actual graduates of the 12 month employment training program Friendship runs for adults with disabilities to get placed in amazing work environments to support themselves and make (guess what) FRIENDS. The cafe makes coffee drinks, refreshers, teas and other beverages along with every baked good you can dream up. Muffins, cake pops, cookies, cakes, bagels, strudels and delicious loaves of bread. This place also caters any mealtime and touts being able to provide menus that can be: nut free, Kosher, gluten free and dairy free. Customization is key and what they’re there for! The distinguished Head Pastry Chef, Tara Forosisky-Benito, puts all her passion into her baked goods and breads. She’s worked on this particular sourdough starter perfecting its makeup for a little over 5 years! And to make sure that the kitchen is always performing at the highest quality and speed, she’s always 20 steps ahead in terms of prep and early mornings. I got a peek inside the kitchen after I heard all about their nonprofit mission and you could see the creativity popping and the drive to support some of the fellow employees was apparent. Oh, did I mention there’s an art studio space, too? As if they aren’t doing enough, they host art and little workshops like the popular “Art and Baking” for kiddos in the Fall. This cafe is remote work friendly (free WiFi!), has delicious drinks and baked treats all while supporting an important cause. Will definitely be making a bunch of trips back!