Providing special needs kids with workplace experience.
When Sergio Pacheco and Gloria Mattei-Pacheco’s son, Adrian, was diagnosed with autism, they knew he would need skills to navigate the adult world in a different way than they experienced in the corporate arena. A chance visit to a California bakery sparked Gloria’s interest in purchasing a Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise where her son could work and learn.
Sergio balked. “But Gloria, you don’t bake, you don’t even cook!” he said.
She wouldn’t let go of the idea, and after tasting the unique cakes at their housewarming party in Sandy Springs, Sergio agreed. The compromise was that Gloria would take over operations at the Alpharetta bakery while Sergio continued working at his corporate job.
“There was a big learning curve,” she says. “We knew the corporate world but not the retail world nor the community.”
They began reaching out, first by donating cakes for an event at Adrian’s school, then to other nonprofits, including large events with hundreds of guests. The business took off, and they achieved their goal by introducing Adrian to various jobs. Some required accommodations to fit his needs, but he excelled at hospitality.
Word spread to other parents of special needs kids, and the Pachecos invited them to work at what became franchises in Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta. “We don’t have a formal nonprofit, but we work with the Lionheart School that makes referrals for kids on the autism spectrum and others,” Gloria says. The couple also serves on several community boards.
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