Cafeteria in São Paulo is run by people with Down syndrome 

Jéssica Pereira da Silva (31) dreamt to open a restaurant.

However, the idea was solidified with the opening of a café – the Bellatucci Café – in Pinheiros, in the city of São Paulo.

This made her the first entrepreneur with Down syndrome to be officially recognized in Brazil.

“My dream was to open a restaurant, but my sister and mother said a restaurant was too difficult, and we decided to open a café.”

“The café changed my life. I used to stay home and watch TV a lot.”

“Now I come home at 7 am and work from Monday to Saturday,” says Jéssica.

This Tuesday (21) marks World Down Syndrome Day.

The date has been recognized by the United Nations (UN) since 2012 and refers to the chromosomal disorder caused by an extra chromosome 21 that leads to intellectual disability and physical abnormalities.

Jéssica’s preference for cooking came from observing her mother and became a professional when she took a course in gastronomy technician at the National Service for Commercial Learning (Senac).

As soon as she graduated, Jéssica was sure she wanted to start a business in the food sector.

On social media, Jéssica talks about her daily life at the café.

“I liked to see my mother handling the pots and knives, and I started helping to set the table, preparing juice, dessert, and salad, and then I fell in love,” she says.

At the café, Jéssica serves sweets, cakes, and coffee.

“I make pot pies, brigadeiro, honey bread, and crepes. We cook daily, sell everything fresh, and work together; my whole family helps me with the coffee.”

Other people with Down syndrome work at the café, including barista Philippe Tavares, 31.

“He was my acquaintance, and he is a barista here. And now he’s my friend,” Jéssica reveals.

The young man has taken barista and waiter courses.

“I like being here. I’m a barista and I make coffee, cappuccino, mocha. I’m a show barista. I met Jéssica at APAE when she was 6 years old. Now she’s my girlfriend,” he says proudly.

The Association of Parents and Friends of the Disabled (APAE) brings together the entire community, in addition to parents and friends of the disabled, to prevent and treat disabilities and promote the well-being and development of people with disabilities.

The institution provides specialized training and structure for the treatment of physical and mental disabilities.

The main mission of the APAEs is to provide social assistance services to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and raise awareness in society.

Jéssica’s mother, Ivânia Della Bella da Silva, is one of the organizers of the company and works with the employees daily.

She conducts the training and accompanies them, overcoming setbacks and the distrust of clients.

“The obstacles we encounter, such as giving people the confidence they should have when they use the service, are hard work. It is a persistent job, but a real one.”

The café serves coffee on-site and offers corporate events, coffee breaks, and cocktails. J

éssica’s sister, Priscila, invested in the space with her husband, Douglas Batetucci.

With the pandemic, the café changed locations.

Now it is attached to the Como Assim?! restaurant, whose owner, a social investor, supports Jéssica’s social enterprise.

“The whole family helps, and we don’t want to stop; we want to see the results, which are very good”. Ivânia advises fathers and mothers to encourage and stimulate children with Down syndrome.

She hopes that in this way, society will become more open-minded and learn to live better with other people.

BARRIERS

Jéssica’s company is an example of the abilities of people with Down syndrome.

However, inclusion in the labor market still encounters difficulties, explained psychologist Paula Cardoso Tedeschi, who works at the Fundação Síndrome de Down, based in Campinas (SP).

“The barriers are some stigmas and prejudices, over-infantilization of people. So there are physical, attitudinal and communicative barriers that hinder inclusion. It’s these prejudices that say [the person with Down syndrome] can’t do anything and that they have no abilities,” she said.

The psychologist believes that changing the attitude of colleagues and leaders of organizations can improve the inclusion of people with Down syndrome in the labor market.

“It is necessary to change this very infantilized view that the employee is a child, not to see them as adults with his rights and responsibilities.”

“They are there to provide some kind of service, and the attitude of the colleague or the manager should be to support them, just like all other employees.”

“There are issues where adjustments are needed, but they do not prevent them from being treated like an employee who has plans, duties, and rights just like everyone else,” she explained.