A new cafe in Markham is now serving food and job training in the same space.
Cherish Integrated Services has officially opened Possible Cafe, a professionally equipped restaurant and training centre for people with developmental disabilities. The community organisation says the project is part of its vocational training program and is designed to build daily living and hospitality skills.
The cafe includes classrooms and gives trainees hands-on experience across a hospitality business, from meeting health and safety standards and managing cash to preparing, cooking and serving food. Guided by industry professionals, trainees can gain real-world skills aimed at helping them live more independently.
Possible Cafe was funded through a $198,400 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant received in 2024. Cherish said the money came through a one-time Resiliency Communities Fund allocation aimed at helping non-profit and charity groups recover from the pandemic and strengthen their capacity.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation receives just under $110 million in annual funding from the Ontario government.
Cherish founders Hugo and Ivy Lam were on hand for the opening, along with Markham-Thornhill MPP Logan Kanapathi, Regional Councillor Alan Ho, Ward 8 Councillor Isa Lee, and Duncan Fletcher representing the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The cafe is at 1271 Denison St, units 52 and 53, beside Cherish’s existing vocational training space in the same plaza, where the organisation runs other occupation and life training courses.
Possible Cafe will serve an Asian-Western fusion menu and will initially open from Thursday to Sunday. More information is available at possiblecafe.ca.
Read more from Markham Review.
