One of the benefits of our social enterprise cafes is being able to showcase products from organizations with similar values, like Rockville-based Sunflower Bakery. Similar to DC Central Kitchen, the woman-owned social enterprise uses food as a tool to prepare young adults with learning differences for employment in the pastry, baking and hospitality industries.
For the last 17 years, Sunflower Bakery has been enabling pathways to employment for young adults and teens with learning differences through pre-employment exposure and workforce development training in pastry arts, hospitality and related industries. Like our Culinary Job Training program, they also provide professional training experience that combines technical hard skills with soft skills of employment readiness. Yes, they are a bakery, but their purpose isn’t just about serving delicious treats to customers.
“We’re trying to give them exposure to something that we think could work for them,” says Sunflower Bakery’s Director of Training and Operations Liz Hutter. “We’re trying to really make it fit and give them all the tools they would need to be successful.”
“Sunflower Bakery is dedicated to creating employment opportunities,” says DC Central Kitchen Chief Operating Officer Dusty Cooper. “Their dedication to the youth through education and technical skills is showcased in every product they produce.”
The bakery offers four different training programs in pastry arts, culinary, hospitality, and a teen exposure program for students ages 16 through graduation.
Sunflower’s students produce approximately 85% of the bakery’s baked goods. “We don’t design things that students can’t make,” says Liz. “I don’t want them to come in and just feel like they’re scooping dough.”
Their products range from bread, brownies, cakes and challah to cookies, cupcakes, donuts, mandel bread, muffins, pies, and tarts, which can be purchased at one of their two retail locations in Rockville and North Bethesda or be shipped nationwide. The bakery is kosher pareve (dairy-free), and also offers a variety of nut-free, gluten-free, and vegan options.
Guests at any of our DCCK Cafes can enjoy one of Sunflower Bakery’s delicious lemon bars. According to Liz, the partnership with DC Central Kitchen is “a natural collaboration that just makes sense.”
We completely agree!
