Roanoke, Virginia – A Roanoke cafe known for serving sweets and a smile is gaining community recognition.
On Thursday, the Roanoke Area Chamber of Commerce announced Chris’s Coffee & Custard as the recipient of the 2022 Small Business Inspiration Award.
Chris’s Coffee & Custard, founded by Beth Woodrum in Roanoke, provides employment opportunities for young people with special needs, the chamber said.
Beth’s son Chris has Down syndrome. According to the chamber, she has a dream for Chris and others in the community.
“There had to be some place where our young people with special abilities could work,” Beth recalled in a Tasty Tuesday interview on April 10.
That dream came true through the cafe, the meeting room said.
“They make all the drinks. They make all the food. They’re here to serve and take orders. Every job we do, they do it,” Beth told 10 News.
Roanoke Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joyce Waugh said they were selected as recipients of the Inspiration Award, which honors small businesses with extraordinary stories.
“Our Small Business Celebration Committee unanimously selected Chris’s Coffee & Custard for this award, and they hit a home run,” said Waugh.
You can learn more about Chris’s Coffee & Custard here, and you can see their locations below.
These other businesses were also honored Thursday night, according to the chamber:
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