Puzzle Gourmet Store and Cafe: Serving Great Food, Embracing Uniqueness

With new restaurants popping up, left and right, not to mention food strips like Maginhawa and Kapitolyo going even more popular these days, deciding where to schedule your next date, family lunch, or barkada meet up is a pretty challenging task. How about trying a new spot that stands out because of their food, and the experience they offer - a place like Puzzle Gourmet Store and Cafe.

Puzzle Gourmet Store and Cafe.

Welcome to Puzzle Cafe.

As a gourmet store, it sells lots of imported and hard to find food products. As a cafe, they serve all-day breakfast, pastas, sandwiches, and merienda (they recently launched their new menu which I haven't tried).

But it's when you meet their staff that you'll realize why this place is extra special. :)

Meet Oscar, a 31-year old Person with Down Sydrome. Oscar works as a server at Puzzle.

You see, Puzzle Cafe not only serves great food, it also embraces uniqueness as it gives employment opportunities to Persons with Autism and Down Syndrome. Some of the friendly staff you'd meet when you visit are actually persons with intellectual disabilities who work there either as trainees or regular employees.

We visited Puzzle few weeks back for an afternoon, out-of-office, meeting with my teammates from Unilab Foundation. Having an employment program for PWDs and working with our very own officemate with Autism, this is the kind of place that me and my officemates are always excited to try. :)

Let's watch them prove us wrong. :)

The whole place just spells delicious eats and good vibes. :)

More knick knacks. 

Our servers that afternoon, Oscar and Anna.

I love how the place makes the effort to make the place comfortable and the services easy, for both its staff and customers.

My officemate Judy placing our group's orders. Instead of just taking her orders, she's given a list where she needs to check the items we chose and indicate the quantity. This makes it easier for the atypical servers to understand and relay our orders.

Cornel, Young Adult with Autism, is being guided by his shadow server while serving our drinks. 

Anna, another Young Adult Autism, also gets some help from neurotypical staff.

We first met Oscar during the launch United for Down (a healthcare program by Unilab Foundation and Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines). We were so thrilled to find him at Puzzle. :)

Puzzle is a family-owned cafe managed by Ysabella Canoy, whose younger brother, Jose, is on the Autism Spectrum. (Read how she and her family thought of putting up Puzzle for Jose, here.)

An art corner where visitors can post their drawings, doodles, or art what-have-you's. 

Lookie! An artwork done by our very own officemate, Vico. :)
Vico, who calls himself "Mr. Proudly Autistic", is our Graphic Design and Admin Assistant for almost two years now. 

Our team with our special servers. :)

Was the food great? We only got the try some merienda and dessert, and yes it was great. Does the place feel weird or different? If by different you mean the place is a lot warmer, your servers a bit quirkier, the staff a lot friendlier, then yes, it does feel different. It is different. And that's something the owners, workers, and customers of this cafe is proud of.

Agree, 100%.

I dream of that time when we won't have to brand a place Autism-Friendly or Down Syndrome-Friendly, because by then all places should be PWD-friendly. A time when we wouldn't make such a fuss over restaurants or hotels that hire people on the Spectrum or those with Downs, because by then we are so used to seeing them behind the cash register, at the reception table, in private offices.

One of my favorite quotes by Dr. Seuss. :)

Different but not less. 

They don't have a lot of puzzles here, but there sure is great food, warm smiles, awesome service, and all sorts of uniqueness being embraced in this place.  So next time you decide where you to eat with your family/friends/boyfriend, be sure Puzzle Cafe is included in your list. :)



*Puzzle Gourmet Store and Cafe is located at Comets Loop, Project Quezon City. Check out their brand new menu and store hours in their official Facebook page.

**Project Inclusion is Unilab Foundation's employment program for Persons with Disabilities, specially those with Autism and Down Syndrome. Sounds cool, huh? Know more about Project Inclusion and how you can help in the program here.