Thommen is a trained behaviroal analyst and works closely with the staff at the eatery, which opened on Texana Center's Fulshear campus in March 2022.
“We felt it was very important to not just have a great mission that might be what draws people in initially, but we knew people would continue to come back if the food is good,” Thommen said.
On the menu
In addition to crafted coffees and teas, all of the cafe’s bakery items are made from scratch, Thommen said. Texana Cafe also meticulously developed its menu with soups, salads and sandwiches, for which the bread is baked daily and condiments are made in-house.
“We wanted the exceptional piece to be not just the exceptional individuals that we're training, but also the food that we make,” Thommen said.
Rosenberg-based nonprofit Texana Center provides mental health services for children and adults, and has established group homes, behavioral health clinics and an inpatient crisis center in Fort Bend County and surrounding areas.
The Fulshear campus has a clinic that helps children with autism and a facility for adult services, which become scarce after these individuals graduate from high school, Texana Center Senior Manager Beth Duncan said.
“We realize a lot of people who have developmental disabilities and autism, once they're out of school, there's very little available to them to help them continue to learn to be independent and be employed,” she said.
Texana Cafe is meant to be a place for individuals to obtain basic job skills, such as timeliness, appropriate dress and interactions with others, Duncan said. As paid interns, they also learn to advocate for themselves in work-based environments, she said.
“It's just really important so these people can continue to have fulfilling lives, [to] give to society,” Duncan said. “It’s so they have a sense of worth and integration into the community. It’s important for their continued happiness and productivity in life.”
- 7440 FM 359, Fulshear
- www.texanacafe.com
