“As parents do, we were dreaming for her future and just kind of wondering what that would look like,” she said. “We knew that the unfortunate reality is that after high school there’s really not much programming [for adults with disabilities].”
The Mighty Waffle, a nonprofit organization, became a Tomball Farmers Market vendor in June selling “Walkin’ Waffles”—waffles on a stick with chocolate chip, breakfast sausage, bacon and seasonal options, Lewis said.
Lewis said the couple draws on their passions: She is a special needs ministry consultant and former special education teacher, and Josh loves to cook.
“We want to be a fully functioning career-development center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and not just in the restaurant [industry] ... but so many other things in addition to that,” she said.
Being a market vendor is the first step to becoming a brick-and-mortar restaurant offering sweet and savory waffles and other breakfast and brunch menu items, she said. In addition to a restaurant, the career-development center would include a greenhouse and garden and sensory-friendly indoor playground to teach life skills, such as event planning and gardening, Lewis said.
“The other side of that is to help educate the community about disabilities,” she said. “We really truly believe that we are better together. ... There’s so much misunderstanding and a lot of times misrepresentation of certain things about disabilities.”
The Mighty Waffle hopes to open a permanent location within two years and begin offering paid positions in the coming year, she said. Currently, The Mighty Waffle has three interns, including one from Lone Star College-Tomball’s LifePath program—an alternative higher education program for LSC-Tomball students with disabilities—who help cook waffles and serve customers.
“We’ve got a long way to go before we reach our vision, but the process has been beautiful,” Lewis said.
The Mighty Waffle
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