Botanical Gardens Cafe

There is an incredible organization in Tucson called Cafe 54 (www.cafe54.org). It's a unique cafe that hires and trains individuals with mental illness to work at the cafe to gain job skills and confidence with customer service, food prep, serving food, counting money, etc. Whenever the trainees are not working, they can spend time at the Clubhouse, which is a day center located nextdoor to the cafe, and work on their resumes, coverletters, check email, attend meetings, etc. Once they are feeling confident and ready, we then encourage them to start applying for jobs out in the community and then coach them through the interviewing process, etc.

Well, to make a long story short, the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a horticulture therapy program for individuals with any sort of mental or physical illnesses, where they garden for therapy. The Botanical Gardens love that Cafe 54 is a like-minded non-profit, so they asked us to start a Garden Cafe. I've been helping out at the Garden Cafe as a job coach for about a month now, whenever I am home...and I LOVE IT!

It's a little adobe cottage set in the most beautiful surroundings. Right now there is a huge butterfly exhibit going on, so everyday I go over and check out what stages they are in and also see many butterflies just fluttering around the gardens.

It's a really tasty menu with prickly pear and raspberry hibiscus iced teas, goat cheese tarts, salads, mediterranean plates, pesto/mozarella/tomato sandwiches, etc...oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention the carrot cake and chocolate souffle bars!

Here's the front of the cafe...there are tables out in front, but they are hard to see in the picture...


Here is the ramada area where a lot of people sit to eat...