‘Beacons of joy’: Pittsburgh café employs those with intellectual, developmental disabilities

A café in the city is like no other because of the people who work there.

At Brother Andre’s Café, located at Epiphany Roman Catholic Church at Washington Place, the thirteen employees have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Some also have physical needs.

It has been life-changing for Terri and Mike Fitzgerald, who opened the cafe in 2021 when their son, Patrick, couldn’t find a job.

Patrick has autism and is mostly nonverbal. Now 28, he is employed as the head baker, known for his snickerdoodle cookies.

“There’s a lot of heartbreaks in life when you have a special needs child but this was really, really hard because he’s an adult and he wants to work and he’s capable of working and we just couldn’t find anything for him,” said Terri Fitzgerald.

Mike Fitzgerald told Channel 11 it has been a fun experience.

“...What we try to do is that we shine the light here on our employees and they’re just beacons of joy,” he said. “I mean, you just come in and you just feel better working here. It’s changed our lives.”

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