TAYLOR – SayCheese will soon be taking to to the road in their new mobile grilling machine. According to organization president Corey Graef, the non-profit purchased the used food trailer in August, and it is currently being painted and made road-ready for a predicted start date of late October or early November.
SayCheese is a 501(c)3 serving people with disabilities including autism, Down Syndrome and intellectual development disability. Graef said the program is open to those age 17 and up. The participants are referred to as team members, and
SayCheese president Corey Graef makes the official announcement to the organization that they have purchased a food trailer.
“We want to work with any adult with disabilities,” Graef said. “We take them as they come in. Our goal is to enhance the lives of adults with disabilities through our trainings and our serving events which are grilled cheese meals. These are social events for our team members where they can come together and make friends and learn to socialize.”
In addition to socialization, the hands-on training helps team members learn marketable skills. Team members have found volunteer positions and paid employment in the food service and hospitality industries. Melody Huber is the organization secretary, and her son Bryce is a team member. Huber said that the skills Bryce learned at SayCheese allowed him to get a job in a diner, which he held for nine months pre-pandemic.
“My son is autistic. SayCheese gives him the structure of a place he has to be at a certain time on a certain day and things he has to plan ahead for. And, of course, the trainings are important. The events give him the confidence to be in the kitchen and to take those skills with him,” Huber said.
She believes Bryce will have opportunities to work in food service again based on his progress with SayCheese.
To Bryce, SayCheese is more than just job training. It’s where he meets up with his friends Taylor, Jay and Noah. He enjoys learning new skills and finds making food to be fun. But when all is said and done, he still likes mom’s grilled cheese sandwiches the best.
“I like them just a little brown and not too much cheese,” he said.
He thinks team member Noah makes the best sandwich among his friends, but “they’re all good.”
According to reviews, Bryce and his Team Members make a 5-star sandwich – herb flavored butter and a blend of three cheeses on freshly baked, grilled artisan bread offered with a side of kettle chips or tomato basil soup. The obstacle was finding a venue where they could hold their monthly events. Most recently they were serving at Mallard Fare in Old Taylor High before that business closed.
The food trailer will allow SayCheese to attend more events and have more opportunities to serve their “Grilled Cheese with A Smile”, said Karyn Morris, treasurer.
“We just want to get as many team members involved as we can and we’ve been able to add more members to the team which is exciting. We’re growing and getting more people involved. That’s the overall goal,” Morris said.
Graef confirms that the organization is growing and still accepting new members and new volunteers. He says the adults with disabilities community is under-served for opportunities in this area, and that’s why he started this organization.
“I believe that everyone has a purpose,” Graef said. “Everybody has a meaning and something to contribute. Sometimes for people with disabilities, that opportunity isn’t there for them to have a purpose and contribute. With SayCheese, it’s an opportunity where there wasn’t one before. It doesn’t come down to money. This is a way for them to be involved and it’s open to everybody.
Photo by Edie Zuvanich
SayCheese currently has team members who live in Taylor, Thrall, Hutto, Thorndale, Granger and Elgin
