CV NEWS FEED // A Catholic bakery in Indiana is serving and employing individuals with disabilities, aiming to create a place of encounter with Jesus for all who enter.
“When you walk in this place, if you don’t leave feeling like you are seen and loved and you have unequivocal worth because of being who you are, then we shouldn’t be here,” said Jenny Dees, co-founder of BFF Bakery, according to a March 18 article in Today’s Catholic, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s news outlet.
The brick-and-mortar BFF Bakery officially opened in South Bend, Indiana, in September 2024 and helps teach job skills to individuals with disabilities who volunteer and want to become employees. Dees and local resident Susan Nikolai founded the bakery after then-10-year-old Keelin Kelly, who has Down syndrome, spoke at a fundraising event about her dream to start a baking business after graduating high school.
“I want to open a bakery with my best friends,” Kelly said, according to the bakery’s website. “I will call it BFF Bakery. I will spend all morning making goodies, then hang out with my customers as they come pouring through the doors.”
Motivated by their own children’s experience with disabilities, Today’s Catholic noted that Dees and Nikolai are dedicated to creating an inclusive and inviting space for those with disabilities.
BFF Bakery is now open twice a week and has at least 70 employees and volunteers. The bakery offers a monthly seasonal cookie in addition to its regular menu, which includes chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and snickerdoodle cookies. It is also equipped with accessible kitchen appliances.
Catie Oross, the first employee on the payroll at the bakery, is the main baker at the storefront. Her mother, Teresa, told Today’s Catholic that the bakery has helped Catie grow in self-confidence amid her physical and cognitive disabilities. She noted her appreciation for the little things the bakery has, such as an oven that is accessible at Catie’s height. Catie also has a key to the bakery, which Teresa said has played a part in cultivating Catie’s self-confidence.
“It’s nice to have someone trust you,” Teresa said.
BFF Bakery’s website states that 80 percent of people with a disability in the U.S. are unemployed or underemployed.
“When you ask someone what they want to do when they grow up, no one says, ‘I want to sit home alone on my parents’ couch,” Dees told Today’s Catholic. “So we need to do better.”
Dees also emphasized that the Lord is present in many ways at the bakery.
“Jesus comes to us in the very simple things of bread and wine,” Dees added. “And He’s so present in this space, in our eggs and butter and Bluey toys, folding boxes on that counter. … I just love the way that God and love are so present here in very simple ways.”
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