Big Easy Cafe in Jupiter Gives Adults with Autism Real Workplace Experience — One Friday at a Time

There's a café tucked inside a Jupiter campus that most locals haven't heard of — but it's doing something worth knowing about.

Big Easy Cafe by Ernie Els operates out of the Els for Autism Center of Excellence at 18370 Limestone Creek Road, and every Friday it opens its doors to the public. The people behind the counter — taking orders, preparing meals, packaging deliveries — are adults with autism, gaining hands-on job training in a real working environment.

The program is designed to build transferable workplace skills that are hard to practice anywhere else: communication, teamwork, food preparation, customer interaction. Participants work alongside staff on every part of the operation, from kitchen prep to front-of-house service.

Els for Autism recently expanded the program by launching a public breakfast delivery service for residents in the Limestone Creek neighborhood near the Jupiter campus. Participants handle the full logistics — packaging orders, organizing routes, and assisting with deliveries using a GEM electric vehicle.

"Adults with autism often face significant barriers to employment," the organization noted. Programs like Big Easy Cafe are built to close that gap through practical, confidence-building experience rather than classroom-only training.

Looking ahead, Els for Autism plans to open a dedicated teaching kitchen inside its new Specialized Autism Friendly Recreation Complex, expected to open in spring 2027.

The café is open every Friday at the Els for Autism campus, 18370 Limestone Creek Road, Jupiter. Community members can also support the program through catering orders, the Limestone Creek delivery service, or by purchasing Birdie Blend granola online.

More information is available at elsforautism.org

Photo by: Els for Autism