Glenn Corriveau feels privileged to be a part of the magic that occurs on the job at Café Riverview. For this seasoned kitchen leader, this happens not when he produces the perfect batch of his tomato-eggplant bisque, but rather when he witnesses a Riverview School intern master the knife skills necessary to prep portions for the daily special. It’s the ordinary accomplishments like this one that happen on the regular here and make the job so satisfying to not only Corriveau but all the Café employees.
The evolution of Café Riverview began with the nearby independent Riverview School, which was established in 1957 in East Sandwich. The school houses a coed residential population of around two hundred students aged eleven to twenty-one on the picturesque twenty-three-acre private campus. The school’s mission is to provide a caring community for adolescents and young adults with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities. The Riverview School is committed to developing student competence and confidence in academic, social and independent living skills.
The building housing Café Riverview and the adjoining Second View Thrift Shop is owned by the Riverview School, and its board of trustees oversees operations. The space occupied by the Café was originally used as a classroom before a proposal was presented to the board to convert it into a working restaurant. The intention was to use the space as a vocational training site for those Riverview students interested in pursuing various jobs in the restaurant industry. A major fundraising effort was put into motion to gut and renovate the portion of the structure needed for the Café, and it was completed in 2012.
Café Riverview, just over a mile west of Riverview School, is located along a scenic stretch of 6A in East Sandwich that is dotted with quaint cottage colonies, artisan shops, and other local businesses. The adjacent lot provides parking for customers and a ramp offers handicap accessibility. The shingled gambrel-style structure houses not only the Café but the Second View Thrift Shop (open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-2pm) which is another vocational training tool for students who attend the school. The shop is a treasure trove of items donated by the public for sale and provides retail business experience for Riverview students. Neatly organized circular racks of clothing are interspersed with shelves displaying jewelry, small housewares, décor items, books and movies.
Cathy Kearney, Café Riverview manager, and her dedicated team are singularly focused in helping their interns reach their goals. “We aim to take these students that are entrusted to us and turn each one into an independent employee who will enter the work force with not only a useful skill set but also solid work ethic.” Kearney saw the posting for the position at Café Riverview in 2013 and immediately sent off her resumé. She’s been at the helm since, overseeing the day-to-day operations and has personally invested herself in the development of each student.
Every fall, a new crop of students involved in the GROW (Getting Ready for the Outside World) program from the Riverview School prepare for internships at almost thirty local vocational partners. Each site provides these eager learners the abilities to develop skills that will hopefully translate into future job opportunities. The Local Tavern, Chatham Bars Inn, Ocean State Job Lot and Cape Cod Hospital are just a few of the many sites involved. The students enter the three-year GROW program once they have completed the middle and high school portion of their education, around the age of eighteen. Approximately half of the students at Riverview School are currently enrolled in GROW. Many of them also attend classes at Cape Cod Community College through project FORWARD, another vocational-based learning program, which reinforces much of what they are being taught on the job. ServSafe certification is available through the school for those entering culinary or related fields. This food safety training program developed by the National Restaurant Association demonstrates the proper steps for safe food handling.
Training for the Café Riverview vocational site begins under the guidance of job coach, Dianna MacDonald, known affectionately as Miss Mac, a nineteen-year veteran at Riverview. The school has its own in-house breakfast café that services students and school employees on the closed Riverview campus which is not open to the public. There, MacDonald has designated stations where first year GROW students learn specific roles: order taker, cashier, server, expeditor, egg prep, bread prep and drink prep. They hold these paid positions for the first half of the year before they are allowed to switch and apply for positions of interest. Of course, some jobs are more heavily coveted than others, but that’s all part of the learning process.
After completion of the on-campus training, the next phase involves interning at the popular Café Riverview. Approximately fifteen students per term will train under MacDonald’s supervision. The criteria for each job placement depend on a variety of factors, including students’ interests as well as an individual’s unique set of abilities. Discussions involving the teachers, students and families provide important input into the decisions regarding vocational placement.
Every fall, Kearney and her crew at Café Riverview welcome a new crop of interns. Many are timid at the start of the process and for some it takes time to acclimate. The majority are second year GROW students and sometimes a few returning third years. Accompanied by MacDonald, four to five students daily will spend the weekday morning shift learning the ins and outs of the Café’s operations. Front end duties, kitchen prep, dishwashing, dining room and a multitude of miscellaneous tasks are all covered on a rotating basis during their on-site training. Expectations are flexible and adjusted depending on students’ capabilities. MacDonald and Kearney assess their interns throughout the process. Kearney notices that around Thanksgiving break is when many seem to hit their stride and gain confidence. Once a student progresses to where they can handle two jobs completely independently, they will move into a few afternoon shifts. The learning process is ongoing, with MacDonald, Kearney and her staffers continuously fine-tuning and reinforcing skills. Kearney states, “We teach them even the simplest things like how to cover a shift, how to interact with coworkers and appropriate ways to deal with guests. We reinforce good habits repetitively like washing your hands and not wearing cologne to work. We teach the bigger things too like how to count change and learn a menu. It’s a day-to-day process and I explain to them if you learn something new every day, by the end of the year you’ll be ready to fly.” Job coach MacDonald adds, “once a student reaches a certain level of independence in the workplace, Cathy [Kearney] takes them aside and offers them a few scheduled afternoon or weekend shifts as a paid employee. I still get emotional when this happens. It’s a really big day for these young adults when they transition to this level but also for us because we work so hard to get them there.” Kearney emphasizes that the Café is just a training site for the students and not a permanent workplace. “This is a stepping stone to help them get out in the world, get a job and earn a paycheck. They all just want to have a purpose and be vital members of the community.”
One recently-promoted independent Café employee is Josie. She has been dubbed “Mini Mac” after she was overheard emulating her mentor while coaching a fellow co-worker. During a busy school vacation lunch shift, Josie buzzes around the dining room multitasking like a seasoned pro. Petite and sporting a perpetual smile, she remains unruffled by the rush, calmly delivering orders, clearing tables and maintaining a pristine and well-stocked coffee bar.
I meet Ocean, an affable and conscientious third-year GROW veteran set to graduate from Riverview School in June. He has been a residential student since his freshman year in high school, and after seven years is confident in his abilities to succeed outside of the school environment. He proudly articulates the many responsibilities of his job at the Café and will transfer this knowledge back to his hometown job post-graduation. Last summer he enjoyed a successful season as a back-of-the-house employee at a local country club. Kitchen staffer Corriveau chuckles, “Ocean is the kind of worker that you give him a task and show him how to do it, and he does it ten times better than you do. His attention to detail is off the charts.”
A trip to Café Riverview offers everyone in the local community a chance to see exactly what this exceptional school is accomplishing. Kearney reflects, “before I came to work here, I lived in town and drove by the school a million times never realizing what took place on the campus. This café was really the first window most of the public has had to the school and over the years these students have put a face to the GROW program. To this end, we encourage students to interact with our guests.”
In addition to the many Riverview students working and training at the Café, Kearney manages a crew of around twenty core employees that keep things running smoothly. In the summer, business will triple, and she adds more local high school and college students to the roster. She also relies on permanent staffers like Robin, an enthusiastic parent of a 2017 Riverview alumnus. After retiring from teaching school three years ago, she moved to Sandwich and took a job at Café Riverview to be a part of what she describes as “an amazing life-changing program.” Her son is now a part of the LIFE (Living Independently Forever) organization that supports adults with learning and intellectual disabilities in leading meaningful lives. He holds a kitchen position at an assisted living site off-Cape and lives in an apartment nearby. She credits Riverview and its emphasis on both life and vocational skills with the level of independence he has achieved.
Kearney’s backbone at the Café are her main players in the kitchen. Five industry veterans (Glenn, Audrey, Scott, Lorin, and Cynthia) – with a jaw-dropping two hundred forty-three years of combined industry experience – keep the small but efficient space humming. She notes, “this group has basically given me the freedom to not step foot in the kitchen for the first time in thirteen years. They are a well-oiled machine with so much expertise.”
The Café is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7am to2pm. Although the Café is a hands-on classroom, it also has a well-deserved reputation for providing fresh and tasty café-style breakfast and lunch options as well as a phenomenal cup of coffee. Forget the big chains and support local with a freshly-brewed cup of house blend, Kona, dark roast, decaffeinated and a multitude of unsweetened flavors. There is also a variety of teas, smoothies, and innovative lattes.
The front section of the Café is dominated by a counter for placing orders where on our visit we were greeted by an attentive smiling employee. Tantalizing displays of house-made treats tempt you upon approach. In addition to traditional baked goods like giant cookies, fudge brownies, and muffins, there is always a rotating array of gluten-free options for sale. On this visit, selections included coconut macaroons, raspberry thumbprints and chocolate chip cookies. Kearney notes that talented baker Jill’s homemade scones have been generating a lot of local buzz and are quickly becoming a Café bestseller.
Deciding what to order is always a challenge. Breakfast and lunch are available all day and incorporates vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Breakfast includes a variety of sandwiches that come on your choice of bread: bagels (also available gluten-free), Portuguese muffin, sourdough, wheat or tomato wrap. Of course there’re all the usual fixings, eggs and breakfast meats, but also in the mix, a variety of add-ons including spinach, tomato, chives, avocado or caramelized onions. There is wheat berry oatmeal, house made with steel cut oats, served with your choice of steamed milk, dried cranberries and toasted almonds.
Lunch selections are equally enticing. Our party was particularly enamored with the Spicy BLT and the Cape Cod Cranberry Chicken Salad. The former showcased bacon, baked with a seasoning blend to give it a kick, paired with crisp lettuce, tomato, avocado and a dollop of spicy mayo on toasted sourdough. The chicken salad is composed of chicken breasts roasted with a secret blend of spices and diced in-house with a blend of the perfect ratio of mayo, dried cranberries and chives. Did I mention it’s served on the most scrumptious lightly-toasted cranberry bread?
There is a range of creative wraps stuffed with fillings that run the gamut from veggie burger to ham and cheddar to smoked salmon. Healthy luncheon picks include salads or specialty quinoa bowls paired with a variety of toppers including hummus, veggie burger, baked chicken, chicken salad and salmon.
Do not overlook the bulletin board displaying a multitude of off-menu specials. On this visit, offerings included freshly-baked quiches, homemade soups and chili, a French toast casserole, quinoa bowls and specialty breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Kids’ meals are also available.
To the rear of the Café is a cozy dining room and an immaculate and well-stocked coffee station. A large brightly-colored graphic banquette stretches across the back wall for seating, and there are some smaller marble-topped tables. In the warmer months, dining can be enjoyed al fresco either on the front porch or at a picnic table on the lawn. Café Riverview is also a great spot to grab drinks and snacks on the way to the beach.
A visit to Café Riverview allows your dollars to support a program that is giving purpose to these young adults as they prepare for independent life beyond school. Everyone associated with the Café also seems to reap the benefits of its mission. As Corriveau explains, “this place is as therapeutic to me as it is to the students. You can go work in a chaotic kitchen anywhere, but here you can be really busy, and when a student approaches, you need to stop and listen to their needs and offer guidance. It teaches you patience and there’s no greater joy than watching these kids progress. This place is full of people with really big hearts, and we all feel really fortunate to be a part of its success.”
Vanessa Stewart has spent almost four decades in the restaurant business, where she’s worked almost every job imaginable. Her forte is as a “libationist”, and nothing excites her more than not only a restaurant, but a bar that incorporates the freshest of ingredients.
Café Riverview
451 MA-6A, East Sandwich
RiverviewSchool.org/cafe-riverview
Open Tuesday-Sunday 7am-2pm
