Picture this: You’re dining al fresco at a recently discovered and now favorite cafe on one of those perfect Fair Oaks days. There is a slight breeze in the air, you’re surrounded by lush greenery and bright blooms and the sun rays peek through the trees. You’re happy with your choice of their newest menu item, street tacos with chips and guac, washed down with a glass of cold iced tea, and now you’re deciding between the flourless chocolate cake and gluten-free brownie for dessert. It has been a five-star dining experience.
Are you ready for a beautiful plot twist?
The restaurant is Meristem Cafe, located on the 13-acre Fair Oaks grounds of Meristem, a campus for young adults ages 18-29 who are on the autism spectrum or neurodiverse. The cafe is staffed by student interns who not only prepared and served the delicious tacos you just enjoyed but planted and tended to the organic ingredients in them, steps away from where you dined, in the campus gardens.
At Meristem, every meal feeds the heart of its mission: stewarding neurodiverse adults toward a life of greater social and economic independence through experiential learning, or learning by doing. The Cafe program is just one example, providing student interns with culinary experience guided by professional chefs and real-world job experience in hospitality and the culinary arts.
Featuring organic ingredients with dairy and gluten-free options and dishes that change seasonally, the Cafe’s menu highlights Meristem’s philosophy that nutrition is another way to help students feel good when they move through the world. Focusing on nutrition also weaves in with one of their core values, being centered around the natural world by immersing students in a holistic environment and staying grounded in a connection to nature.
Beyond the Cafe, residential and day programs cater to each student’s unique goals, whether getting a job, going to college, making friends or something else. Students advocate for their curiosities and interests; Meristem encourages them to explore their potential within them through programs such as land stewardship, ceramics, independent living skills, movement, music and woodworking.
Each program is designed around the idea that when students connect to themselves, they can better connect with others and, therefore, the world. This philosophy can nourish us all.
Reservations are not required but are recommended and can be made by calling 916.768.6390 or emailing reservations@meristem.pro.
Lunch is served at Meristem Cafe, 9200 Fair Oaks Blvd, on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
See the current menu at meristemcafe.com and learn more by following them on Instagram and at @meristemcafe.
