the kaiser kafe

Business Enterprise Food Service Stand Opens at Kaiser Permanente

Cleveland Sight Center announces the opening of The Kaiser Kafe, a new food service operation with staff that includes visually impaired and blind clients of the agency. The 50-seat stand is located at the Kaiser Permanente facility at Parma Medical Center, 12301 Snow Road in Parma. The new facility is fully accessible; the vision-impaired staff uses a talking cash register. Pictured to the right are Todd Flesher, who has been blind since birth and has managed and worked in various BE stands for almost 20 years, and Talal Hamad, also visually impaired, who will manage this location.

Hamad is a graduate of Cleveland Sight Center’s Business Enterprise (BE) Training program, a course that teaches people who are visually impaired or blind to earn a livelihood by managing food stands. Hamad also manages another BE stand and will be responsible for both locations.

Todd Flesher, another BE graduate, will also be employed at the stand. Flesher, who has been blind since birth, has managed and worked in various BE stands for almost 20 years. "This business arrangement is a true win-win for our respective organizations," reports Paul Rosenberg, manager of the BE department of Cleveland Sight Center. "We congratulate Bill Chaloux, Kaiser Permanente’s facility coordinator, and Norm Gehrs, operations manager for our Business Enterprises department, for their successful collaboration to provide fresh and healthy snack services to Kaiser Permanente staff and visitors.  Cleveland Sight Center’s mission to provide people with vision impairments the opportunity to operate businesses will also be advanced."

Belva Denmark Tibbs, Kaiser Permanente Ohio Region Vice President, Medical Operations, shares Rosenberg's sentiment. "Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to helping our members, employees and the communities we serve to thrive. The Cleveland Sight Center's commitment to using fresh, healthful ingredients for the foods prepared at The Kaiser Kafe reflects our emphasis on healthy eating."

The Kaiser Kafe is the 14th BE stand operating in Greater Cleveland under the auspices of Cleveland Sight Center’s Business Enterprises department.  Business Enterprises has been operating snack bars, cafeterias and newsstands in the Greater Cleveland Area since 1922.  Total food stands sales in 2006 were $1.7 million.