Chatham Eatery Wins Education Award For Supporting Special Needs

CHATHAM, NJ - The accolades keep rolling in for Sorriso Kitchen and owners Karen and Jimmy Bellas as they were honored with the 2019 Morris County Friend of Education Award for using their eatery to support students with special needs.

The Chatham Education Association nominated Sorriso Kitchen for the award and they received it Wednesday night at the ceremony at the Meadow Woods Manor in Randolph.

"We were deeply honored to receive a Morris County Council of Education Associations (MCCEA) 'Friend of Public Education' award for providing students at ECLC of New Jersey an opportunity to gain real-world skills in service and hospitality," Karen Bellas posted to Facebook.

Karen and Jimmy Bellas recently opened Sorriso, which means smiled in Italian, Kitchen on Main Street in Chatham and said they wanted to serve food and create an atmosphere that would make people smile. One of the Bellas’s children has Down Syndrome, and the Bellas family realized that, while he would always have a position in their family business, the same was not true for many of his classmates at ECLC, a local school that offers “Education, Careers and Lifelong Community” to students with developmental disabilities. Karen and Jimmy Bellas decided to partner with their son’s school to help students learn a trade and work in the restaurant.

On Mondays, the restaurant is closed, and students walk to the restaurant with the ECLC staff. The Sunday night Sorriso staff does not complete their closing checklists so ECLC students will have meaningful work on Mondays when they travel to the restaurant with their teachers and paraprofessionals.

Students practice hands on tasks such as setting tables, cleaning and maintaining caddies on the tables, sweeping, and cleaning menus while also brushing up on interpersonal skills such as meeting and greeting techniques, seating customers, and effectively communicating with coworkers. During the week, teachers at ECLC use photos, for example, a proper table setting, and role playing to prepare students to manage the hands on experiences in the restaurant. Additionally, the class has met with the Sorriso chef to learn about food preparation, and some students work on Fridays to gain further experience.

In June the class will serve family and friends at the restaurant as a culminating activity. According to Chatham Education Association, the Bellas family’s inspirational choice to open their doors to the ECLC students and provide valuable experience inspired them to nominate the restaurant for the 2019 Morris County Friend of Education Award.

"A huge thank you to Laurie DeBiasse, President of the Chatham Education Association, for believing in and nominating us," Bellas said. "Working together, we can all make a difference in our schools."

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