If you happen to come across Elizabeth Rubenstein, there’s a good chance you’ll be walking away with a cookie and a renewed understanding of inclusion.
While this October is the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, acknowledging and supporting workers with disabilities is a year-round commitment at Rubenstein’s business, Good Eats, Sweet Treats.
Like many Americans with Down syndrome, Rubenstein — a 38-year-old who recently relocated to Anacortes from La Conner — had long been faced with a limited selection of employment opportunities that she didn’t feel passionate about, but had to take in order to earn some money and stay busy.
Up until 2020, her jobs consisted of cleaning bathrooms and washing dishes, typically once a week for just a few hours. Upon becoming unemployed in the midst of a global pandemic, she and her family brainstormed jobs that, on top of keeping her engaged and safe from the spread of COVID-19, would tap into her potential.
The answer had been in front of them since Rubenstein was a child: baking, her biggest passion.
Thanks to the support of her family as well as a grant from the Department of Vocal Rehabilitation, Good Eats, Sweet Treats was born, not only creating an opportunity for Rubenstein to bring her sweet dreams to fruition, but also for other developmentally disabled people who love to bake or are simply on a journey of finding a job beyond janitorial work that fits their interests and needs.
Today, the cookie business employs five disabled workers who bake and sell cookies under the guidance of people like Kimberly Rubenstein, Elizabeth’s mother and business treasurer who lives in La Conner.
Saturday, sheltered from the rain falling onto Anacortes’ Depot Arts Center, Rubenstein and her friend Colleen Ranallo welcomed folks to their display of baked goods, sharing recommendations, handling transactions and talking about the business with pride.
“I work super hard,” Rubenstein said. “This is a big deal for me.”
As usual, her mother Kimberly Rubenstein stood by, ready to step in if the two women needed an extra hand, but confident in their ability to handle customers by themselves and connect with the community.
“I’m really proud of what they’re doing,” she said.
Ranallo, Rubenstein’s best friend, joined the bakery two years ago, selling cookies at the Anacortes Farmers Market every Saturday while working and volunteering as a dishwasher on other days.
The 37-year-old explained that disabilities affect people differently, and though some people might have higher needs than others, they can still find their place alongside abled-workers.
For Rubenstein, turning a hobby into a business venture has resulted in a self-esteem boost. While she doesn’t operate the mixer or pull out trays from the oven to avoid getting potentially injured, she is involved in most tasks, baking, packaging and selling her products on a busy five-day schedule — baking Tuesdays through Thursdays and attending farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays.
It’s not a fast-paced environment and workers come and go, Kimberly Rubenstein said, but the crew works hard and is learning important skills, guided and encouraged by their peers and their abled-coworkers.
“We know that support is required in order (to ensure) the success of people with disabilities,” she said.
Since opening her business, Rubenstein has spoken about her experience to different crowds, including the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Skagit Valley Hospital and Granite Falls High School, inspiring youths with hopes and dreams, Kimberly Rubenstein said.
The impact also extends to the families who stop by the cookie booth, she added.
“She is giving hope to those families … that their children might have the same type of opportunity for themselves in the future,” she said.
Developing the skills to make those dreams come true, however, takes time, energy and funding, Kimberly Rubenstein said. Resources such as grants from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation for those interested in pursuing self-employment can be useful, though she believes parents need to advocate harder to ensure their children get more support.
Kimberly Rubenstein said she would like to see transition programs offer more coaching and training hours to people seeking to join the workforce. Employers who want to hire people with developmental disabilities may also be unprepared to support their employees and would benefit from more training and assistance, she said.
Still, she encourages employers to give disabled people a chance and to help them explore different elements of a job in order to find an arrangement that works for the employee’s unique needs.
While Good Eats, Sweet Treats is doing well and is able to pay for itself, Kimberly Rubenstein worries about the fate of the business if something were to happen to her, making her unable to support her daughter and possibly resulting in closure. For this reason, she is looking for prospective business partners who could take her place and ensure the survival of the bakery, which she is considering turning into a nonprofit to make it eligible for grant funding.
In the meantime, she welcomes community members to try their cookies and join the cause.
“Come see the possibilities,” she said.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
