In 2008, a group of parents met to have a conversation about the lack of employment and training opportunities for young adults who graduated high school with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, significant ADHD and or Level 1 autism. Over 15 years later, Sunflower Bakery continues to expand its culinary arts training programs for such individuals.
“We are not just a bakery; we exist to train individuals with learning differences,” said Sara Portman Milner, co-founder and associate director of the bakery.
The Rockville bakery incorporates Jewish values into its training program, emphasizing customer service, high-quality nondairy baked goods and inclusion.
Milner said organizers chose baking as a means for training individuals with learning differences because of the structure that comes with recipes.
“Recipes don’t change from one week to another,” said Milner.
The Sunflower Bakery is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. “We have wonderful support from the community, both as customers and donors,” Milner said.
“We assume people would come to Sunflower for the cause, but we needed to make sure people come back to Sunflower [Bakery] for the products, so we go the extra mile,” she said. “We say, if you give a person a cake, they’ll have a great dessert for that day, but if you teach them to bake or cook, they’ll have a career for a lifetime.”
The bakery provides a consistent structure similar to school for its students, with support from local schools, disability professionals, state agencies and the Jewish community.
“Our logo says it all: Caring is our main ingredient,” Milner said.
