THINKING of where to go for breakfast or lunch in Penang?
Why not head over to St Nicholas’ Home in Bagan Jermal, Penang, where they have recently opened a cafe to welcome the public?
This cafe, housed in a beautiful colonial-style bungalow near the guard house, has been thoughtfully designed to create an ambience similar to a real cafe.
Renowned for helping and training the blind and visually impaired since its establishment in 1926 in Malaysia, St Nicholas’ Home hopes its cafe will gain a good reputation with its services provided just like its massage centre.
Carmen Chew, the general manager of St Nicholas’ Home, explained that the cafe is a place where their students from the pastry centre can upgrade their skills and learn additional abilities needed for a job in the food and beverage industry.
Here, they learn how to use coffee machines, prepare milk tea, and cook Western delights. Additionally, they are taught about hygiene, customer service, and communication skills.
The pastry centre is one of the five vocational training centres at the home. The other four are the Skill Development Centre, IT Training Centre, Massage Training Centre, and Basketry Training Centre.
“We wanted to explore what type of job opportunities we can train our residents so that they can get a job.
“The ultimate goal of our cafe is to empower the visually impaired students to find stable employment and have a steady income. We want the public to see that they can work and hire them,” Chew told Buletin Mutiara in a recent interview.
St Nicholas’ students who graduated from the pastry centre after six months can work at the cafe as interns for about two years, after which they may become full-time cafe assistants or the home will find them find suitable job opportunities elsewhere.
Since its official opening on May 25, the cafe has been well-received by the public. However, they face a challenge due to a lack of manpower.
They currently have four visually impaired interns and two sighted casual workers. They are looking to add two more sighted workers so that each visually impaired worker can be paired with a sighted guide, especially in the kitchen area where safety is crucial.
The cafe currently operates from 10am to 2pm on weekdays, and they offer a lunch set with two options – Classic Fish and Chips, and Rustic Roast Chicken.
It also serves a variety of items such as croissant bread, muffin cake, toast and soft-boiled eggs, homestyle pie delight, and combo sets. The beverages include English Tea, Flower Tea, Milk, Honey Milk, Honey Lemon, Honey Lemon Tea, Chocolate, and Rose Milk Tea.
Some customers have requested more lunch options, and in response, Chew said they aim to expand the menu and extend the operating hours from 10am to 7pm when they have a more stable workforce.
St Nicholas’ Home offers RM10 per hour for casual workers, and while this rate may be lower than commercial cafes, it provides an opportunity for those who genuinely want to make a difference and support the visually impaired.
“People who really like to help us can join us as casual workers. They need to commit their time, like what day they can help us. If they are keen to learn, we can guide them. We place great importance on hygiene so that we don’t want to get complaints of food poisoning.
“The people who come here generally understand that because the cafe is also handled by the visually impaired, the waiting time for their food may be a bit longer.”
Sharvin Sambanthan, 22, who works in the cafe, is a visually impaired person (B2+ with low vision). He completed his baking and computer skills at St Nicholas Home and then went to Kula Lumpur to take up a diploma course in baking science and technology.
Asked whether he faced any difficulty in his internship so far, Sharvin, born five months prematurely, recalled one incident when a customer shouted loudly at the kitchen door after his food was delivered about 10 minutes late.
“Those who are not familiar with the cafe can lose patience with the long delivery time. But most of the guests are understanding, tolerant and incredibly supportive,” said Sharvin, who hopes to open up a cafe of his own.
While waiting for their food, patrons can take the opportunity to explore the Thrift Corner in the cafe where secondhand clothes and brand-new accessories are sold.
St Nicholas’ Home accepts only donated clothes, with no undergarments, for its Thrift Corner. To maintain hygiene standards, the donated clothes undergo filtering and are sent to the laundry first before being displayed for sale. All the proceeds go towards supporting the home’s initiatives.
With a ready car park area, why not consider St Nicholas’ Home Cafe for breakfast or lunch where you can enjoy a hearty meal and contribute to the empowerment of the visually impaired community?
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alissala Thian