we proudly present our
Special Eats Special Team Members
Alex
Food Truck
Food Truck
Alex helps run the orders and assists in the setup and takedown of the food truck.
Arturo
Support
Support
Arturo is loud, he is proud, he is proud to be loud. Special Eats immediately fell in love with him. Art is the kind of guy you throw in to the middle of a problem and sit back waiting for a solution. You can bet there will be a solution: quite imaginative , totally unexpected, absolutely workable, Art is a great addition to our team , bringing a huge amount of experience and knowledge to Special Eats.
Brenda
Food Truck & Social Media
Food Truck & Social Media
Brenda is our resident horse lover. She has a horse she calls Monti who is more of a friend to her than anything else. It would be difficult to describe the wonderful gifts with which Brenda has been blessed. We at Special Eats have yet to determine if there is any limit to those gifts.
Ben
The Artist
The Artist
Ben is one of our artists, a true gem. Ben designs, draws and creates unique and beautiful artwork. We are proud that Ben has chosen Special Eats as a creative outlet his passion. Look for Ben’s artwork on our “to-go” bags at our awesome cheese events. Get yours while you can.
Carol
Custodial
Custodial
Carol is a wonderful addition to our special team. She makes to-go bags for our trucks, and she also makes bracelets and does custodial work here.
Christopher
Store Inventory
Store Inventory
He does our inventory for our store at Special Eats. For fun he enjoys listening to heavy metal and play bowling.
Cory
Food truck
Food truck
You will see Cory in the food truck making sure everything is bagged correctly in our to-go bags. He likes to sing and brings joy to our team.
Christina
Support
Support
You would be hard-pressed to find a more wonderful smile than that of this wonderful, young woman. She has an approach to and zeal for life that is huge, HUGE. Christina works with us in our merchandising and artistic endeavors, bringing in huge amounts of imagination, and talent. She enjoys our almost daily yoga workouts and especially the beadwork we do here. It is so fun to have her with us a Special Eats.
Christian
Custodial & Landscaping
Custodial & Landscaping
Christian loves to do landscaping at our office. He prides himself on the detail he puts into landscaping at our beautiful office.
Cassandra
Support
Support
Cassandra says this is the best job she has ever had! She loves being able not only to work but also to make friends.
Cassandra
Custodial & Social Media
Custodial & Social Media
Cassandra is a wonderful mother of 2 who has worked hard all of her life, continues to do so, and has never been afraid to do so. Cassandra is an all-around hand who can do it all. She enjoys working on the food truck and has always specialized in the creation of beautiful, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Special Eats is looking forward to the ideas and creations she’ll bring to our merchandising department.
Charles
Support
Support
Charles likes to do custodial work and also work on our to-go bags. You will always hear him singing "You've Got a Friend in Me."
Corinah
Custodial
Custodial
Corinah loves to make to-go bags and also likes to make sure everything is clean. She is a team player, and you can always count on her to get a task done.
Chelsea
Custodial & Social Media
Custodial & Social Media
Chelsea is our dedicated gamer! She enjoys playing "Halo" along with various other games, but "Halo" remains her top choice. She is a member of both our Social Media and Custodial teams, and she also assists with the cash register for our Trucks. You can always rely on her for support.
Chris
Support
Support
Chris does our custodial work at our candy store. In his free time, he likes to do yoga
Dave, aka DJ
Support
Support
Dave (aka “DJ”) is another wonderful addition to our special team. With a heart almost too large to be contained, Dave is especially caring when anyone in the Special Eats family is struggling through difficult times or rough patches. Courageous and true, Dave has never shied away from lending a helping hand, a kind word, or even a kick in the seat of the pants when required. He has a great love for animals, especially his dog “Puppy” and would love to, one day, be a part of the United States Navy.
Daniel
Social Media
Social Media
Daniel is part of our Social Media crew. He updates our calendars and makes sure everything is up to date.
Emily
Support
Support
Emily loves to dance when no one is watching! She also enjoys singing and watching SpongeBob SquarePants!
Greg
Food Truck Cook
Food Truck Cook
Greg is the quiet man, the shy guy. Greg is an extremely intelligent, aspiring, young culinary artist. Special Eats is blessed to have Greg sharing that artistic talent with us. In no time at all, he has become one of our best grilled cheese artists, immediately working his way up to the position of cook while earning the respect and love of his fellow peers. Greg’s dream is to work hard, eventually becoming the master chef we all know he can be. We at Special Eats are only too proud to assist the fine, young man with his dream.
Gary
Custodial
Custodial
Gary is part of our custodial team. He likes to listen to any music. He also enjoys fishing.
Holden
Support
Support
Holden is one of the most humble people we know. Quiet and a bit shy, Holden is most energetic in his humility. He has a nearly magical ability of finding what needs to be done, getting it done, and moving on to the next task. Highly creative, he is always busy, always willing to lend a hand to anyone, anytime. He enjoys arts and theatre and especially loves being amongst the diverse and varied Special Team members at work here at Special Eats. We are truly blest to have him as part of our Special Eats team.
John
Food Truck
Food Truck
John is our top-notch food prepper on the food truck, preparing bread for grilling and cutting sandwiches.
Jamie
Support
Support
Jamie likes to help make bracelets and keychains for our merchandise line. He also likes to help with our car wash crew.
Jaymi
Support
Support
Jaymi helps make our merchandise. She loves to help make our t-shirts and jewelry. She also helps with our shopping for the food truck and merchandise.
Jenny
Support
Support
Jenny is one of the sweetest folks we’ve known. Jenny enjoys art, crafts, and puzzles. She is caring and kind with a huge streak of independence. Jenny is a wonderful addition to our special eats team.
Jesse
Support
Support
Jesse excels at giving high-fives while helping make our merchandise.
Julie
Custodial
Custodial
Julie says that working with Special Eats not only gave her a opportunity to work but also to make friends who have become family to her.
Jesus
Support
Support
Jesus is part of the Car Wash, Custodial, Social Media & Gardening crew. He does it all!
Jesus G.
Custodial
Custodial
You will always see him wearing U of A merchandise. He also helps with our custodial team. His favorite team is U of A.
Josiah
Food & Dessert Truck
Food & Dessert Truck
Josiah works in our Food & Dessert truck. He makes the food and the desserts, and not only that, but he also makes videos of it. He does it all.
Karen
Support
Support
Karen is another multi-talented hand here at Special Eats. You name it, she’ll get it done and there is nothing that she won’t do with the maximum amount of enthusiasm and love. Karen especially enjoys training other folks in procedures, turning out true pros and helping us all recognize our true potential. She is a valuable asset to Special Eats.
Kari
Support
Support
Kari, help us with our to-go bags for the truck.
Kirk
Garden & Car Wash
Garden & Car Wash
If you need your car wash, he is the one to go to! He enjoys doing Arts & Crafts. He also enjoys working with our gardening crew.
Kyle
Food Truck
Food Truck
Kyle likes to play video games, and he also loves cooking, and playing with Legos. He likes working with Special Eats making new friends.
Lindsay
Support
Support
Lindsay is part of our baking crew. She loves to bake and dance at the same time. She also likes to make our beautiful to-go bags for both of our trucks.
Miguel
Custodial & Car wash
Custodial & Car wash
Miguel says, " This is the best job he has ever had." Not only does he work with our Custodial crew, but he is also a pro at detailing for our car wash!
Michelle
Food Truck, Social Media
Food Truck, Social Media
Michelle is part of our Social Media Team and also the Custodial Team. She also helps with our food truck to prep for gigs. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, singing, and playing Football.
Priya
Support
Support
She is part of our janitorial crew at our office and commissary. She loves to sing while cleaning and loves to give hugs.
Steven
Support
Support
Steven helps us with making to go bags.
Robert B.
Support
Support
Robert enjoys painting and doing food bags for our food truck.
Robert
Support
Support
Robert helps in our merchandising department. He puts together baskets and jewelry.
Richard
Support
Support
Richard loves going on vacation in his cabins. He also loves to hangout with his cats.
Sharon
Support
Support
Sharon is part of our jewelry-making crew for our merchandise. She also likes to help with cashiering while selling our merchandise. She says she loves her job, and it doesn’t feel like a job. It feels like a family.
Scott
Support
Support
“HEY BUDDY!” Scott is our resident inspiration. He inspires us, he motivates us, he encourages us, usually with just a wonderful smile and a jolly, “Hey, Buddy” Scott is usually the first person picked for any team, even if he knows nothing about the game he’s being picked for. He supports our Special Eats food truck through arts and crafts and will always be one of our favorite picks.
Sharon
Support
Support
Sharon is that special and rare soul with a quick wit and a quicker smile. Sharon is a shopper, that is, a hard-core shopper. There’s none of that “stopping off for a few minutes” kind of stuff in her life. It comes in handy here at Special Eats as we are in constant need of many different kinds of supplies, crafts, and other support.
Sarah
Sales
Sales
Sarah sells our merchandise. Come and get some food and merchandise from Sarah and one of our events.
Skye
Support
Support
She enjoys coloring bags for the truck and she also enjoys working at the Sweet shop.
Sonia
Support
Support
What can you say about Sonia that isn’t just simply awesome? Sonia keeps going and going until it gets done, and you can bet it will always get done. Along the way she adds her own bit of special talent, turning out wonderful work for our merchandising and artistic work here at Special Eats.
Trevonn
Food truck
Food truck
Trevonn works with the food truck, where he prepares food, including grilling bread and cutting sandwiches.
Troy
Support
Support
Troy has won a lot of medals in the Special Olympics. He is a pro in swimming and running, and one of his favorite hobbies is bowling. Be careful if you want to compete in sports with him, you may not have a chance. Special Eats is blessed to have him with us.
Unique
Social Media
Social Media
Just like her name, she is very Unique. She enjoys traveling and playing games. She helps with our Social Media with making videos for our Grilled cheese and Dessert truck.
Vincent
Cashier
Cashier
He has autism, but that doesn’t stop him from being your amazing cashier. Vincent is in our training program for 16-year-olds, and this is his first job. He says he loves having a job. Come out and get to know Vincent as he works the register at our many, delightful events.
Valerie
Support
Support
Valerie is the women with the perfect smile. When that smile flies no one is immune to it’s incredible charm. She is also a very talented artist and it shows in everything she does. This combination of charm and talent can brighten up even the most cynical of lives and is especially useful here at Special Eats.
Our Job Coaches & Support Staff
Job Coaches provide the tools and a safe environment necessary for individuals with special needs to explore their world, identify their potential, and use that potential as a stepping stone to greater possibilities. Job Coaches work in a fast-paced environment requiring incredible confidence and ability while, at the same time, great humility, resisting any urge to “supervise” or jump in and do it all. Altogether, our management team and job coaches bring over 120 years of combined experience in special needs training to Special Eats and to Special Eats Sweets.
Jasmyn
Director
Jasmyn has dedicated 28 years to the field of Special Needs Development. Her extensive experience has been an invaluable asset to our Team. Additionally, she manages our GSE/DTA and DDD advocacy efforts. In her leisure time, she takes pleasure in hiking and connecting with nature.
Elaine
Payroll Specialist
Elaine is more than our assistant director and the best bookkeeper this side of Heaven. Elaine keeps everything running smoothly in matters of regulatory compliance, payroll, bookkeeping and Human Resources. Give Elaine 2 columns of numbers or a tough compliance issue and she’s ready to rock-and-roll. She is the glue that quietly holds it all together. Elaine has a nephew with autism and she is indispensable to Special Eats.
Aliana
Assistant GSE Director
Aliana is our an administrative specialist. If you’ve ever wondered that a person very quiet and shy could possess a contagious joy, happiness, or zest for life that radiates to all who know her, wonder no more. Aliana is the one. The Special Eats Special Team loved her immediately. Aliana, with a huge wealth of knowledge behind her, is tremendously qualified in her role at Special Eats, ensuring regulatory compliance and adherence to legal protocol. Special Eats is blessed to have her aboard.
Dom
Operations and Technology Director
Dom possesses two decades of expertise in systems engineering and technology. He is our primary resource when issues arise within our system. During his leisure time, he enjoys engaging in outdoor pursuits, including gardening and scuba diving.
Anaveve
Admin
Anaveve is our Administration/ ESA Support. Special Eats is lucky to have her in our team because she brings so much joy to our work. In her free time she likes to read. If you need a good book to read she has a tons of recommendations for your next read.
Haley
Payroll Specialist Assistant
Haley is good with numbers. If you need a math person, she is the one to go to! In her free time, she likes to travel the world and try new foods.
Sonia
Candy Store Supervisor
She is the creative director for Special Eats. Together with her son, who has Down syndrome, Sonia draws upon an infinite pool of imagination and talent, creating all types of one-of- kind, fabulous merchandise, unique gift baskets, and custom jewelry. If you have an idea, Sonia can bring it to life. She is truly talented, and we are fortunate she has chosen Special Eats to showcase those incredible talents.
Peter
Maintenance/ Sweet Truck Job Coach
Peter is a job coach for our lunch time food truck crew. He is also the perfect facilities maintenance guru. You can bet that the job will always be straight, true, properly plumbed and expertly executed. Peter with his eternal smile brings out the best in all of us, along with a bit of mischievousness.
Laurie
Job Coach
Extremely creative, detail orientated, and eternally happy, Laurie and has never met a room that she could not clean, fix, decorate, brighten up, or otherwise embellish with white glove precision. She brings out the best in all of us and our wonderful facilities. We are proud to have her aboard.
Naomi
Social Media/ Job Coach
Naomi has worked with special needs for 4 years and also worked in the medical field has a phlebotomist for 7 years so if you see her run!! She is now part of our Social Media team and one of our coaches and we are excited to have her here.
Natalie
Job Coach
Natalie is the person who, when life hands her lemons, will serve up the lemonade, a thick, juicy steak with all the trimmings, and the most exquisite Pinot Noir. An upbeat and positive young woman, Natalie strives to help folks find the best version of themselves. We at Special Eats have found that she’s very good at that. With her infinite pool of patience and love, Natalie brings a special talent to Special Eats and we are thrilled to have her with us.
Mireya
Job Coach
TMireya is best described as a "Team Player"; she is someone you can rely on to complete tasks. In her spare time, Mireya enjoys playing soccer and spending time with friends. She also has a passion for reading! If you're looking for a book recommendation, she's definitely the person to ask.
Isabella
Job Coach
Isabella, who is known as "Izzy," has begun her first job with us, and we are pleased to have her on board. She demonstrates excellent teamwork skills. During her leisure time, she takes pleasure in skateboarding. Therefore, be cautious if you happen to see her! We are excited to welcome her to our team.
Robin
Job Coach
We are excited to have Robin on our team! He approaches everything with a smile. He has the ability to construct nearly anything! He is one of our go-to people when something needs fixing. In his spare time, he enjoys camping and has a passion for cooking and baking.
Jessica
Job Coach
She serves as one of our job coaches and is affectionately referred to as our plant goddess because of her cheerful demeanor. Jessica takes pleasure in spending time with her children, traveling, and enjoying music.
Jordan
Job Coach
We are privileged that Jordan has begun his first job with us; thus far, he has demonstrated commitment and is always eager to assist. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing games such as Roblox and Minecraft.
Rita
Job Coach
Rita serves as one of the job coaches at Special Eats Sweets. She is perpetually eager to assist! She provides support with our merchandise and also contributes to our baskets. She consistently upholds a positive demeanor and exemplifies the essence of collaboration. In her free time, she delights in spending moments with her friends.
Jacob
Job Coach
Jacob serves as one of the Job coaches at the Special Eats Sweets store. He assists with our merchandise and art program. During his leisure time, he takes pleasure in shopping.
Scott
Job Coach
Scott has accumulated 14 years of experience in this field. During his leisure time, he takes pleasure in hiking, enjoys bowling, and has a passion for attending hockey games.
Dalton
Job Coach
Dalton enjoys cooking and baking! In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his wife and best friend, Odin.
Kyle
Job Coach
Kyle is one of our job coaches with our Grilled Cheese truck, he is also a mechanic, he says he is an expert in cars. In his free time he likes to connect with nature and be with his family.
Justin
Chef / Job Coach
Justin has 28 years of experience in the culinary arts. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and going fishing with his friends and family.
Bexx
Therapy Dog
If you ever walk through Special Eats, you will hear a special bark, and that will be our beautiful therapy dog, Bexx. Bexx loves belly rubs, but she also loves to love on you. She loves to give kisses, and also loves to be by your side whenever you feel down and also in your greatest moments.
Morgan
Job Coach
Morgan works as a pilot and takes pleasure in traveling during his leisure time. He is relatively new to this profession, and we are thrilled that he has joined Special Eats.