Author: Sunflower Bakery

What made you want to do the Pastry Arts Employment training Program? I wanted to learn more about baking. I have always enjoyed baking and learning how to make cookies, cake, and pies and make them look like beautiful works of art. Before enrolling in Sunflower did you have any work experience? At Damascus High… Read More

Anna Myers has been a pastry chef in the metropolitan area for the last 13 years. The last 10 she has spent as the Executive Pastry Chef at the Marriott Wardman Hotel, in Washington, DC. Prior to that she was the executive pastry chef at the Metropolitan Club of Washington DC. At the Metro Club… Read More

By Joey Nowicki What type of job skills do you want to learn in our Hospitality Program? Gary: Customers services- making a good relationship with customers. Developing a healthy relationship- making them laugh or offering them good products, counting payments like counting money and change and food safety. What is your favorite thing about the… Read More

From The Glass Gazette: February 2020 As the county strengthens its pipelines to workforce development, non-profit organizations like Sunflower Bakery are taking the lead by providing on-the-job training to adults over 18-years-old that struggle with learning differences. I recently visited the Sunflower Bakery’s new facility in Rockville and was amazed by the technical and transferable… Read More

Hi, my name is Stanley. I began working at Cafe Sunflower about two months ago. I really enjoy variety in my work and free time. Working at Cafe Sunflower has given me the chance to build on skills to serve customers lunches, drinks and pastry products, and keep the Cafe looking great. Behind the scenes… Read More

Sunflower Bakery is proud to share space among this group of companies dedicated to providing job opportunities for all. The National Organization on Disability (NOD) announced Sunflower Bakery is being recognized among fifty-two organizations that have been named a 2018 NOD Leading Disability Employer™. Now in its third year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer seal… Read More

Choice Hotels included Sunflower Bakery at their Disability Inclusion Celebration for being named “One of the Best Places to Work for People with Disabilities.” Sunflower Bakery provided cakes for their event and Daphna Raskas, Executive Director, was honored to be invited to speak at their Celebration. The following article appeared in the Voice of Choice… Read More

Meet Eliana Reiter, a recent Bnei Mitzvah participant and a wonderful Sunflower Bakery volunteer The following is an excerpt from her Bat Mitzvah speech (May 28, 2018): This year I participated in the Sunflower Bakery Bnei Mitzvah Seeds Program. Sunflower bakery is a non-profit bakery that employs young adults with disabilities and teaches them to… Read More

Written by Feivel Cohen,  April 29, 2018. Well today completes the journey I started a long time ago with Cafe Sunflower & Bakery. When I was 17 years old is when it all began. I was just a high schooler with no job at the time and was melting my brain during after school hours… Read More

An interview with Douglas Olinger, our Café Sunflower Assistant Manager. Douglas has been with us for 18 months, since September 2016. He is a graduate of the Sunflower Bakery Pastry Arts Employment Training Program. What brought you to Sunflower? I have always liked baking. I finished college where I majored in physics and I did… Read More

In my recent visit to Cafe Sunflower I was struck by the warm welcome I received, the friendly employees and the quality of the baked goods on hand. I am the reigning Ms. New York America 2018 and I flew to the D.C. in an effort to learn more about Sunflower Bakery and Cafe Sunflower…. Read More

When Michael was asked to describe our NIH patrons from next door, he answered succinctly “loyal customers.” Loyal customers they are indeed. Two years ago, William Barker, who the group calls Bill or “the Chief,” had heard that there was a café in the new Jewish Federation Building. There was only one problem, he didn’t… Read More

Steve Rakitt, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, honored us June 8 at our Annual Appreciation and Graduation Event with a beautiful message to our graduates. Steve has been an inspirational Sunflower Bakery advocate and has had a significant impact on expanding the leadership role of the Jewish community in providing greater access… Read More

At Sunflower Bakery, we know firsthand about the many benefits of baking which is why we are so focused on equipping young adults with skills for successful employment in baking and related food industries. A wonderful example is Steven Eig, a 2012 graduate of Sunflower who, as a part of his training, interned and was… Read More