Moose & Me Bakery employing adults of all abilities finally moves into Naperville storefront

Community support, passion and perseverance. Plus some flour, absolutely.

After years of exiting the kitchen of a house, a specific inclusive Nepella-based bakery-adults of all capabilities are easily given a rolling pin-Houses and Me Baking Company has finally found the right recipe to go to its place.

Coming out of a soft launch at the end of October, the business is settling in its new bricks-and-doors on the 3075 book road, which is far from the humble beginning of the business in which orders were filled at the owner Megan Alder’s house.

Infection, Elder says, there has been a learning state. But a good, he assured.

“It was really funny at the first time,” said Elder. “We are learning a lot, and we’re still learning. … (but) Everyone is just so good and very excited and supports us so much.”

From inspiration to construction, the community has been a thrineline in creating mousse and me, says Elder.

From the first dash of an idea – was sown 10 or so many years ago – the intention is simple: Create a safe place for people with disabilities, come in yourself and take advantage of the universal ability of baking to connect.

“This is its magic,” Elder said, “That conversation and at that time together.”

Elder feels well. This is what he did after Mousse & Me.

MOOSE & Me Baking Company new place on 3075 book RD. The Neparville has a Do-It-Yorcell cookie bar and a wide range of coffee options. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)MOOSE & Me Baking Company new place on 3075 book RD. The Neparville has a Do-It-Yorcell cookie bar and a wide range of coffee options. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)The new place of Mousse and Me Baking Company has a wide range of Do-It-Yaself cookie bar and coffee options in Nepearville in 3075 Book Road. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)

Before her storefront and before the early days of her home -based her business, her kitchen was simply found in the Elder and her daughter.

Mila has Down syndrome and since she was younger, she was an intimacy for baking, said Elder. By the time it was found 2 years old, it became a pastime for both.

“He really enjoyed it,” said Elder. “It was something that was able to take care of her for a while. And of course, she preferred to taste everything.”

At that time, the Elder was running a ministry for intellectual and developmental disabled teenagers she started with her husband. The ministry helped him better understand the special needs of Neeparaville, he said, but also shown how programming stagger because people grow up.

The Elder, who is from NeParville, said that she can somewhat, as long as she can remember with a community with special needs.

“Is it doing self -service for a particular Olympics or was doing special friends in high school … it has always been a part of my life,” he said.

As she grew up, Elder did not know how or if she would remain. But then after getting married, she and her husband started their ministry. And they adopted Mila. Eventually, the two mousse and inspired me.

The Covid-19 epidemic was the last inspiration. Stuck inside the house, the elders wondered why not recruit some people who came through their ministry and give their baking ventures real.

Nicholas Thibault rolled cookie flour on 3075 book RDs at Mousse and Me Baking Company's storefront. On 6 February 2024 in Neparville. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)Nicholas Thibault rolled cookie flour on 3075 book RDs at Mousse and Me Baking Company's storefront. On 6 February 2024 in Neparville. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)Nicholas Thibault rolled cookie flour at Mousse & Me Baking Company Store in 3075 Book Road in Neproville. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)

Mousse & Me worked out of Elder’s house for three years. The orders were all customs, booked in advance. Elder quickly knew that she wanted a storefront. From home, he and his staff pity the moments that customers raised their cakes and behavior.


They wanted the conversation – the spirit of the community – all the time.

So the Elder got to search for a more permanent professional address. Real estate markets, however, were other plans.

“We didn’t know how difficult it was (this),” said Elder. “We tried many properties. There were a ton of things that fell.”

Meanwhile, the Elder gave the money. Through a pair of campaigns, the community made more than $ 100,000 funnel in Elder’s Storefront Dream. Then in May last year, the spot came into the picture on the book road. It needed a lot of work, but the Elder had no objection.

Elder said, “It was a kind of situation in a way.” “We were of one kind, it did not need to be right.”

But again, the community took steps. As the renewal of Mousse & Me was going on, some local companies voluntarily “to help make something that we did not think,” Elder said.

“We were going to minimize bare at this place,” he accepted.

Q elke groves are villages-based commercial stainless services, which re-define stainless steel and infinity painters in Nepearville, which did bakery floor and paint.

“It was also terrible to play a small role, somehow to help them,” said Shaun Licka with Infinity Painters.

Lisca voluntarily helped after coming to Mousse & Me via social media. The bakery hit a personal raga. His girlfriend is a special education teacher in Chicago and his cousin is autism, Lisca said.

He arrived to see mouses and see if he could do anything.

This made all the differences, said the Elder.

“These people who used to voluntarily give their time and services,” he said, “Just showed how much they care about this population of people. … They wanted them to have an environment that is good, a place where they can feel at home, they can feel safe and they feel loved. (These companies) made for them.”

The product is better than the Elder’s imagination. Pink and blues are on the front side of the house, which has a lot of seating space. Behind the cash register, seven employees of each of Mousse & Me have their own photographs that have been posted high to see everyone. And under the counters, the tagline of the bakery – “surprisingly behaved by those created by those created” – is written out, limiting with sprinkles.

Now there is not just a pre-order operation, the new and better mousse and me have a Do-It-It-Cookie Bar and a Baking Team that is continuously experimenting and playing with new dishes, said Elder.

MOOSE & Me Baking Company new place on 3075 book RD. The Neparville has a Do-It-Yorcell cookie bar and a wide range of coffee options. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)MOOSE & Me Baking Company new place on 3075 book RD. The Neparville has a Do-It-Yorcell cookie bar and a wide range of coffee options. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)The new place of Mousse and Me Baking Company has a wide range of Do-It-Yaself cookie bar and coffee options in Nepearville in 3075 Book Road. (Tes Kenny/Neproville Sun)

Employee Nicholas Thibault, who has been with Mousse & Me, for five months, said he is mostly behind the screen, but “enjoying all these behaviors.”

“It’s good,” he said. “(I) got a lot of jobs and a lot of people to work. … I have not been in this kind of situation for a while.”

Head Baker Jinah Harnel is running with Mousse & Me, a year and said that the transition from Elder’s house to Book Road has been a “crazy process”, but “amazing”.

“Here, we have fun,” he said. “We have a lot of fun. So this is the biggest thing. … Everyone who is here, wants to live here. Nothing is about salary.”

MOOSE & Me Baking Company is open through Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Elder said that she is expecting to expand for hours and once the bakery grows in her new house.

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