Published on: June 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM

By: Susan Swagler

Beautiful Rainbow Café is an eatery like no other.

It’s inside the Gadsden Public Library where it is beloved for its delicious and wholesome, made-from-scratch vegetarian dishes served in a bright, airy, inclusive space decorated with big, colorful murals. It is gourmet garden-to-table with its own organic garden in Underwood Park right across the street. And it’s a thriving, award-winning work-based learning program that helps young people with special needs and cognitive disabilities grow their social and work skills as well as their confidence and self-reliance.

It also is the first of its kind in the country – a full-service restaurant staffed entirely by students with significant learning challenges.

The idea started with a single garden bed.

The Alabama Weather Blog is pleased to present an excerpt from a featured article in partnership with the Alabama News Center. For the full post including images, videos, and related links, please visit the article HERE.