Story & Lesson Highlights with Brittany Chadwick of Gainesville

Brittany Chadwick shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Brittany, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
Hiring Special Needs Adults can come with misunderstanding. People misunderstand just how capable our staff is. They literally make every order and serve every customer. They have overcome obstacles most would crumble under. I think it’s a widely misunderstood set of people not just in our business, but in society.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are Puzzle Piece Pastries. A non-profit organization that provides meaningful employment and job opportunities to adults with Special Needs.
Our staff lovingly provides pastries, desserts, breakfast, lunch, ice cream, custom cakes & cookies and so much more!!
Each and every product we put out truly helps bake a difference in our community.
Our organization is completely non-profit so every purchase goes right back into the mission and hiring more and more adults.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Working with Special Needs adults really shifts your view and your day-to-day perception. I’ll never forget when one of our adults came in one day and just kept saying how blessed she was. How excited she was to be a part of our restaurant. How thankful she was to have a job. She is completely blind and faces challenges every day that would break most, but through it all, she was thankful. If that doesn’t change your mindset, what will?

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Working with the challenges that our adults face has taught us a true sense of strength and patience we would have never gained working with neurotypical staff.
We have seen break downs, frustrations, defeat that has molded us. It has given us the tools and the skills to overcome and keep pushing forward to the mission we have set out to do.
There have been times of doubt, but these moments have really called us to evaluate why we do what we do.
We are so thankful for our challenges. We wouldn’t be who we are without them.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Time is money. While in some respects I agree that you should be paid for time spent giving a service. I think the lie comes from valuing an employee only based on the number of things they can get done in any given time. We are valuing quantity over quality.
We hire to invest in our people. No matter the time or physical accommodations needed. We have talented, loyal, punctual employees who LOVE what they do and show it in every task they complete. You can’t buy that.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
Our organization was selected for a very large grant in September of 2024. This was a momentous occasion for our little bakery. We received almost a 50k grant for our bakery and it has been a turning point in our production.
We were able to hire more adults, increase our storage, and add new avenues for income to continue supporting our mission.
You wouldn’t believe the celebration!! Tap dancing moment FOR SURE!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://puzzlepiecepastries.org
• Instagram: puzzlepiece_pastries
• Twitter: @PuzzlePastries
• Facebook: Puzzle Piece Pastries
• Yelp: Puzzle Piece Pastries
• Youtube: @puzzlepiecepastries
• Other: TikTok: puzzlepiecepastries