AspenPointe Cafe Grand Opening, September 29th, Colorado Springs

Press Release

AspenPointe Café, a café and catering organization that trains and hires the disadvantaged, will hold a grand opening Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at its new location: 5069 N. Academy Blvd.

The community is invited to taste the café’s fare and celebrate the move and expansion of services as well as take tours of the facility.

The larger space allows for dine-in services and a new training program for those interested in pursuing a career in the culinary field. The program’s goal is to train about 75 students a year through a 17-week course.

“People with disabilities, whether mental of physical, are told too often they cannot do this or that because of their condition,” said Morris L. Roth, president and CEO of AspenPointe. “We prefer to focus on what an individual can do and train them to be employable, whether that’s in a restaurant or some other business.”

AspenPointe Café’s profits are invested back into the business. The greater its sales, the more people in the community it can help.

“AspenPointe’s mission to help the less fortunate is what attracted me to this position,” said Chef Brandon Benjegerdes, recently recruited as the café’s operations manager. “The customers I’ve spoken with feel the same way. By coming here, they attain satisfaction on multiple levels.”

Benjegerdes has 15 years of experience in the culinary business. He has a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and hotel and hospitality supervision from Stratford University in Washington , D.C.

“It’s a privilege and honor to have someone of Chef Brandon’s caliber overseeing the cooking and operation of AspenPointe Café,” said Roth. “My concern is that I will be spending a little too much time there now.”

In addition to dine-in services, which are available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, the café caters events every day for groups ranging from 10 to hundreds. It provides breakfast and lunch buffets, boxed meals, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, hot entrées and more. Please visit www.aspenpointe.org/cafe for a full menu.

Since 1875, AspenPointe has empowered clients, enriched lives and embraced purpose, through individual and family services in mental health, substance abuse, employment and career development, education, housing, jail diversion/reintegration, telephonic wellness, and provider network services.