One of Torrance’s newest cafes comes with an interesting local connection.

Terrabite Cafe by ICAN is located inside The Lundquist Institute at 1124 W. Carson Street, near Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The cafe occupies the first floor of the institute’s Medical Research Laboratory building, alongside its auditorium and board room.

And on Monday, August 31 at 11 a.m., the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating Terrabite Cafe’s grand opening.

What makes the cafe particularly interesting is the organization behind it.

ICAN — California Abilities Network is a Torrance-based nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through supported employment, life-skills training and social programs. Its stated mission is to help people with disabilities discover and achieve their own “I CAN” goals.

Employment is a major part of that work.

ICAN operates supported-employment programs that provide job preparation, job development, interview assistance and ongoing coaching. The organization has also developed business ventures specifically intended to create supported work opportunities for the people it serves.

That makes Terrabite Cafe more than another place appearing on Torrance’s increasingly crowded food map.

It connects a new local cafe with an organization that has spent years helping adults with disabilities develop workplace skills and greater independence.

And with its location inside one of Torrance’s major medical-research institutions, Terrabite is also tucked into a part of town many residents may not normally associate with grabbing something from a cafe.

The official grand-opening celebration takes place next Monday, making this one worth watching.

Where: The Lundquist Institute, 1124 W. Carson St., Torrance
Grand Opening: Monday, August 31 at 11 a.m.

Article Link: Terrabite Cafe Grand Opening Details