Hard to believe a year has passed since we opened our doors. Four seasons, a gazillion freshly baked scones, and buckets of gratitude to our amazing staff and welcoming community for getting us here. Your encouragement and support have meant the world to us.

Given our Grand Opening was on Labour Day last year, we will be celebrating our first birthday on Labour Day this year which is Monday, September 7^th. We will be open regular hours, 8am-5pm, with balloons, discounted merch, tasty samples and live music from 2pm-4pm. Stock up on your Judy’s T-shirts, aprons, tote bags, caps……

Patio season is continuing through September so let’s enjoy it while we can!

Spotlight

Our ten Café Assistants who started their journey with us are all still here and thriving a year later. They have grown in so many ways, evident in their smiles and increased confidence. Many started out being comfortable clearing tables and washing dishes and now you see them taking orders, managing the till and preparing coffee.

One of the reasons we chose a café as our vehicle for training and employment is that there are so many facets of the business that provide opportunities for learning. Everything from customer service, inventory, and ordering, to managing the garbage and recycling.

A huge shout out to our ever capable and loyal baristas who, aside from creating stellar beverages, continue to mentor our café assistants in the loveliest way.

Upcoming Events

September 6 – Live jazz music with our own barista, Maddie Stewart, 2-4pm.

September 7 – Labour Day Monday – Live music with Cole Tin Calder, 2-4 pm.

See you soon!

Leslie and Donna

Well, summer is in full swing, complete with all manner of interesting weather! We have loved seeing customers enjoying the patio as well as chilling inside the café, escaping the heat and fluctuating air quality. We’ve got you covered whatever the weather!

Iced coffees, teas and matcha with various flavour combos have been popular. If you don’t see it on the menu, just ask - Our talented baristas will create it for you! Clay’s shaken espresso is shown here with a dash of cinnamon. Add an award-winning butter tart topped with ice cream!

Our café assistant, Spring, has returned from Paris where she represented Canada in the Special Olympics World Cup soccer event. Spring worked hard to get there and we are so proud of her. And Canada came 1^st!

Volunteer Profile: Mary

Mary was a teacher for over 25 years, many of those years as a colleague of Donna. For 50+ years, she has also been a member of L’Arche, a charitable organization whose primary focus is creating communities where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live meaningful and connected lives. Her gift of relating to, and mentoring individuals with exceptionalities is evident in their smiles and hugs when she walks in the door. She loves her Wednesdays at Judy’s and says that working with Spring and Cathie and the enthusiastic baristas is a highlight. We say that Wednesdays are a highlight because of Mary!

Mary is a proud mom of three sons and a very happy Nana to seven grandchildren. She is also an avid reader, walker and knitter and recently moved to the Beach with her husband, Joe – just a 15-minute walk to Judy’s! We are grateful for the joy and commitment that Mary brings to the café. Her favourite Judy’s treat? A freshly baked cheddar chive scone!

Upcoming Events

JAZZ FEST is here Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 23^rd – 25^th, with bands playing all along our strip of Queen Street starting at 7pm. We will be open all those evenings until 9pm so come in for a drink and a treat as you enjoy all the wonderful music. We will have beer on tap, wine, and espresso martinis in addition to our signature lemonade, iced teas and other featured beverages. Check out our merch – pick up a tote bag and sport a Judy’s T-shirt to promote inclusive employment.

Join us at the café on Friday, 5:30-6:30, for a pre-jazz musical treat – our very own barista, Maddie Stewart will take off her Judy’s apron, pick up her guitar and treat you to a pre-Jazz Fest show as you fuel up for the evening.

Saturday at 3pm: More music with Darryl Costello, aka Cole Tin Calder. Warm up for Jazz Fest with some country classic foot stompers!

In Remembrance

We were very sad to hear about the passing of one of our local customers and generous supporters, Keith Thomson. We will not forget his warm smile and quiet endorsement of our mission. A huge loss for the community and our thoughts are with his family.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Leslie and Donna

Café Updates:

This is a very quick note to let you know that we are open as usual on Canada Day, 8am-5pm. Come and join us on our patio – look for the red umbrellas and red chairs! Our feature drink for the day is an iced Canadian maple latte. And if you haven’t yet tried our affogato (espresso over ice cream), or our espresso martinis, now is a good time! Kids’ ice cream version is also a hit for the holidays!

See you soon,

Leslie and Donna

The days are still getting longer as we head towards this weekend’s summer solstice. Remember that we are open later (until 6pm) on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for you to enjoy the patio and evening sun. You can also take advantage of free nibblies with any alcohol purchase: Beer, white wine, Rosé, red wine and espresso martinis.

Heading to the beach? Our fridge is stocked with cold drinks and tasty sandwiches and salads for picnics. We can also box up any pastry items to snack on. Our Judy’s tote bags are perfect to carry it all down to the water!

Staff Profile: Cathie

Cathie came to us from Variety Village where she takes part in various programs. On May 23^rd, she performed in the Variety Village Drama Show, High School Musical, and was delighted to show us some photos of the event. She also enjoys playing games like Bocce Ball. Cathie has another job at The Boys and Girls Club where she works in the kitchen, cutting and seasoning vegetables and washing dishes.

When Cathie first came to work at Judy’s last September, she was accompanied by a support worker who travelled to and from work with her and stayed to make sure she could accomplish her tasks successfully. Just a few months later, it became clear that Cathie no longer needed the help. She now navigates the TTC on her own and always arrives early for her shift, with a packed lunch that she makes herself. Not only does she work independently, but she also notices what else needs to be done and simply does it. You will never see Cathie standing around and we appreciate her initiative and willingness to learn new things. As she said to us, “I don’t like giving up. I like to keep going.”

At Judy’s, Cathie enjoys clearing tables, serving customers, loading the dishwasher and sweeping. But most of all, she likes making friends and chats easily with customers and colleagues. She loves speaking French with Donna! Cathie’s big smile and joyful laugh endear her to everyone.

Events:

Father’s Day is Sunday. We hope that families will choose Judy’s for a treat to celebrate!

Canada Day is coming up on July 1^st. We will be open regular hours, 8am – 5pm on that day as well as on the other statutory and civic holidays throughout the season.

See you soon,

Leslie and Donna

We are thrilled how everyone is enjoying being outside on the patio – finally! Lots of comments on how comfy our new red chairs are so give them a try! And it is Rosé season – we have a lovely dry one available along with our other offerings.

If you are wanting to pick up multiple items for the beach, or for a party, we encourage you to order a few days in advance if you can, so that we can set them aside for you. Weekends can be especially busy and we don’t want to disappoint you by running out of your favourite items. Just email us at judysbeachcafe@gmail.com or call us at 416 699-5839. If we don’t answer, keep trying as we may not have time to check messages.

Staff Profile: Zoe

Zoe works at Judy’s on Sundays and Mondays and we always look forward to her big smile, cheerful wit and easy banter. Always impeccably well-dressed, she adds an element of style to the café and we love her sense of fashion. Zoe quickly learned all aspects of keeping the café running smoothly and while dishes are not her favourite task, she does them willingly along with all of us. She is particularly good at taking orders on the till and enjoys training new baristas on the Square POS terminal.

Zoe is a graduate of L’Arche Toronto’s Trying It on For Size (TIFS) advanced life skills program and was quoted in a recent article written by Alyssa, her friend and a team member at L’Arche, “Working at Judy’s is special because of the community. The people who come are very welcoming and supportive, and they seem to like it here.” And it’s true. We are proud how Judy’s has quickly become a neighbourhood hub and it is our staff, like Zoe, who make it so. Zoe tells us that her favourite part of working at Judy’s is the people she gets to work with. Zoe’s favourite beverage? A latte made by Leyla!

Events

There are always many happenings in the Beach but the weekend of June 12-14 promises to be very eventful.

Beaches Gardens tour (Through the Garden Gate) June 13^th and 14^th, 11am-4pm. Tickets available through torontobotanicalgarden.ca.

Beaches sidewalk sale, June 13^th, 10am-5pm.

See you soon,

Leslie and Donna

Our patio umbrellas arrived this week and the shade has been welcome. Customers have been enjoying our signature espresso martini and our new dry rose. Join us for complementary chips with any alcohol purchase.

It is T-shirt season, and we are excited about our new style! Come and check out the rest of our merch, too—we have tote bags, baseball caps and to-go mugs.

Staff Profile: Hamza
This week’s Café Assistant spotlight is on Hamza. Hamza participates in the Pegasus Program at SH Armstrong Community Centre. Pegasus has been providing learning programs for adults with developmental disabilities in our community for over 30 years. Hamza also enjoys going for walks in his neighbourhood and eating at local restaurants with his sisters.

At Judy’s, Hamza enjoys doing inventory with Melissa and practicing taking orders. He also likes stamping the pastry bags, cleaning tables and helping to bring out the weekly garbage and recycling bins and boxes – a huge job and we are thankful for his help. His favourite drink is Judy’s lemonade. Hamza takes a genuine interest in all his fellow workers, and we all appreciate his big smile and easy conversation.

Events
The Inclusive Sounds music evening on the 9^th was a huge success with thanks to Melvin John and his family. We are enormously grateful for their initiative in organizing a number of fantastic bands at the Duke in support of the Pegasus Program and Judy’s Beach Café.

Stay tuned for future events……ideas are welcome!

See you soon,

Leslie and Donna

We are ready for Spring on our new patio with huge thanks to our supporters from The PWO Foundation, The Richards Group, The City of Toronto CafeTO program and Riley Grant Construction.

To celebrate, we have added a lovely pale rosé to our wine offerings and because we pride ourselves on our coffee, we invite you to try our espresso martini, shaken to perfection. New additions to our menu include a spicy tuna wrap and a selection of hearty protein bites (vegan and gluten free) from Village Juicery – already super popular! My favourite is the pistachio….

Staff Profile:

This newsletter’s spotlight is on Kristen. Kristen lives in the neighbourhood but hails from Winnipeg and Edmonton where she worked as an office assistant for a construction company, and a receptionist for the Rotary Club, among other jobs and extensive volunteer initiatives. She has earned many awards through her work: The Manitoba Council for Exceptional Children “Yes I Can” award for employment in 2003 and the Paul Harris Rotary award in 2012. She was also the Cross-Country Skiing Association of Manitoba Skier of the Year in 2001 and has won gold and bronze medals as a skier at the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Kristen still enjoys cross country skiing and can often be seen walking, cycling, running and roller blading by the lake.

In Toronto, Kristen has worked at the CNE every summer since 2021. She also takes literacy classes at West Neighbourhood House. Kristen’s nieces and nephews are a big part of her life, and she talks about them often. Fitness is also important to Kristen, and she is very disciplined in her routine. At Judy’s she is very hard working and always has a positive attitude. She enjoys working with all our baristas, serving customers and taking orders at the till. We are lucky to have Kristen on our team!

Upcoming:

Inclusive Sounds live music event is this Saturday at the Duke, 5pm-11pm. Put on by KB Real Estate Team, it promises to be a fun event in support of the Pegasus Program and Judy’s Beach Café.

See you on the patio!

Leslie and Donna

Everyone loves a good cobb salad and this one does not disappoint. It is full of good things and is a new addition to our selection of salads and sandwiches in the fridge. It is also gluten-free. Please feel free to ask about our other gluten-free options as we keep them separate.

Today’s newsletter features Katrina, one of our Café Assistants who has been with us since we opened. Katrina is a graduate of Eastdale Collegiate and the Project Search Program. As part of her Co-op program, she worked at Sobeys, Leslieville Public School, Toronto Rehab and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital. She was then hired by Holland Bloorview and worked with the children in the Play and Learn School for three years.

Katrina quickly adapted to life at Judy’s and is here Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. She can often be seen behind the till, and loves interacting with customers and the other staff behind the bar. Katrina always arrives to work early, with a big smile and knows exactly what needs to be done. She is a great help to our baristas and we feel lucky to have her with us.

One of our favourite moments with Katrina was when the bakery truck got stuck in the snow two blocks away. She didn’t hesitate to put on her coat and trudge through the snow to help us retrieve our delivery of goodies. Now that’s teamwork! Katrina’s favourite drink? A pistachio latte!

Writers take note: The workshop scheduled for last week was moved to Wednesday, April 29, 2pm-4pm. Please register directly with writer Patricia Brean at pat_brean@hotmail.com.

Need flowers? Pay a visit to Florathecary, just a few doors east. The owner, Agnes is always getting fresh seasonal flowers and we love keeping a few on our tables.

See you soon,

Leslie and Donna

Today’s spotlight is on Ryan who lives close by and has been working three shifts/week at Judy’s. Popular among our customers (it seems everyone in the neighbourhood knows him!), Ryan is an energetic and dependable team player with a great sense of humour. Eager to learn, you will see him working the till, serving customers, measuring coffee, clearing tables – always with a big smile. Ryan has quickly mastered many aspects of keeping a café running smoothly. On his breaks, he enjoys one of our hearty breakfast cookies.

Ryan is a busy guy and is proud of his work history, especially at Pioneer Camp. In addition to Judy’s, he currently works at Starbucks on Sundays and is also a partner at the Common Ground Co-Op. He has a certificate in Food Processing and Packaging from Centennial College and is an active participant in CADS Ski Club. You will also see him regularly working out at our local YMCA. Ryan is a strong advocate for other people with Down Syndrome and did a great job in his interview with CBC when we first opened. Thank you, Ryan!

UPCOMING:

Easter is next weekend! Note that we will be open on Good Friday from 11am-5pm and will have regular hours, 8am-5pm, for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We now have delicious mini egg cookies from Circles and Squares (as seen above with Ryan) as well as vegan, gluten-free and nut-free carrot cake bunny ear cupcakes and sugar cookies from Bunners starting on Wednesday, shown here.

Easter Sunday Parade starts at 2pm at Neville Park and passes right by Judy’s so come and hang out with us!

Writers’ Group, April 15, 2pm-4pm: Everyone has stories to tell. Get together at Judy’s for coffee, tea (or wine!) and write those stories with the guidance and support of writer, Patricia Brean. Bring your laptop and/or notebook. And your memories! RSVP to pat_brean@hotmail.com.

Inclusive Sounds, May 9, 5pm-11pm: This is a live music fundraiser at The Duke in support of Pegasus and Judy’s Beach Café. Come and join the fun! https://www.bloomtickets.ca/event/764?InclusiveSoundsMusicFundraiser

We hear the birds…..we know it is coming…. April, we can hardly wait!

In anticipation, Leslie and Donna

Speaking of Ireland, this week’s staff spotlight is on Anne, our Café Assistant who works the first shift on Mondays. She always starts our week on the right foot with her big, beautiful smile. We enjoyed hearing about Anne’s recent trip to Ireland with her mom and two brothers, Matthew and Jacob. She especially loved hiking with the sheep and visiting Giants Causeway. While there is some Irish in her background, Anne is quick to say she is Canadian. Love the patriotic spirit!

Anne is a busy young woman who swims at Variety Village and competes regularly. She is also enrolled in the Humber College Community Integration Program and will be graduating this spring. Anne has a beautiful singing voice which she shared with us during our holiday Karaoke party, when she belted out “If I Were a Boy”. This week marked Anne’s 24^th birthday! She celebrated with her family and our café assistant, Spring, and enjoyed chocolate and vanilla cupcakes that Matt picked up from Judy’s.

March Break is now upon us, and rest assured we are fully stocked with cookies, croissants and all sorts of treats for your kiddos. We also make a kid’s latte with steamed milk (our “babyccino”). If you are coming in with littles and need crayons or puzzles, just ask.

Mark your calendars
Music date with Ned: Tuesday, March 24, 3:30-4:30pm. We are pleased to welcome popular children’s musician Ned to the café! Bring your littles after nap or school on March 24 for a free, fun-filled hour of kid-friendly tunes on the guitar. Learn more about Ned at nedmusic.ca.

Beach Metro News at Judy’s: Sunday, March 29, 10am-1pm. Pop in to learn more about your local newspaper and meet all the volunteers who make it possible.

As always, please let us know if there is anything we can help you with – a special order, an event - your feedback is important to us. To stay even more connected, follow us on Instagram .

Hang in there….Spring IS coming!

Leslie and Donna

If you would like to pick up more than a few of one item (like birthday cupcakes), let us know a few days ahead so that we can set them aside for you. We order fresh daily but some of our vegan and gluten free suppliers require 3 days notice.

Our guests at Judy’s have discovered our upstairs seating area, with quiet nooks for working, reading or catching up with a friend. Some have held larger meetings here as we have room for two groups of six around those tables. While we normally don’t take reservations, if you are looking for such a space to hold a meeting (knitting club, mom’s group, book club…) just email us with the date and time (judysbeachcafe@gmail.com) so we can hold a set of tables on the landing for you.

We have some wonderful volunteers at the café. If you come on a Monday or Thursday, you will meet Melissa who is Donna and Judy’s sister-in-law. Our mission means a great deal to Melissa as she was instrumental in Judy’s life, forming a very special relationship based on unconditional, sisterly love. Melissa tells us that she learned a great deal from Judy and still uses some of her unique expressions.

Melissa was quick to put her hand up to volunteer and has been with us since we opened, getting to know our customers and making them feel so welcome. Our café assistants adore her, whether she is serving customers with Anne, doing inventory with Hamza or working the till with Spring or Katrina. Melissa is a pro behind the counter, and her warm, fun and lively manner adds so much to the life of the café. We are grateful that she is continuing the family thread and we all look forward to our Melissa days!

Something else is brewing at Judy’s…..Stay tuned for music events for your little ones with Ned. You may already know him from Beaches Sandbox and we are delighted to explore this opportunity with him.

As always, thank you for your patronage and please reach out to us with any questions or ways we can serve you better.

Cheers,

Leslie and Donna

PS: Judy’s is a registered charity and donations are always welcome through www.judysbeachcafe.ca

We also have Valentine’s Day – even more to celebrate! If you are looking for gifts for your friends and sweethearts, here are some of our more popular choices, most of them red:

• Our signature coffee beans decorated with love by our café assistants

• Judy’s coffee mugs

• Tuques – Green, black and RED

• Bags of chocolate hazelnut biscotti

• As a special item, we will have Gift carriers with chocolate chip cookies and a beautiful rose from our neighbour, Florathecary florist, available Friday and Saturday for $25. We will have photos of them on Thursday night so make sure you follow us on Instagram.

While you are shopping, may we suggest a strawberry matcha latte?

Friday is a PA day, so feel free to bring the kids for strawberry lemonade or hot chocolate and a Valentine’s donut.

Nobody loves an excuse to celebrate more than our café assistant, Sam. If you come to Judy’s on Saturday afternoons, Sam will give you a warm and enthusiastic greeting. He is very excited to be working on Valentine’s Day and has decorated a few bags for you.

Sam will tell you that he loves every single thing about working at Judy’s. He is such a hard worker and has quickly picked up on exactly what needs to be done, whether it is taking orders, serving customers, clearing dishes, preparing tables, stamping the pastry bags…..you name it and Sam has it covered.

Sam is proud of the education he received at Seneca College Vocational Program where he was selected as valedictorian. He also participated in the Humber College Community Integration program. Sam enjoys volunteering as a self advocacy influencer with Community Living Toronto. We are grateful to have him on our team!

February is a short month – Let’s make the best of it!

Stay warm,

Leslie and Donna

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We are so grateful for our snug haven here at Judy’s and the vibrant community created by our guests and staff members. It has been a season of comfort beverages like our honey cardamom latte and salted caramel hot chocolate. Our guests are enjoying Baileys in their coffee, post pickleball pints and warmed up sandwiches and pastries. The roasted turkey club has been a favourite.

This newsletter’s featured assistant is Aggie who works with us on Tuesdays. She loves the ham and cheese croissant. You may have purchased a bag of our coffee decorated with Aggie’s creative artwork. She enjoys colouring at home and making unique designs with geometric shapes. She also knows a lot about food safety, having had previous experience in kitchen preparation. Aggie swims regularly at Variety Village and enjoys Irish dancing, playing basketball and going for walks. She has three sisters and five nephews.

Aggie takes the bus to work and has become very independent in initiating and completing her various tasks at the cafe. She particularly enjoys stamping the coffee sleeves and cleaning the tables. Normally soft-spoken, Aggie surprised us all at our holiday karaoke party by singing her favourite song from Titanic, “My heart will go on”. Aggie tells us that she likes being a happy person. And we can tell you that her joy is contagious!

Warm wishes to you all,

Leslie and Donna

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As promised, we plan on featuring each of our assistants. Have you met Spring? She works Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and loves taking your orders on the till. She also helps set up the chairs and tables outside, fills the dog bowl, stamps the sleeves for the cups, does dishes and is learning how to make coffee. You may also have seen Spring’s colourful artwork on our retail coffee bags.

What you may not know is that Spring is an accomplished swimmer and diver. She joins Anne, another café assistant at Variety Village to swim every Monday night. Spring is also a bakery associate at Do Good Donuts and a customer service lead at Michael’s Craft Store. An entrepreneur, she also makes and sells hair scrunchies. Spring is a regular volunteer at the blood donor clinic and is very generous with her time and affection, bringing joy to all our customers and staff.

As you look out at this wonderful winter wonderland, we wish you all the best of the season!

Cheers,

Leslie and Donna

We’ll start the new year featuring the team who greets you each day. Many of you have made a point of getting to know them already. Our expert baristas ensure you feel welcome and your beverages are consistently top quality. Please say hello to Leyla from Turkey, Clay from Windsor, Purnima from India, Sarah from Vancouver Island, and Holly from Toronto.

As you know by now, our mission involves hiring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our baristas have become excellent coaches, training and supporting our café assistants as they master their routines and learn new skills. We have 10 on staff, all of them doing very well. Watching their confidence grow brings us pure joy. For some, this is their first paid job. All of them have interesting lives beyond the café and going forward, we will share some of their interests and activities. With our charitable status we are able to direct all donations toward their salaries. Please visit judysbeachcafe.ca if you wish to support our mission with a donation.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our seasonal beverages and delicious pastries, sandwiches and salads from Circles and Squares. We also have vegan and gluten-free options from Tori’s Bakeshop, Bunners, and Sweets from the Earth.

AND…..you can try our pale ale draft beer on tap from Black Lab brewery. Or pick up a dark lager or IPA from the fridge. Fancy some Baileys in your coffee? Or rum in your eggnog latte? We’ve got you covered!

We welcome your feedback so if we are missing anything, please let us know.

As the holiday season draws to a close, we wish you a new year filled with happiness and good health. And many magic moments at Judy’s!

Stay tuned…….

Leslie and Donna