Soon after Oradell’s Kelly Castro learned that her son had autism, she began hearing the tough truth from other parents: School programs and other support for autistic children largely disappear after kids turn 21.
“No matter where I was, no matter who I was speaking to, every single [parent], they all described it the same way: Once they turn 21, they fall off a cliff,” Castro said. “I didn’t understand at first, but one mom told me, ‘Everything your son gets right now, that all goes away.’”
Instead of accepting that harsh reality, Castro has set out in her own way to change the status quo. On Saturday, she’ll open her second business designed to provide work opportunities and training to adults with autism. Her new Fair Lawn bakery, Just a Taste of New Jersey, will hold a ribbon-cutting at noon on Saturday, after a soft opening last month. The store at 25-05 Broadway not only works with adult students with autism, but it also features goods and products from other local businesses that employ people with disabilities.
“There’s all this focus on these individuals in school, or early intervention before they are even in school, on ‘how do we get them to progress?’” Castro said. “It’s all about progress, and then they turn 21 and don’t have anything to do with the skills they worked so hard to get.”
Just a Taste is an expansion of the operation she started out of her home in 2023, Carson’s Cookie Dough, which also trains students with autism. The business was inspired by Castro’s 8-year-old son, Carson, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age.
His mother was “terrified” after hearing about the diminishing prospects for kids like Carson once school support runs out. As her concerns deepened, Castro found herself more determined to make a difference. She realized that many families face this same disheartening challenge—how to keep their children engaged and supported once they leave the structure of school programs.
But that changed at a retreat where Castro met the owners of Maplewood-based Beloved Bath, two moms whose adult sons have autism. Their bath-products company employs many individuals who have autism.
“A lightbulb went off in my head,” said Castro, who thought, “I could do that.”
She started renting time at a kitchen in the Westwood Community Center, where she would work with two to three adult students with autism at a time, helping them learn to prepare and make her cookies. But scheduling became difficult, as the kitchen was shared with other people. Castro soon realized that for her to expand her vision and provide a lasting impact, she would need a larger, more dedicated space.
Castro searched for a bigger space to call her own and found something unexpected: a former bakery in Fair Lawn that provided both a kitchen and a storefront. Instead of just making cookies, she realized, she could also sell products from businesses that had a similar mission of employing workers with autism.
She called the venture Just a Taste because it’s meant to give customers “a taste of what these adults are able to do,” Castro said. Products on sale include popcorn from Piscataway-based Popcorn for the People, coffee from Little Falls and Morristown cafe Ethan & the Bean, honey from Pony Power Therapies of Mahwah, socks from Long Island-based John’s Crazy Socks, and body lotions and candles from Beloved Bath.
“Every product that we have in there is made by a company which specifically hires adults with autism, Down syndrome, and differently abled adults,” Castro said.
Having her own storefront has been a “complete game changer” for Castro’s efforts, she said. About 20 adult students can now participate five days a week to learn job skills, such as speaking with customers, making coffee, or running a register. The volunteers are people ages 18 to 21 who attend autism programs at Cresskill public schools, Northern Valley Regional High School, the Park Ridge school district, and in Little Falls.
“Our mission for both companies is to support adults who are differently abled with the ultimate goal of hiring these adults,” Castro said, noting that the organization is still in its infancy. “In the meantime, while we aren’t able to hire anybody yet, we are able to work with these adult students from various adult programs throughout Bergen County.”
The Just a Taste kitchen is set up with the students in mind. Its accommodations include step-by-step instructions near the cash register and in the kitchen. Castro learns something new every day with her workers, she said, as each brings different skills and personalities to the bakery.
“I think ‘if this person is having difficulty with this task, what can I do to make it easier for her?’” she said. “Maybe we can add a different seating option, put new signage, or have picture messaging. Our kitchen is set up very specifically and labeled very specifically. We want the adults to not only succeed at the tasks but also interact with each other to build socialization skills that can also be challenging.”
“It’s cool to see their confidence,” she added. “You can see them interacting with the customers, and they are so proud of themselves. That’s an unexpected element we’re beginning to see.”
Melissa Van Cleft, a job coach from the Cresskill school district’s Community Steps to Independence program, said three of her students visit Just a Taste twice a week. They enjoy the feeling of growing independence.
Castro “really makes them feel so comfortable and so welcomed,” Van Cleft said. “One boy goes in and has learned how to make the dough himself. It’s really a nice thing she’s doing for her family and the community.”
Castro hopes her example will encourage other employers to be more inclusive. Her goal for Carson’s Cookie Dough and Just a Taste isn’t to have employees who work there for 20 years; she wants to be a launchpad that helps students gain skills to work at other businesses as well.
“The unemployment rate is over 80% for adults who are differently abled, with autism, and it’s such a staggering number,” she said. “I thought, ‘People don’t want to hire someone just because they have autism?’ I see how hard my son works and how hard his classmates work. I think this hasn’t been on anybody’s radar. When you do realize it, you think, ‘What steps could I do to add these individuals to our workforce?’”
Just a Taste’s initial hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Castro said the hours will expand in the coming weeks.
“These individuals are such a delight,” she said. “They make anybody smile. The town of Fair Lawn has been absolutely incredible. We’ve had a very warm welcome across the board.”
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