Now that its soft opening has come and gone, Joe's Table is set for its grand opening on June 24.
Joe's Table has been a labour of love for Peter Chung and his wife, who lost their son, Joseph, who had multiple disabilities. The caf was meant to open with him, working as a greeter, and not in his memory.
But Joseph's common phrase, "Hi, how are you? My name is Joseph. What is your name?" can be seen in big letters on the walls of the caf.
The grand opening event is set for June 24, and Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, Senator Yonah Martin, US Consol General Anne Callaghan and MLA Richard Lee are expected to be in attendance.
The opening begins at 11 a.m. with remarks from the politicians in attendance, features a ribbon cutting ceremony, and refreshments, according to Yul Kim, Chung's executive assistant.
The South Burnaby caf is setting itself apart by hiring employees with differing abilities to honour Joseph's memory.
"We currently have seven employees working at Joe's Table," Kim said. "Four of them have disabilities."
Kim said Chung worked with PosAbilities to hire its employees with disabilities.
He also said the event will have about 40 people in attendance, including Chung and his wife, several employees and is offering "good coffee, good food."
The caf wants to be known for its homemade waffles and "second best coffee in the world."
Joe's Table is at 5021 Kingsway Ave., part of the CDI Burnaby location. Chung is the Eminata Group's chair, which runs the private career colleges such as CDI.
