Grace, who has Down syndrome, struggled to find meaningful employment. So her family created the opportunity they couldn’t find.
In this episode of The Personal Side of Business, Amy shares how Grace’s love of people and pizza inspired Pizzabilities—a San Diego restaurant built around great food, genuine inclusion and meaningful jobs for people of all abilities.
What began as an idea for Grace and a few friends quickly revealed a much greater need. The Baker family received an extraordinary number of applications from people who had spent months or even years searching for work. After opening its flagship Alpine restaurant in July 2025, Pizzabilities expanded to Santee just months later.
Amy also discusses:
• Starting a restaurant with no food-service experience
• Partnering with Ron Burner and the Nicolosi’s restaurant family
• Training employees according to their individual strengths
• Raising expectations for people with disabilities
• Managing rapid growth without losing sight of the mission
• Working alongside caregivers, families and job coaches
• Expanding through catering, community events and a mobile pizza trailer
• The possibility of bringing Pizzabilities to communities across the country
• Building a business that offers more than a paycheck—a sense of confidence, purpose and belonging
Pizzabilities is proof that inclusion isn’t charity. It’s what can happen when business owners recognize people’s abilities, give them meaningful responsibility and create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to grow.
Learn more about Pizzabilities:
https://www.pizzabilities.com/
Locations:
Alpine, California
Santee, California
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personalsideofbusiness.com
00:00 Welcome and Amy Baker’s story
00:40 Grace’s life after high school
01:20 The idea behind Pizzabilities
02:30 Entering the restaurant business with no experience
04:10 Opening two locations in less than a year
06:00 Raising expectations in an inclusive workplace
09:00 What a first job can mean
11:00 The overwhelming demand for employment
13:00 Community and school-district support
15:00 Balancing mission, quality and sustainable growth
19:00 Amy and Josh’s different strengths as business partners
21:00 Catering, events and the pizza trailer
23:00 Franchising and the bigger vision
25:00 What Amy hopes Pizzabilities will mean for Grace
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