As Meyer explained<\/a> to the Down Syndrome Association of South Texas Conference in February, \u201cI\u2019m an actress, a model, a social media influencer, a chef and now, a cafe owner.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, she is a Christmas miracle.<\/p>\n Look under the tree: It will be hard to find anything as marvelous and moving as Meyer\u2019s story.\u00a0The Mermaid Caf\u00e9 is the fulfillment of a dream. At age 4, Meyer told her parents she wanted to open a restaurant. At 24, she did.<\/p>\n The cafe\u2019s website<\/a> offers a simple descriptor \u2014 \u201cSpecialty Coffee by Special People\u201d \u2014 and a greeting from the founder:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Leah Meyer and my family and I have set out on a journey to launch a coffee shop on a mission to employ people with disabilities to serve in all capacities while serving up elevated coffee, sweet treats and eats with a smile.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind the pastry case and coffee machines are employees who are hearing impaired and autistic. Four have Down syndrome. One works from a wheelchair. Drew and Karen Meyer, Leah\u2019s parents, wanted to hire a staff of mostly employees with disabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal was to hit 70%,\u201d Karen said. \u201cWe\u2019re at 80%. This is what inclusion looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n Leah sets the example. She makes virtually everyone comfortable. She collaborates with Marisol Deluna New York<\/a> and its line of tieless aprons and accessible kitchen items called Little Pickle and Patty Cake, which are sold at La Villita.\u00a0<\/p>\n And she\u2019s participated in Marisol Deluna New York Foundation fashion shows, including one at the Arneson River Theater<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s film. Leah will appear in a thriller, \u201cSteel Phoenix,\u201d produced by San Antonio\u2019s Taylor James Johnson<\/a> and scheduled for release in 2026. Karen said she can\u2019t reveal much about the film but offered this: \u201cThere\u2019s lots of action and Leah\u2019s character is right in the middle of it all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A dream come true<\/p>\n Drew and Karen always knew their daughter was different.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Leah was a little girl, she did not like cartoons. She loved to watch Food Network. She absorbed hours and hours of cooking shows and aspired to become like her favorite chef, Rachael Ray.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s my role model,\u201d said Leah, now 25.<\/p>\n She also drew inspiration from a Disney character, Tiana, who opened a restaurant in \u201cThe Princess and the Frog.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a dreamer,\u201d Leah said. \u201cI love baking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Karen smiled, nodding in agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEver since she was little, she was always working in the kitchen,\u201d Karen said. \u201cAnd she just always said, \u2018I want to have a restaurant.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Drew marvels. \u201cShe is an entrepreneur at heart,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has the biggest heart and is constantly thinking of ways to include people in everthing she does.\u201d <\/p>\n Leah\u2019s parents put muscle and money into her dream two and a half years ago. After her sister, Ana, and brother, Kane, moved into adulthood, Leah\u2019s father left his career in the food truck business. Karen set aside time from her speech pathology practice. They built the Mermaid\u00a0 Caf\u00e9 and issued a social media call: We\u2019re hiring. Please apply!\u00a0<\/p>\n Dozens of applications poured in.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had such an influx.\u201d said Karen, who continues her practice. \u201cIt exceeded our expectations\u00a0\u2014 by far.\u201d<\/p>\n The Meyers made operations special-needs friendly. They installed a push-button espresso machine. They prepared pastry dough in advance for baking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe set systems in place so that people could learn how to do everything,\u201d Karen said. \u201cThere will be days when Drew will come home and say, \u2018I didn\u2019t make a coffee today because the employees did it all.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The caf\u00e9 serves a variety of coffees and gluten-free treats, such as pumpkin bread, cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins. The menu<\/a> also includes hot chocolate, teas, quiches and the newest item: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Most of it is prepared by the staff.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just spreading awareness,\u201d said Leah, who uses social media accounts to share her message.<\/p>\n Holiday cheer at Mermaid Caf\u00e9<\/p>\n Leah isn\u2019t the first restaurateur with Down syndrome. Tim Harris opened Tim\u2019s Place <\/a>in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2010 to much buzz. The restaurant closed in 2015 <\/a>when Harris moved to Colorado and became a motivational speaker.<\/p>\n At Mermaid Caf\u00e9 on Blanco Road, Leah and her co-workers serve and mingle with a diverse clientele: some with special needs, others without disabilities. An artificial tree stands in the corner, lit and flocked, surrounded by merchandise, which can be purchased for the holidays.<\/p>\n The coffee shop is closed today. Leah is celebrating Christmas with her parents and siblings at home. Santa arrives each year and places gifts under the tree. In her stocking is a clue for a scavenger hunt that follows. Santa leaves a succession of clues at the Meyer home that lead the siblings to another gift.<\/p>\n Seated in the back of her coffee shop, Leah smiles. \u201cThat\u2019s my favorite tradition,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m very good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mermaid Caf\u00e9 re-opens on Friday. It is Leah\u2019s happy place. A place where she shares coffee, smiles and hugs. A place with a reminder on the back wall, illuminated in pink: \u201cI am enough\u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n Leah wants everyone to know: they are, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leah Meyer is a gift wrapped in blue and yellow, an entrepreneur who wears the colors of Down…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":470614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,213734,213735,213736,157727,7202,7203,358,72176,7453,3187,7815,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-470613","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-down-syndrome-association","10":"tag-marisol-deluna-new-york","11":"tag-mermaid-cafe","12":"tag-rachel-ray","13":"tag-san-antonio","14":"tag-sanantonio","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-the-food-network","17":"tag-top-story","18":"tag-tx","19":"tag-typedaily","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115779895172234158","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MermaidCafe_jn_018.jpg\")
Leah Meyer connects with her mom Karen Meyer as they talk at The Mermaid Caf\u00e9. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MermaidCafe_jn_006.jpg\")
Leah Meyer, a 25-year-old chef and entrepreneur who created The Mermaid Caf\u00e9, dances around the shop like Gene Wilder in \u201cCharlie and the Chocolate Factory\u201d. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MermaidCafe_jn_005.jpg\")
Drew Meyer, Leah Meyer and Karen Meyer at The Mermaid Caf\u00e9 in San Antonio, Texas. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n