Meet Anthony Palmeri | Business Owner, Education Specialist, Chef, Proud Dad

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Palmeri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was teaching my Moderate to Severe high school students around 2017 and found it rather difficult to secure them employment opportunities after they graduated. By opening up Chase Coffee Roasters, I wanted to increase the employment opportunities and create an inclusive, supportive and accommodating community. Chase was my first employee when I was roasting out of my parent’s garage. He loves being part of the coffee shop community and the community loves him, hence the name.

What should our readers know about your business?
I believe what sets us apart is that I have experience as a special education teacher and use modified training materials or visuals with my staff. I have behavior management and de-escalation training. Some of our employees with disabilities can have emotional outbursts or heightened anxiety during their shift. I use my knowledge of proactive and reactive evidence based practices to help re-direct them and or engage in healthy coping strategies. I have culinary experience and am proud of the food we serve. I am a self-taught roaster and am proud of the specialty coffee we serve. Seeing my employees of all abilities either pick up new skills or refine their skills in the back-of-house or front-of house- brings me joy. These are the things I am most excited about and proud of.
Business-wise I got to where I am today through mainly trial and error and with the help of Georgina & Craig.
It has been a challenging journey. Starting your own business comes with emotional, financial, and learning challenges. I think the biggest lesson I’ve taken away is to really be mindful of who truly is supportive of your goals. The people that have the best intentions and truly believe in our mission are the ones that have helped make it a reality and continue to thrive. These people have been either close friends, family and strangers who are now regular customers. I want the world to know that our mission is true and strong. I started the mission under ABLE COFFEE ROASTERS and now its Chase Coffee Roasters named after my good friend and first employee CHASE. I also want the world to know our mission doesn’t start and end with CCR, I opened a non-profit day program for adults with disabilities to provide continued functional education and vocational training.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting Orange County, I would definitely bring the to Chase Coffee Roasters and recommend our sensory latte and either the steak burrito or breakfast sammie. I would tell the about Tacos Los Cholos in Anaheim and not too far from CCR. They have delicious tacos! They grill them all on site! For recreational I would tell them about the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton. If they’re heading further down south San Clemente is a great beach town!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been so many people who have supported and help make this goal a reality. First and foremost my girlfriend Georgina Lopez. She is also an Education Specialist (Special Education teacher), she has two siblings with autism and she is just incredibly driven and gets things done. Shout out to Craig Anderson, John Cunin, Beth & Russ Harding and of course our amazing and loyal regulars at Chase Coffee Roasters (CCR). Ashley Robles & Kym to name a couple.

Website: https://chasecoffeeroasters.com

Instagram: @chasecoffeeroasters

Facebook: @chasecoffeeroasters

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chase-coffee-roasters-fullerton

Image Credits
Miah Mclair- for food, drinks and other images
Best Buddies for the Best Buddies imaged