Emily Grace

If you know me personally you know two things I love to cook and I’ve also wanted to start a social enterprise for the last 10 years. My connection to this mission is deeply personal. My older sister, Noelle, has an intellectual and developmental disability, and is the most authentic person I know. She like many others faces barriers and lacks genuine opportunity to find meaningful work that she is passionate about doing. I’ve seen this firsthand and it’s a driving force behind Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Love. My life path has also led me to becoming a professional in the disability community and over the last twelve years I’ve worn many professional hats and had the opportunity through my work with Project SEARCH and other employment based training programs to see what a difference employment makes in the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. Some of my former students have held a job for more than 5 years and are working full-time. Their confidence and sense of self has completely shifted. Not everyone has the same goals with employment or desire/ability to work full-time and that’s okay. It’s all about the opportunity to gain skills, make connections, and feel grateful for being able to contribute to community. While I initially considered a brick-and-mortar establishment, I decided on a food bus because it allows us to be out in the public eye, raising awareness for an underserved population who are often unemployed. Food has a remarkable ability to bring people together. As much as possible, all aspects of the business will be touched by a people with disabilities, fostering true partnership and community.

Johnny, the Ball Master

This endeavor would not be possible without the support of my loving partner, Johnny. He is the muscles behind this operation from building out the Food Bus to concocting up our latest recipes. We are a team. Our relationship greatly centers around food, our love for family/community/humanity, and our Romanian heritage. We are two creative, passionate, fun-loving humans that hope to serve you up something special and leave your heart and bellies happy and hungry for more..