Matt Cottle was diagnosed with ‘high-functioning autism’ at the age of 19. When Matt Cottle applied for a job at the supermarket bakery, his boss told him he could do nothing more than collect the stranded grocery carts. Cottle knew – “It’s hard to find a job when you are autistic.” After six years of pushing carts, Cottle already learned to do some baking.
During a culinary demonstration, Cottle fell in love with baking. He thought about joining a culinary school but was often rejected because of the problems arising from his autism. Cottle decided to enrol with the ‘Southwest Autism Research and Resource Centre (SARRC) Vocational and Life Skills Academy Culinary Works’ programme. He also took baking lessons from Chef Heather Netzloff, the owner of a bakery called Rumpelstiltskin in Granola and attended the ‘St. Mary’s Food Bank Community Kitchen’.
Matt Cottle now is an entrepreneur. He is the proud owner of ‘Stuttering King Bakery’ where he takes the pleasure of doling-out lots of brownies, scones and cookies for cafes and clients. “It’s a work of art,” Cottle said, “I could see myself doing something like this.”
#IAmYou Not bad for a guy who some people thought could do nothing more than collect grocery carts.
good