About Us

Welcome to Special Sweets – a charming cupcakery brought to life by a remarkable team of individuals with Autism and various intellectual and developmental disabilities. At Special Sweets, we celebrate a vibrant community where participants with diverse abilities collaborate closely with dedicated instructors, special educators, and volunteers.

After the students aged out of the Carle Place School District in June 2021, we recognized the significant challenges faced by individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities, especially the alarming unemployment rate that exceeds 80%. This awareness inspired us to transform our love for baking into a flourishing business. Our adventure began in the kitchen of our teacher, where the students’ passion for baking, cultivated through their Life Skills classes, evolved into a delightful cupcakery.

In August 2022, Nassau BOCES welcomed Special Sweets at the Farber Administrative Center in Garden City, providing us with access to a fully equipped commercial kitchen and cafeteria. This collaboration not only improved our facilities but also connected us with students in special education and culinary arts, enhancing our baking and cooking training through Nassau BOCES's workforce development program. We take pride in being recognized as one of Nassau BOCES Worksite Partners, currently supporting over 40 individuals each week.

Our days are a wonderful mix of hands-on vocational classes, joyous birthday celebrations, and engaging activities within our community, filled with love, laughter, learning, and, of course, scrumptious cupcakes! Our bakery specializes in providing employment training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, focusing on fostering independence, building confidence, and developing essential job skills so that individuals can flourish in the workplace. With personalized guidance and practical experience, we are committed to creating inclusive opportunities for all.

Our menu is packed with a variety of delicious cupcake flavors, with options for vegan, dairy-free, and nut-free diets. We also provide muffins and pies. Orders can be easily placed via our website, Facebook, or Instagram, and we offer local delivery for birthday parties, special events, holidays, corporate functions, gifts, and fundraising initiatives.

We are proud to serve a range of esteemed corporate and retail businesses, local government offices, food establishments, and private clients. Through our “Cupcakes with a Cause” initiative, we are pleased to make weekly donations to The Inn in Hempstead and the Westbury Food Pantry.

Our vision is to expand our bakery to provide targeted training and career opportunities, with the ambition of opening a cupcake café. This will enable us to serve customers in person while providing invaluable hospitality training, ultimately creating even more vocational training and employment opportunities for many individuals.

We sincerely appreciate the unwavering support of our community over the years. Your orders and kind words inspire us every single day, fueling our motivation and passion. Thank you for being an integral of our journey!