Meet Jeni Smith | Owner/ Operator of SliceAbility

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

Hi Jeni, how does your business help the community?
SliceAbility was created because we realize there is a very EMPLOYABLE group of people living right here in our community who find it difficult to gain employment. We choose to celebrate the gifts and talents of our exceptional team of employees who have varying abilities and special needs. We dedicate ourselves to always paying special attention to the uniqueness of each of our very EMPLOYABLE teammates.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have a heart for teaching and helping people achieve their goals. When my husband decided to open a pizza restaurant in Cumming, Georgia I knew nothing about owning a restaurant but I quickly learned that managing employees was not that different from my roots in education. I decided to contact the local school system and see if we could partner with them to host Community Based Vocational Instruction field trips and teach job skills in the restaurant.

While partnering with the schools, I realized that I had an opportunity to really make an impact in our community. By combining the knowledge I had gained from owning a restaurant and being in the classroom as a special education teacher I could create an environment to teach job skills. I realized I could provide a safe space for people of varying abilities to create a foundation in our workforce.

The food service industry is often the place many people go to get their first job. There are several transferrable skills that are taught in restaurants that can make a life long impact.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Actually, I am more of a comfy clothes, couch and conversation kind of friend. However, if we were looking for something to do we would definitely go to the Cumming City Center. There is always something happening there. We could shop at all the cute shops, get our nails done and grab a bite to eat. Most weekends they even have bands playing in the Lou Sohb Ampitheater, but we could also go down to THE WELL and see some great bands play while enjoying some fun cocktails.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
SliceAbility is special because of the special people who work here!! I want to thank each and every one of our SliceAbility teammates for sharing their hearts, smiles and desire to make SliceAbility the special place it is!!

Website: www.sliceability.com

Instagram: sliceability

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sliceability