Bar Bistrot Anagramma opened its doors to the public in 2015 with the aim of offering people with disabilities of working age the opportunity to put their skills to use and learn new ones, in an inclusive and stimulating work environment. Hospitality has always been at the heart of Cometa's mission. Founded in 1986 by the will and generosity of two families, over the years Cometa has built up a close-knit network of reception facilities alongside study support services, sports and educational activities, including the Oliver Twist School. This was set up to help school drop-outs, with the vocational training school combining theory and practice in its three educational courses on textiles, carpentry and catering-bar.
Cometa's experience, which has matured hand in hand with the growth of the founders' children, has intertwined with the lives of young people with disabilities to whom the foundation has sought to offer prospects of work, with the view to their achieving economic and personal independence. "At the heart of what we do is the idea that work experience is integral to individual dignity and that everyone has a right to this, including people with disabilities," explains Marcello Bettaglio, manager of the venue. Convinced of this idea, which is as simple as it is at times difficult to apply in everyday life, we have worked with young people to find the tasks most suited to each individual person, whether taking orders or making breakfasts, clearing tables or sweeping up. No one is asked to do more than they are able to do, but simply to do whatever they can". Anagramma proves every day that there is no limit to human imagination and creativity, as Marcello recalls: "Limits are imposed by the person in front of us, whether disabled or able-bodied. It is important to understand that disability must neither be a stigma nor a limitation that a person has to put up with in aspects of life'.
At present, seven people with disabilities and five able-bodied persons are employed at Anagramma, taking care of every stage of the services offered, from breakfast through to evening aperitifs. At the heart of Anagramma's mission is to provide high quality of the service and products. Cakes, pastries and bread, including also croissants, pizzas and focaccia, are baked daily in the Cometa kitchens by the students of the hotel management school, while the other products come from selected local and national suppliers. "We make much use of local products," says the bar manager, "for example from Le Specialità Lariane in Cernobbio. We want to work with people who share our values of quality, respect for the ingredients, and attention to service and care for customers. We also link up with suppliers from outside the area, with the fruit juices, the best we have found on the market, coming from Madre Terra, a cooperative in Rimini that employs in its production people with disabilities. Anagramma has to be able to stand on its own two feet in the market place, a business that has to create the right economic balance to be able to pay the salaries of all the staff."
With this approach, Marcello and his team aim to overcome negative narratives related to disability, too often approximations with a tendency towards pity. Anyone who decides to rely on the service of the Anagramma staff must feel like a customer, not a benefactor. The caring and welcoming service of the barmen and waiters has certainly however been key to the success of this unique enterprise on the Como scene. "Working with people with disabilities at a high level, but also just using Anagramma as a customer, gives us the opportunity to stop contemplating our navels, get away from our humdrum thoughts and worries, and take note that there are people you might not normally take a bet on in life but who in reality have so much to offer and possess a vitality that we often envy. It is the chance for everyone to rediscover the beauty and richness of life'.
The project launched in 2015 by Cometa has taken up the challenge, on a daily basis, to break down prejudices and deconstruct superficial preconceptions. Before taking an order at the table, Anagramma's waiters introduce themselves by name and immediately establish a friendly and intimate relationship with the customer. As well as enjoying a good drink or tasty slice of cake in a splendid setting just a few steps from the centre of Cernobbio, the customer is pampered in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. As some loyal customers put it: 'At Anagramma you feel good because you breathe good air'.