From mushrooms to vegan meals: Windrose Exchange is building a more inclusive workforce

On a typical shift, you’ll find Ashley Bowman making guacamole and doing food prep in Windrose Exchange’s commercial kitchen. While this might seem ordinary to some, it represents quite an achievement for the 28-year-old woman, who’s developmentally disabled.

Ashley owes this experience to Windrose Exchange’s nonprofit umbrella organization Beyond Able. Windrose Exchange was founded in 2018 to create meaningful, dignified, and paid employment opportunities for area teens and adults facing barriers to employment. Many of its team members struggled to find jobs, build purpose, and form social connections due to a lack of opportunity before joining Windrose Exchange.

National data frames the story with respect to disability and challenges in the job market. In 2025, 22.8 percent of people with a disability were employed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released in March 2026. The unemployment rate for people with a disability increased by 0.8 percentage points to 8.3 percent over the year. The unemployment rate for this population was about twice that of those with no disability in 2025. From 2021–2024, more than 500,000 people with disabilities were looking for work each year, according to a report released in February 2026 from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Locally, Windrose Exchange works at the intersection of food, hands-on work opportunities, and community to change outcomes for this often overlooked population. In the process, the organization is helping to bridge the disability employment gap in Northeast Indiana. 

In 2021, Ashley began her journey at Windrose Exchange on the mushroom farm before transitioning to the kitchen. She now works two days a week, preparing items like peanut butter protein bites. 

Her mother, Cara Bowman, has witnessed remarkable changes in her since she first started the job.

“There are so many positive changes — self-confidence, the idea of something to look forward to,” Cara says. She enjoys where she goes.”

Ashley’s goal of becoming a chef —a dream she’s had since high school — is being nurtured through her work at Windrose Exchange. She has an assigned job coach through a local firm, PQC Trains, who helps her succeed and grow. 

Speaking of growth, Alessandra Relue, social media coordinator at Windrose Exchange, has been a driving force behind the organization for four years.

In her words, “Our mission is simple. We create these jobs for individuals with disabilities, as far as not even disabilities, just job barriers in general. That looks like many different things.”

One constant over the last few years is that Windrose Exchange has changed the lives of many while also undergoing significant internal changes since its early days. In its previous iteration, the organization was focused on growing, harvesting, and selling highly sustainable Shitake mushrooms in the Fort Wayne area. The organization faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to pivot to stay relevant. 

“The price of growing mushrooms jumped an insane amount for us, and it was just no longer sustainable to keep our mission alive and grow the mushrooms,” Relue says. 

In her estimation, the decision to move away from mushroom farming was difficult but necessary. Today, the organization has found a niche in preparing vegan food, recognizing an untapped market in Fort Wayne. 

“We really wanted to tap into the vegan community because that was an underserved community, and it fits perfectly with what we can do with our kitchen,” Relue explains. 

With Culinary Director Lindsay Cheesebrew, who formerly ran Bird + Clever, now at the helm, Windrose Exchange offers pre-made vegan meals and has partnered with local convenience store chain Lassus. Through this arrangement, Windrose Exchange produces parfaits and protein bites for sale in its 11 locations. 

“It’s been an incredible opportunity,” Relue says. “Our crew is getting important skill sets within this because we do prep days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It’s been incredible to watch them get into the system of prep for that.”

As Windrose Exchange continues to evolve, the team is exploring new opportunities, including expanding its vegan meal offerings and a potential collaboration with the YMCA on cooking classes or a café. 

According to Relue, with many exciting developments on the horizon, Cheesebrew’s creative vision will guide Windrose Exchange’s next chapter. As the culinary lead, she has full creative control of the menu, develops and prepares the meals, runs kitchen prep, and collaborates with Relue in areas like presentation and marketing.

“The possibilities are honestly endless, which sometimes can be the overwhelming part of it,” Relue says about Windrose Exchange’s direction.